Defender's Heartbeat 2

Chapter 32

Louis

I went up the stairs to Enzo's room, feeling weighed down by a heavy heart. When I entered, I found Enzo talking to the guard, saying nonsensical things. I asked the guard to leave and closed the door behind him. Then, I hugged Enzo tightly.

"What's wrong with you? Let go, you freak," he struggled, trying to push me away.

But I didn't release him until I felt better. I was saddened by how Papa spoke about him, without any sympathy. How could he be so cruel? I couldn't imagine hating my own child for any reason.

Papa isn't normal. He has a serious problem. Maybe he's secretly a psychopath. How can he be so cold to his own family? I could understand if he was harsh with outsiders, but how could he treat his own flesh and blood this way?

However, Enzo still smelled as good as always. It seemed like he spent a lot of money on his cologne.

"Get off me, Louis. I'm not your wife," Enzo said.

"I know you're not my wife, you idiot," I finally replied, releasing him.

Enzo didn't care about my affection. He quickly distanced himself.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I know what's coming next," he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. I felt heartbroken.

"No, I'm not doing that again," I said, my voice soft but firm.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what Pedro always says too," Enzo muttered, not even bothering to look at me.

—---------------

"Are you living in Enzo's room now?" Juana asked.

No one in the house ever knows when Juana is home or when she's gone. The only thing she does is travel everywhere she can. If there were a way to travel to other planets, she'd be the first to go.

"Oh, you're home again? How many boyfriends do you have this time?" I asked.

"It's none of your business, Louis," she replied.

"Sounds like a lot. Just make sure you don't get pregnant by some random guy," I said as I headed out of the house. Juana has more freedom than anyone in the family, and we all kind of envy her for that.

"I'm not!" I heard her scream angrily behind me.

Manuel

Pedro mentioned that he wanted to speak with me as soon as I arrived at the villa. It seemed like he wanted to meet me before I saw my son, Enzo. I couldn't help but wonder why. Was he planning to dismiss me?

When I arrived at Pedro's office in his house, Louis was there too.

"We need to discuss something important with you," Pedro said.

"What is it, boss?" I asked, studying their serious expressions. Well, they always looked serious and dull, so today was no different. Regardless of how handsome they were, their faces never seemed to crack a smile. I was pretty sure they'd never develop wrinkles from smiling, since they rarely did so.

"While you were away, Enzo did something really dumb," Pedro said, relaying the events. I felt my legs go numb, as if I were about to have a heart attack.

"Manuel, are you okay? Sit down, man. You look like you're about to faint," Pedro urged.

"Don't tell him we told you this. He asked me not to tell anyone. But keep an eye on him," Louis added.

"So you never asked him why he was crying when he hugged you, thinking you were me?" I asked Louis.

"No, I didn't ask anything. He's always been a crybaby," Louis said heartlessly. I didn't bother to argue with them; after all, I was just a paid guard. At least they were finally taking Enzo's situation seriously.

After hearing the shocking news, I went to Enzo's room and found a guard inside, staring at him.

"Hey, Manuel, good you came. Now I can leave your brat with you," the guard said quietly before leaving the room.

"Enzo, how are you?" I asked, turning to him as he lay on the bed on his stomach.

"Papa," he said, his face lighting up like a little kid's.

"You miss me?" I asked, approaching him, trying to hide my worry.

"A lot," he replied in a weak tone.

"Yet, you never call me, answer my calls, or send messages?" I asked, pretending like I knew nothing. I sat on his bed and touched his beautiful face.

"I was just... busy," he replied, avoiding my eyes.

"Yeah," I said, pulling him closer to me.

"Why do you look like..." I didn't finish the sentence as I noticed it clearly. He looked different today. "Are you in pain, Enzo?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little headache," he said.

To be honest, I was waiting for him to tell me what he had actually done. We never had secrets between us. I didn't want him to hide things from me, so I waited to hear it from his own mouth.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Enzo asked, playfully biting my hand like a child.

"Are you hiding something from me?" I asked, and he looked at me in shock.

He said nothing. "I'm glad you're back," he said after a few seconds.

I hugged him tightly. I'm glad you're alive, my life, my Enzo.

Enzo was both thrilled and suspicious when he heard I was going to sleep in his room for a while. I told him that Louis asked me to stay because I had to fix something in my own room. Enzo didn't seem to believe me, though.

"Okay, fine. I get it. Louis can't keep secrets, can he?" Enzo finally said.

"What secret?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't pretend like you don't know," Enzo replied.

"Looks like you're really good at keeping secrets from me, huh, Enzo?" I said, looking at him pointedly.

He met my gaze with guilt. "But you know, right?" he admitted, looking down.

"I can't believe you did something like that, Enzo," I said, my voice filled with disbelief. "Why did you do it? Why didn't you call me? I would have come if you'd asked," I said, still holding onto him.

"I'm sorry, Papa," he replied softly.

"You always say sorry after doing something reckless. What if Louis had been too late? How could you say sorry to me if he had been... too late?" I asked, my emotions battling between anger and fear.

"Papa, I..." he started, but his words trailed off.

"Why are you doing this to me, Enzo? If you ever think of doing something like that again, you better go through me first," I said, gently cupping his face. His features were so perfect, I could gaze at them all day.

Enzo seemed hurt by my words, but I had to say them.

"I'll never do it again, Papa. I promise," he said, resting his face against my chest.

"You know I love you. It's okay if he doesn't love you, Enzo. You have me. I always tell you that—you have me. You can tell me anything, anytime," I reassured him.

"I know, Papa. It was a stupid mistake," he replied.