Andrea's POV
I watched as Ale led Hazel back to the grand ballroom. Since their departure, my mind has been occupied with thoughts. I now understood the reason Ale instructed me to keep an eye on Hazel, track her movements within the university, and befriend her. Initially, I believed he merely wanted to use her as bait to catch Matteo, but it dawned on me that there might be more to his plan than he revealed. Honestly, Hazel is remarkable—a true bookworm and artist with a profound sense of meaning. Her expertise in the arts allows her to gather valuable information, and I marvel at her abilities. As we got closer, I contemplated the idea of becoming her friend and even mentor. She's truly brilliant, and I found myself wondering if she could be a valuable asset to our foundation. However, considering Alessandro's protective nature towards her, I questioned whether he would approve of such a proposition. 'Perhaps I should discuss this with him,' I thought.
Hazel and Ale approached me. 'They look so compatible; maybe Ale has found his soulmate,' I mused, genuinely happy for them. Despite Ale's stern and emotionless exterior to others, I knew the challenges he faced, having grown up with him. He's more like a brother than a cousin, and I have immense respect for him.
"Andre!" Ale's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I wore an amused yet knowing expression. "Glad you could make it back," I said, glancing between them with a subtle wink. He gave me a stern yet smirking look, and I continued, "Sorry. Need anything?" He shook his head and sighed, "I need to give the speech; keep Hazel company until I come back," he added, placing his hand on her back. I nodded, and as he whispered something in her ear, he left.
Watching Ale depart, Hazel's face turned crimson. I leaned toward her ear and whispered, "I didn't know you and Ale were on whispering terms." She lowered her head and smiled. "Should we head for fresh air? You seem to need more oxygen here," I offered with a wink. She nodded, and I extended my hand like a gentleman for her to hold. She did, and I led her to the balcony. It was a beautiful night with stars prominent in the sky and the moon shining brightly.
Standing near the rail, I asked in a whisper, "What did he say in your ear?" She looked me in the eye, raised her eyebrows, and said, "You know you don't need to whisper." I raised one eyebrow and smirked, "I'm just curious." She gave a gentle smile and said, "Well, it's confidential, but I can tell you he mentioned to stick by you, and you will keep me safe." I smiled at her statement, "Yes, definitely. Else, he will make me vanish from the face of this earth." We both chuckled, but I sensed she had a question from the way she bit her bottom lip—an observation I picked up while working with her. I just smiled and looked at her, "Go ahead, ask anything you are curious about. I will answer all your questions."
Hesitantly, she looked at me and asked in a lower voice, "Are you, um, part of… you know… the M A F I A?" I burst out laughing, "You know that everyone around here knows how to spell, right? Plus, we are alone now, so speak freely; no one dares." She looked around and talked with a commanding voice, "Yes or no? Just answer me." I looked at her amusingly and nodded. Her eyes widened, and she gasped, covering her mouth. She looked around again and said, "Don't tell me the work I was doing for you… for the foundation is…" She paused, seeking answers from me. I simply nodded, and her reaction surprised me. She calmed and formed an O-shape with her mouth, as if thinking and realizing things slowly. I kept staring at her, and my phone buzzed.
I looked at her and excused myself to answer. "Why is Luca calling me?" I murmured and picked up the phone. "Yes?" Luca got straight to the point. "I think we found the mole." I responded, "Name?" He added, "Curator 3." That stunned me, and I asked, "Are you sure?" he confidently answered, "99% sure. We received a tip, investigated and landed on him. He is in the basement now." I frowned my eyebrows and ended the call.
Hazel looked at me with concerned eyes. "Everything alright?" I debated whether to tell her or not but then thought about it and decided to check with her since she was working on those documents with me.
"Hazel, I will ask you a question, and you have to respond honestly, okay?" She looked puzzled but nodded anyway. "When you were working on the documents I gave you—the dates of each artifact, the materials used, etc.—did you notice anything out of the ordinary? I don't mean anything by it; I just need to confirm something."
She stayed silent and shifted her gaze to the horizon. A serious look crept onto her face that sent chills down my spine. Then she said, "All those documents you handed me were falsified; since last month, the number of falsified documents has increased. At first, I suspected something was wrong with the curator you worked with. But when things got worse, I suspected the curator was trying to scam the foundation and steal the funds." She shifted her gaze towards me and added, "I couldn't tell you; sorry. I didn't trust you at first. But once I noticed that you suspected nothing and realized that you don't review the documents before signing them, I thought you were not part of the scam."
I looked at her, eyes wide with surprise, and then she smiled wide. "But I corrected all the information before handing it to you. I can tell you have a mole that is trying to ruin your work, and that is what you are trying to confirm right now, right?" I gasped, "Wait, what?" I was so confused right now. "How did you know they were falsified?"
She looked at me calmly and answered, "My father used to do that type of work back home. Not sure who his clients were, but I picked up his skill at an early age. Sometimes, I was even helping him decode documents and check the authenticity of content. I knew the moment you handed me the first document at our first meeting but didn't say anything, thinking you were not aware of the illegal stuff and didn't want you to get into trouble. So, I helped you and corrected everything, even made it authentic."
She sighed and added, "Therefore, the curator is the mole?" She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, waiting for me to confirm.
I was taken aback by Hazel's revelation. Her resourcefulness and dedication to maintaining the integrity of our work impressed me. As the reality of her involvement sank in, I couldn't help but admire her ethics, but at the same time, I was curious. 'Hazel seems trained at a young age, and that only happens in rings like ours. If her father had that skill, then could she be part of a ring too? Wait, the Lombardi's are the only ones that train girls too; other rings generally exclude girls from any type of training. Did her father work for us before? I will ask Luca to run a background check on her and her family.' I was deep in thoughts when she coughed and gained my attention. She raised her eyebrows. "So?"
"You knew all along?" I asked, still trying to grasp the extent of her understanding. She nodded. "Yes and no. I had my doubts, and once you put one and one together, it's an easy guess from there. The list becomes short. But I love art and though I guessed what you do is illegal, I know that you love art too and you preserve it better and give it a home. I believed in what you were trying to achieve. I wanted to help without putting you or myself in jeopardy."
I couldn't conceal my surprise but composed myself. I know that I need to run this by Ale but I don't think he will refuse and took the initiative and asked "So, are you interested in working at the foundation?" She grinned, "Are you offering me a job?" I raised my shoulders. "Well, we have a curator position open." She smiled and extended her hand for me to shake. "Sure, but you have to go easy on me; I'm just an entry-level."
We both laughed, and I shook her hand firmly "Welcome to the Lombardi foundation."