"Boss, where should we go now? We've completely lost track of Mia."
Lily asked Enzo hesitantly as the man pinched his nose while closing his eyes. Lily felt that today's incident was also her fault. Lily bit her lip hard as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
"We're going to Infinite Corporation. Knowing Victor's character, that man wouldn't be stupid enough to tell Mia where his house is. If Mia went to find Victor, she would most likely go there," Enzo said after a while.
"Okay, Boss."
Hearing Enzo's words, Lily answered, stifled as she increased the speed of the car. Lily also never thought that Mia would go that far just because she was forbidden to meet Victor. Enzo always took good care of Mia. He could cover up all the dark sides of the entertainment world just for Mia. But this time, it seemed like they had failed to avoid Mia from the scariest thing they could think of.
"Lily..."
Lily immediately became alert again when Enzo muttered her name. Lily had not had time to answer the call when Enzo immediately continued his words.
"Why... she had to do that? Have I been wrong all this time? I just wanted to protect her. Victor let his lover get killed in the past. I have no guarantee that he can take care of Mia if the two of them get closer. I don't want Mia to disappear from my life. The thought of Mia leaving me one day always scared the fuck of me."
Lily was shocked when, for the first time, she could see Enzo's fragile side. Enzo covered his face with both hands, his voice trembling as he spoke to Lily.
"Boss..."
"You won't leave me, right? You... you will never betray me, right? You and Rose are the people I trust the most, Lily. You are the people I love the most besides Mia. Whatever happens... please don't betray me like the others."
Lily seemed unable to breathe anymore when Enzo suddenly asked her desperately. Lily's hands unconsciously shook as she tried to put on her best smile to cheer Enzo up at the moment.
"Of course, Boss. Rose and I will only be loyal to you," Lily said in a low voice.
***
"My boss is waiting for you, Enzo. Please follow me so you can talk more privately."
When Enzo's car finally arrived at Victor's company, Enzo and Lily did not have time to do anything when Leon, who had been waiting in front of the company, suddenly approached them without carrying any weapons. Enzo looked at his surroundings, which were crowded with ordinary employees, before finally nodding and obediently following Leon who led the way to enter the special elevator that took them to the floor that was specifically occupied by Victor. Enzo didn't think anymore about the people who were talking about his arrival when he entered the elevator. He just thinks about Mia and her latest condition.
"Mia is inside, Enzo. Mia is sleeping after being examined by the doctor. As for Mia's condition herself... It would be better if you asked the boss directly."
"Enzo and I will talk on the balcony, Leon. You take care of Mia while I talk to him."
Enzo, Lily, and Leon immediately turned to Victor, who had just come out of his office. The man's face was serious as his sharp eyes watched Enzo, who stared back at him no less coldly.
"There's nothing I'm going to talk to you about, Victor. I just came to pick up Mia and return to the main house to start her treatment."
Hearing Enzo's words, Victor could only smile sarcastically. His face slowly turned cold as Victor replied to Enzo's words.
"Did you bring Mia back so she could consume opium again, Enzo?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, FUCKER!"
"BOSS!"
Victor just stared coldly at Enzo, who suddenly walked quickly towards him to point his gun right at Victor's forehead. Leon certainly didn't stay silent when he saw Enzo's actions. The man also immediately pointed his gun at Enzo, while Lily pointed her gun at Leon's head to prevent whatever Victor's subordinate was thinking.
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense, but Victor still had time to laugh sarcastically as he continued to stare at Enzo's face.
"What do you think of Mia, Enzo? In the time I've known her, I know that she doesn't know many things, almost like an overly clean canvas. You've locked her up in your golden cage too much, to the point that she can no longer distinguish between good and evil."
Enzo didn't reply to Victor's taunts. His hand that was holding the gun that he was still pointing at Victor's head began to tremble as he realized that Victor's words were true. Since the beginning, all Enzo wanted to do was protect those innocent eyes from the harshness of the world. Enzo wanted Mia to keep smiling, no longer hurt or afraid to face her own life.
Enzo only wanted to build a small paradise for his sweet cousin, but Enzo also realized that his actions had become Mia's weakness as the little girl grew older. Mia now only knows love and happiness, without knowing that life also sometimes requires sadness and other emotions so that the girl can grow stronger in the future.
Enzo thought it was too late to teach Mia how cruel the world could be because of one action. Enzo tried to cover up his mistake by restraining things that could harm Mia. Enzo didn't have enough courage to let Mia get hurt again. The cowardice he tried to suppress would overflow uncontrollably every time Mia was mentioned in any event.
"You don't even allow her to talk to other artists, right? I'm starting to wonder now, Enzo. Do you really love Mia or are you just obsessed with her?"
"Shut the fuck up," Enzo whispered, holding back as his hands shook even more with emotion. The image of himself standing alone at his parents' funeral flashed back into Enzo's mind. The man lowered the gun that he had been holding up when his steps suddenly wobbled backward because of the surge of emotions that filled his mind.
"Mia... is the only one I have now. There's nothing wrong with trying to protect her as best I can. I'm not like you. I won't let Mia get hurt just because her cousin is part of the underworld."
Victor's brow furrowed when Enzo brought up his lover's just to justify his actions. Victor was quite angry at Enzo's words. If Victor hadn't seen Enzo as Mia's beloved cousin, Victor swore he would have beaten Enzo since Enzo had first set foot on this floor.
But for Mia's sake, Victor once again tried to suppress his emotions by continuing to speak calmly in front of Enzo.
"My lover died because of the same action, Enzo. I'm telling you because I know how cruelly an obsession can kill a person."
Enzo was really silent after the man listened to Victor's words. In his mind, he was considering whether he had been doing the right thing or not. Mia's desperate face earlier suddenly stopped all of Enzo's considerations when the man finally decided to put his gun back and let out a long sigh.
"I'll see Mia."
Neither Lily nor Leon expected Enzo to calm himself down when he pushed Victor's body aside so he could enter the room that Victor had previously guarded. Enzo unconsciously let out a sigh of relief when he saw Mia sleeping comfortably on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her body. Enzo's feet slowly approached Mia before the man finally knelt to examine her face better.
Because of his busy work, coupled with the lights that were always turned off when Enzo returned, the man was completely unaware that Mia's face looked much thinner in the past few days. Enzo carefully rubbed Mia's arm before he regretted his mistake once again.
Although Enzo was reluctant to admit it, he knew that Victor's words were true. Enzo felt that he could no longer protect Mia. He felt like a failure, and his emotions were destroyed when he saw Mia's face look bad under his supervision for the first time.
"I will stay here until Mia tells me what she wants," Enzo said softly. Although Victor did not like Enzo's arbitrary actions, the man also felt the same feelings as Enzo was feeling. Victor patiently sat down near Enzo before the man answered in a whisper so that he would not wake Mia, who had just fallen asleep after being examined by the doctor.
"Do what you want," Victor calmly answered.