"Hey, how are you feeling?"
Mia smiled as Enzo's gentle face greeted her when she opened her eyes. Lately, Enzo seemed so busy that he didn't have much time to visit Mia anymore. The man usually only came when Mia was asleep and left after Enzo finished making sure that she was okay. That cycle had been happening for almost a month. So, Mia was happy when she finally got to see him.
"I'm fine. Can I go home now, Enzo? I miss you and the others."
Enzo's eyes were sad when he heard Mia's enthusiastic voice. Enzo also wanted to bring Mia back. But he still had to find the traitors who were roaming around his organization, as well as suppress the number of reporters who were still faithfully waiting in the area of the building where Enzo lived. Mia's news had been a hot topic for the past few weeks. Even if Enzo and Victor tried to suppress the news, the news was still spreading rapidly.
Freelance journalists, Mia's fans, and even curious people still crowded the area around Enzo's residential building. Enzo even had to move back to his main house because of that.
However, because the distance between Enzo's main house and Victor's house was too far, Enzo could not often come to Victor's house to visit Mia. He could only come in between his work hours or was satisfied with seeing Mia from a video call made by Victor or Mia herself.
Moreover, every time Enzo wanted to come to Victor's house, he had to cover up his arrival, and the preparation alone carefully took a lot of energy and time. Mia could even see traces of fatigue on Enzo's handsome face, which successfully made Mia show her worried expression every time Enzo came to visit her.
"Did you sick, Enzo? Please don't forget to eat and sleep on time even though you're busy. I'm worried about you."
Enzo smiled when Mia tried to lecture him with the same sentence she said every time Mia was stubborn when taking her job. His tiredness disappeared a little when Mia touched his cheek gently. Enzo was satisfied enough to see Mia's smile after all his hard work.
"I understand. But Mia, haven't you been happy living here? Is there something that makes you uncomfortable? You can tell me or Victor. There is no need for you to force yourself again, Mia."
Hearing Enzo's worried words, Mia immediately shook her head. Her body, which had been constantly aching and feeling weak for the past few days, was leaning against Enzo's sturdy body. Mia's eyes were closed as she enjoyed the sound of Enzo's heartbeat and breathing, which made her feel calm and safe.
"I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere, Enzo. I just miss you."
If Mia had said all that before Enzo realized that Mia seemed to have fallen in love with Victor, Enzo would have been happy and would not hesitate to kiss the girl's forehead as usual to show his happiness. He might even believe that Mia loves him too, a love that is different from the family love that Mia has always felt for him.
Mia who depends on him, Mia who worries about him, and Mia... who loves him.
How perfect would Enzo's life be if all of that came true?
But Enzo now knows that Mia's eyes are only focused on Victor in matters of love. Mia only depends on him and worries about him as a sister who worries about her family.
Carefully, Enzo's hands rise to embrace Mia's body. His hands gently push Mia's head to lean in his embrace, just so that the girl cannot see the complex expression that Enzo shows when the man hugs his cousin.
"You... can't go back now, Mia."
Enzo doesn't know how he should explain the situation to Mia. Victor is right. Only introducing the good side of the world to Mia had become her biggest weakness. Mia has always thought that everyone is good since she lived with Enzo's family. How can Enzo explain to Mia now that many people are trying to make money from her problems? How could he explain to the girl that many people were accusing Mia when Enzo was hugging Mia? Some of them even started speculating even wilder. Many who claimed to be Mia's fans started leaving the girl because neither Mia nor the agency could give them any clarity since the video of Mia's messy complexion and breaking into Victor's company spread on social media.
In front of the agency that managed Mia, some 'fans' even started to burn posters of Mia's face and said that Mia's current fame was because she was cared for by a rich and famous businessman like Enzo.
With that speculation, people even began to doubt the family relationship between Enzo and Mia. The situation was getting worse every day on social media. Even people who didn't know anything began to pressure Mia to vent their own emotions lately. Cruel comments like they were having an affair even started to circulate everywhere until Enzo asked his lawyers to work overtime to sue the people who went too far.
Enzo couldn't let Mia leave Victor's house in this chaotic situation. Because at least, in Victor's house, the girl could continue to be protected without being able to touch electronic devices without supervision from Victor or his men who visited from time to time. Mia no longer touched her cell phone or television while she was in Victor's house. Her time had been used up for sleeping, eating, and casually chatting with Victor or the others if Mia was okay. As long as they all worked together and kept Mia busy so she couldn't see the articles, he was sure Mia would get better soon.
Even though it was difficult, Enzo had to persuade Mia so that the girl would still be willing to stay at Victor's house for now.
"Your doctor's house is close to Victor's house, Mia. He won't be able to watch you if you go back now. Until the effects of the drugs are completely gone, stay here and spend your time getting close to Victor, okay? You love him, right? It's only a matter of time before you two are together in the future."
No one could see that behind Enzo's soft voice, there was a great deal of heartache as he acted as the encouragement for Mia's relationship with Victor to form. Enzo continued to hug Mia because he didn't want Mia to see his weak side.
"But, shouldn't a singer like me not love anyone as long as I still pursue my career? I'm often reminded of that by other artists."
Enzo smiled when he heard Mia's answer. His hand gently stroked Mia's hair before he answered.
"Well, everyone has the right to love someone. Love knows no boundaries. They can come anytime and anywhere," Enzo said.
Enzo stroked Mia's soft hair while the girl was busy with her thoughts. When Enzo heard the call on his cell phone, he knew that he had to leave again.
"I had to go, Mia. I promise I'll go to bed early and eat so you don't have to worry anymore. I'll come back later."
Enzo kissed Mia's forehead lightly. Enzo's smile looked so gentle, as his eyes focused on Mia's face before he walked out of Mia's room.
Outside the room, Victor was standing, looking at him with a complicated look. Seeing that look, Enzo patted Victor's shoulder once before he walked away again.
"You've heard everything, right? From now on, don't you dare hurt her, Victor. The price of her happiness is expensive. I even had to give up everything just to make her smile."
"En-"
"I'll go. Please take care of Mia, and don't let anyone take away the sweet smile she has."
Before Victor could say anything, Enzo had cut him off first and left him just like that. Victor stared at Enzo. Victor knew it wasn't just his illusion when he saw Enzo's frustrated face when the man was talking to him.
Victor could even feel Enzo's hand shaking when the man patted his shoulder. From his actions, Victor could already tell that Enzo must have loved Mia very much, perhaps much more than the love he had for Mia.
But with that much love, Enzo was willing to back down just for his cousin's happiness. Victor took a deep breath before he knocked on Mia's door and went inside as soon as he heard Mia's soft reply.