Chapter - 26

"Mr. Lucchese, I didn't expect to meet you today."

Elio said as he stood up. He was sure they didn't have anything scheduled for today.

"Well, I needed to clarify some doubts in the contract."

Salvatore replied, shaking Elio's hand. His grip lingered for a moment longer than comfortable, making Elio feel uneasy. Elio withdrew his hand from Salvatore's grip and led him to the couch. He expected Salvatore to sit opposite him, but instead, Salvatore sat down right next to him, much too close for Elio's comfort. Elio squirmed and picked up the iPad to review their files related to the deal.

"You know, you could have sent your secretary for this."

Elio said, scrolling through the device.

"Yeah, but I wanted to see you."

Salvatore replied. Elio was surprised to hear that, he chuckled nervously and adjusted his position to create some distance from Salvatore. As they began discussing the contract, Salvatore veered off into unrelated topics, leaving Elio confused. Wasn't Salvatore there to clarify his doubts? Meanwhile, Salvatore continued to move closer to Elio, which only heightened his discomfort.

"You look nervous."

Salvatore remarked, tucking a strand of Elio's hair behind his ear. Elio quickly stood up and looked at him.

"I need to use the washroom."

Elio left the room without waiting for a reply. He entered the bathroom attached to the office, shut the door, and locked it, bracing himself against the counter.

"What the fuck is wrong with that creep?"

He said. He was getting uneasy and scared. So he did the one thing to calm his mind. Call Nicolas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nicolas was sitting back in his chair, his mind replaying the day's events. After hearing Elio suggest that someone must have planted chips, they had checked their men for any devices, but all of them came clean. They then searched the entire base and discovered 25 chips, most of which were found in their meeting room. The pressing questions were how and who had done this? His men mentioned a team that had come to fix the pipes in the basement a month ago, leading Nicolas to suspect they might have planted the chips. Luca and his team were now on a mission to track down those responsible. He was pulled from his thoughts by the ringing of his phone. A smile spread across his face when he saw Elio's name on the screen. He answered with a soft,

"Hey."

The line fell silent for a moment before Elio's anxious voice broke through.

"I-I just. I c-called be-because..."

Nicolas sat up straight, alarmed by Elio's scared tone.

"Eli? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Elio? You've been in the bathroom for so long. Are you okay?"

Came another voice, one that Nicolas despised.

"I'll call you back."

Elio whispered before abruptly cutting the call. So, Salvatore was there?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elio collected himself and exited the bathroom. He noticed Salvatore sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for him. Elio offered a polite smile before taking a seat opposite Salvatore.

"Sorry I took so long."

Elio said.

"It's okay. Shall we continue?"

Salvatore replied, to which Elio nodded. They resumed their discussion about the contract. At times, Elio felt that his doubts were trivial and could be resolved by simply reading the agreement, there seemed to be little need for this meeting. Throughout their conversation, Salvatore's eyes remained fixed on Elio, observing his expressions. Elio sensed Salvatore's gaze but chose not to acknowledge it.Elio's secretary knocked on the door, making him sigh in relief. He mentally thanked her for arriving at that moment.

"Sir?"

Elio smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"There's a food delivery for you."

Elio was confused because he was sure he hadn't ordered anything.

"But I didn't o-"

"I did."

Salvatore interrupted.

"I ordered some drinks and snacks while you were in the bathroom."

He said with a shrug.

"Bring it in."

Elio instructed. He was genuinely shocked to see his favorite snacks and drinks on the table, all from the shop he frequented. Elio looked at Salvatore, gulping, this was starting to feel a bit creepy. Suddenly, the door swung open with force, and Elio sighed in relief upon seeing Nicolas enter the room. However, Nicolas looked furious. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were dark, making him appear intimidating. Elio quickly stood up and rushed toward Nicolas, colliding with him. Nicolas wrapped his arms around Elio's waist. Elio snuggled into Nicolas's chest sighing in relief. Nicolas was staring hard at Salvatore who was glaring back at him. Nicolas tightened his hold on Elio's waist. Elio looked up from his chest and smiled.

"Hey."

Elio whispered.

"Hey."

Nicolas replied caressing his cheeks. Nicolas looks at Salvatore his face morphing to a serious one.

"I think the meeting should be stopped for now. Me and my husband needs to be somewhere."

Nicolas says making Salvatore look pissed off. But he quickly gave a straight smile and walked towards the couple.

"Sure. I hope we can meet next time Elio."

Salvatore says and leaves them.

"He's giving me the creeps."

Elio said the moment Salvatore left.

"What do you mean?"

Nicolas asked, frowning.

"He ordered some snacks and drinks, and the creepy thing is, they were my favorites from my favorite shop."

"What the fuck?"

Nicolas exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah, what a creepy guy with tattoos."

"Tattoos?"

"Yeah, he had these weird gun tattoos."

Nicolas looked at Elio and held his shoulder tightly.

"Are you sure it's a gun tattoo?"

"Yeah? Like crossed guns?"

Elio replied, confused by Nicolas's sudden change in demeanor. Nicolas released Elio from his grip and picked up his phone to call Luca.

"Luca? I need you to run a background check on Salvatore Lucchese."

He said. Elio watched him intently.

"Yes, Lucchese. I also need you to see if he's related to or has done any deals with the Costa Norda."

"Can you explain to me what's going on?"

Elio asked, desperate for answers.

"First, let's go home. I think it's enough work for today."

Nicolas said, holding Elio's hands as they prepared to leave the office. Elio felt butterflies in his stomach when Nicolas held his hand, lately, Nicolas had started showing affection, and Elio found himself enjoying it. The only good thing that may have happened today is this moment, where his hand rests safely and warmly between Nicolas's.