Mind and Heart

It is still forenoon when Alessio left his hotel room. Almost an hour of driving leads him to a familiar mansion but instead of entering, he pulls over a few meters away from the residence. He does not even get out of his car but the whole time, his attention is on the huge residence.

When he was still Lucas Wilde, he went to that house several times. After all, it was Alora's house.

What about now? He does not know but believes that the McLean's would still reside in that house because he once heard from Alora that the house held a huge value to her family as it was passed down from their ancestors, from generation to generation.

Though he knows that he will know everything once Marco finishes the task, he fails to stop himself from going there, especially with the memory from the other night being etched in his mind. Ever since that unexpected reunion, he cannot stop himself from thinking of her.

Quietly sitting inside his car, Alessio's gaze is focused on the gate of the mansion, perhaps hoping to see her.

It is only lunchtime. Will she even be home? He does not really think so yet he can't crush the hope in full.

Ever since he became Alessio DeFazio, he has never thought or acted this way. He is always known as a calm and reasonable person, someone who never fails to think with a clear mind. These are the traits that make his enemy fear him but when it comes to Alora McLean, he cannot be reasonable, let alone calm. He always finds himself following his heart instead of listening to his mind.

Alessio quietly remains in his car, having no idea of how much time has passed when the mansion gate is suddenly opened. He quickly leans forward to get a better view and finally, he sees her walking out of the gate with a file in her hand. Almost immediately, a car pulls over next to the gate and one soldier appears.

Alessio watches as Alora hands the file over to the soldier who leaves again in a hurry. The scene makes him recall that Alora's father is a soldier. However, the fact that Alora follows in her father's footsteps is something that won't even cross his mind, for now. After all, the dream of 16-year-old Alora McLean never lies with the army.

When Alora is about to walk back inside the house, Alessio notices her looking in his car's direction. However, the distance between them makes it impossible for her to see the interior of his car and the Don knows it. Still, he feels some pressure. After 9 years, it is never easy to see her face again, considering how much he has changed.

The pressure Alessio feels slowly fades once Alora walks back inside her house. Now that he has confirmed that Alora still lives there, Alessio knows that he should return and focus on his reason for returning to Elentrus - the upcoming meeting between Don Egidio and his allies.

Ever since he became the Don of the DeFazio crime family, he has always followed his mind and not his heart like his father taught him to. He has never failed to uphold this new principle of his but... it can never be the same whenever Alora McLean is concerned. Even now, he finds himself hesitating to leave.

Knowing that she is there just a few meters away after 9 years of that abrupt separation... the feeling somehow eases him and makes him feel the feelings he hasn't felt for a long time to the point where it feels foreign to him. After all, Alora was once the only light in his dark life.

As he sits there, quietly staring at the gate for a long time, he is finally snapped out of his stupor by the call he receives. When he takes out his phone, the name that appears on the caller ID is like a cold water splash to his face so as to remind him of who he is. With a bit of hesitation, he swipes the green button and puts the phone next to his ear.

"Father."

"Is everything going well?"

Beneath the usual calm voice of his father, the young Don can sense concern like he always does. This drags all his attention from the gate to the call. "Don't worry," he reassures his father and adds, "Everything is going as planned."

"That's good," the former Don remarks from the other line. "Even if things don't go well, make sure to not be reckless, son." Pausing deliberately for a moment, he mutters, "Your safety is more important than catching the one who tried to have me killed."

Alessio DeFazio narrows his eyes, recalling the day when that horrendous attack was launched on his father. This alone is enough to make him tightly clench his other fist. "I will remember that but... I will also make sure to see through the end." Before his father could say a word, he firmly said, "Don't worry about me, Father. I will be careful."

"Fine," Moreno DeFazio says after another moment of silence. "Celina was very worried about you when she heard that you went to Elentrus. She came straight from her business trip without even resting," he continues, changing the topic. "Be good to her. You know she is not just a consigliere for our family."

The mention of Celina ends up reminding the young Don of that encounter from the other night and once again, the feelings he struggled to handle make their way back to him. However, he soon turns some of his attention back to the call as he realizes that his father is waiting. "I understand," he responds. When he tries to continue, he is interrupted by something else - a sound of knocking on the glass of his car windows.

The young Don does not think much about it and simply shifts his gaze to his car window. However... he freezes when he identifies the person who is knocking.

It's her!