Betrothed 15

Mrs. Svetlana stepped forward with a shaky smile, clutching her tissue tightly. "He—he came because he was worried about you, dear," she stammered, nodding frantically. "That's all. He just wanted to check if you had returned, and you just happened to do so at the same time he arrived. What a coincidence, am I right?."

She angled her head slightly to one side, watching Svetlana closely. She could see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and the way her hands shook. "Liar," she thought.

She pieced it together in an instant: they'd summoned Mr. Field to discuss her inheritance, assuming she was dead. Knowing Mr. Field, he definitely refused to play along, causing Uncle Evans to lose his temper. That explained why Evans's hand was raised, aiming at the lawyer when she walked in. Her lips curled up into a small smirk, and she shook her head. "Do these fools seriously think I'm an idiot?" she thought.

Uncle Alfonso loudly cleared his throat, the noise acting as a signal for everyone to turn their gazes towards him. "Adeline. I don't know what you're up to with this sudden relationship of yours with…" he paused for a second, his eyes briefly shifting to Enzo, "....this man, but you'd better know what you're doing."

Without another word, he turned and strode toward the hallway. Adeline rolled her eyes so hard she felt her temples ache. The nerve of these people. She glanced up at Enzo, who was still standing there, unfazed. Not wanting any further conversations with her relatives, she reached out and linked her arm with his, pulling him toward the hallway that led to the elevator. "If you'll excuse me," she said over her shoulder, "I'm going to show my fiancé around."

Enzo allowed himself to be dragged, smiling like an idiot while Adeline's family's gazes remained on them until they were out of sight. 

As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, Adeline's polite smile vanished, and she stomped down hard on Enzo's foot with all her might.

"Ah- Hey!" Enzo winced, looking down at her in disbelief as he stepped back, clutching his foot. "What on earth was that for?" 

Even though it didn't hurt much, he knew that Adeline had put all her might in that stomp, so he decided to act like it did. Although, if she stomped down that hard on a human's foot, it would definitely hurt like hell.

Adeline glared up at him, her brow furrowed and her eyes flashing in irritation. "What was that back there, dumbass? If you ever touch me like that again, I swear I'll chop your arms off and slap you across the face with it!" She emphasized her words with a hard jab of her finger into his chest.

An amused chuckle rumbled from Enzo's chest as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Relax, princess. I was just trying to make it convincing."

"Well, not like that!" She said with another jab at his chest.

Just as she opened her mouth to scold him further, the elevator jolted to a stop, and the doors slid open. Standing there was Alessia, Adeline's oldest cousin and the queen of gossip in the Smith household. 

"Adeline?" Alessia's eyes darted between the two of them, narrowing in suspicion.

Adeline's frustration melted into a fake, awkward chuckle. Before she could step away to create some distance, Enzo—clearly ignoring her earlier threat—reached out and pulled her against him.

Caught off guard, Adeline's face collided with his chest. "What the—" she tried to speak out, but her words were muffled against his suit.

Alessia canted her head a small amount, her suspicion deepening. "I was just heading to the first floor," she said slowly, as her eyes raked over Enzo's hand, which was possessively resting on Adeline's waist.

Adeline pulled her head back and shot Enzo a furious look before forcing a strained smile and nodding. "Oh, of course! Have a good trip down," she replied hurriedly, her voice a bit higher than usual.

She then grabbed Enzo's wrist and practically dragged him out of the elevator, allowing her cousin to enter. Alessia's gaze followed them until the doors closed.

Once they were alone in the hallway, she released Enzo's wrist and spun to face him. "What the hell did I just tell you about touching me?"

Enzo shrugged nonchalantly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I didn't hear any complaints when Alessia was standing there."

She groaned and began storming down the hallway with Enzo trailing behind her. Stopping abruptly in front of one of the larger doors, she pushed it open, revealing an enormous, expensively decorated bedroom. 

"This is it. Welcome to your temporary bedroom." 

Enzo leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms as he took in the room. After a moment, he let out a low whistle. "Impressive. Although... not quite as big as the guest suite at my place."

Adeline groaned, rubbing her temple. "You know what? I don't care. Just—get in here!"

She grabbed his hand and yanked him into the room, slamming the door shut behind them. Stepping away, she gestured around the space with both arms. "Since we're..." She hesitated, the word catching in her throat, but she sighed and pushed through it. "Since we're betrothed, we'll have to share a room."

Enzo wandered around the room, inspecting every corner. He stopped in front of a set of glass doors and opened them, stepping out onto the spacious balcony. The view was amazing. The Smith mansion's gardens stretched out below, with perfectly trimmed hedges, fountains, and beautiful flowers.

Nodding in approval, Enzo turned back inside. "It's not bad at all."

Adeline scoffed. "Glad it meets your high standards. But let me make one thing clear." She stepped forward, stopping right in front of him and looking up. "Don't touch my stuff, and I won't touch yours."

"Roger that," Enzo said with a nod.

She pointed toward a door on the left side of the room. "The bathroom's over there." Then she shifted her arm to the right, pointing at another door. "The closet's right there."

He walked toward the closet door, opening it to peek inside. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Once again, very impressive. This is the size of most apartments in Manhattan."

Adeline shrugged, leaning against the bedpost. "Make yourself at home….But don't get too comfortable. You're only here until this whole act is over."