Page 255 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8
Wondering what was going on, she gathered her bag and tablet while Enzo paced. His hair stuck up at odd angles as if he had been gripping it in frustration. He was agitated. That wasn’t good. Charlotte had never seen him like this. Hewasthe control in the room. He kept people calm. But this trip was already so different. There was a human under all that, breaking through as he came apart.
She had seen from his calendar that he had been at his lawyers. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t be good. It was just like Enzo to keep his thoughts to himself, never to allow anyone into his plans until absolutely necessary. Charlotte knew she would only find out what was going on once he assigned her a task, so she rushed out behind him to a pathway that led away from the estate.
She was thankful that she had opted to wear sensible shoes because while it was always a mission to keep up with Enzo, it was even more so on the uneven ground and his impatient pace. She noticed his hands were fisted at his sides as he walked. He was an entirely different man from the one in Sydney.
They walked until they came upon a large building that seemed to defy time, looking like it had been standing an age while still new and modern in parts. It was obviously taken care of, refurbished numerous times over the centuries.
When they stepped in, the winery was cool and impressively clean. It screamed Enzo. The newer parts of the building didn’t take away from the older. If anything, it celebrated the historical architecture. But she didn’t have much time to appreciate it when Enzo was storming through the place.
Clearly, he was looking for someone in particular. Charlotte knew she was there to take notes, but it felt like it was going to be her job to calm Enzo down.
‘Marco!’ Enzo shouted as they walked between massive barrels.
A man at the end of the passage looked up from his clipboard with a frown and walked towards them.
‘Did you give Emilio a walkthrough?’ Enzo asked through gritted teeth. Charlotte looked at him in surprise. She’d never once heard him speak in that manner to anyone, let alone an employee.
Marco recoiled, obviously stunned. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly before he stammered a response. ‘Um...y-yes, he was here about a month ago. He wanted a full tour. Is everything okay?’ He looked to Charlotte for help, shock still plain on his face.
‘Anything else?’ There was a throbbing vein in Enzo’s temple. This was wrong. Charlotte knew she had to do something. Her boss’s respect and integrity were things she greatly admired. If he continued like this, he would only regret it later.
‘Well, he asked how often Mrs De Luca would visit, which I thought was odd, but I just put it down to her death.’
‘I don’t pay you to make calls like that,’ Enzo snapped. ‘I pay you to—’
‘Excuse me, Marco,’ Charlotte said, having heard enough. ‘Can you give us a moment? I need Mr De Luca to look at something urgent that has just come through.’
Marco looked between them and nodded before turning around and walking away, confusion clear on his face. She didn’t blame him. She was confused too.
Enzo turned his furious glare on her, but Charlotte wasn’t cowed by it. Instead, she placed her hand on his arm and pulled him between the casks.
‘Enzo, is everything okay?’ she asked, knowing she had to be the calm in this situation.
‘What?’
‘This isn’t you. You don’t treat employees like this. You have never spoken to anyone like you just did to Marco, and he didn’t deserve it.’
Enzo cursed under his breath, rubbing his temples with his right hand, but Charlotte stepped closer into his eyeline, forcing him to look at her. A warmth flared within her, their proximity making her heart beat faster. His loss of control was somehow stirring. Even on the terrace he had summoned his self-restraint before they could kiss, but now there were no masks, his emotions on display. It made Charlotte wonder what it would be like if he lost control with her. What that kiss would have been like if he had been unleashed.
She pushed past the thought, past the curling in her belly. She needed to bring controlled Enzo back to the surface.
‘Emilio is his boss too. Why would it matter if Emilio had a tour?’
A muscle ticked in Enzo’s jaw as he looked into her eyes, but he was quiet, so she knew he was listening.
‘Let’s take a break and get a drink and then we can relook at what’s going on. You can speak to Marco once you’re calmer.’ As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Charlotte realised she had broken one of her own rules. She always made everything seem like it was Enzo’s idea, but now she had taken charge. She had essentially given her word that she would solve a problem with him, something she normally felt wasn’t her place. It was a risk. She was stepping into the limelight, doing something that would make Enzo take notice of her. Not to mention Marco. Either of them could unwittingly let slip information about her to the wrong person and attract her father’s attention. Her stomach throbbed painfully, but she had no antacids with her, and she couldn’t focus on the pain when something serious was going on with Enzo. She couldn’t leave him alone in it.
‘You’re right,’ Enzo said at last. ‘Let’s go back to the house.’
Charlotte nodded and turned to lead the way out, but he didn’t immediately follow.
‘Wait for me out there. I have to apologise to Marco.’
She was glad to see that he was able to admit when he was wrong.Thatwas the man she admired and chose to work for. And that was the man who was becoming increasingly more dangerous to her because her heart had not slowed. When he’d looked into her eyes, she hadn’t wanted him to stop.
She couldn’t allow this attraction to continue. It wouldn’t end well for her.
Enzo walked beside Celeste in silence. He could feel her occasional glances at him, but he wouldn’t acknowledge them. He’d behaved abominably, and she’d been right to pull him aside, getting him to see and think rationally. He couldn’t remember anyone else having the power to reach him like that. Maybe one...but even Gia had only had that power because Enzo allowed her to have it. Celeste had simply barged through the red haze and pulled him out.