Her beloved Jolene, along with other valuable items like sculptures and ancient Chinese vases, was delivered to her gallery as promised, unscathed.
She had them brought inside her office before deciding where they'd keep them for showcasing during the event.
She couldn't wait to spice up the event for this year.
She knew no rest since the day Enzo was introduced into her life. Searching for ways to crush him, but whatever she did, nothing changed.
A month wasn't a year, and no sooner would the wedding day arrive. So she made up hard decisions.
If she could not crush him, she'd find ways to please him into calling off the wedding. Something extremely valuable for his business. He was a greedy man after all. And she happened to know how to deal with them.
She'd received a potential proposition from Xander, but it was too risky if caught. But then again, danger was introduced into her life years ago. And she wasn't born yesterday.
She grabbed her phone and made a call.
"How is your wound?" She asked the moment it went through, a little bit surprised that it was even picked up.
"It has ruined my routine, thanks to someone special." He replied.
"Oh, dear, that's not good." She smiled.
"What do you want, Chiara?" That's it, she wasn't fond of stupid foreplays either.
"I have a deal." She proposed.
"What deal?" He asked.
She got up from her chair and stood at the glass window. Whatching the busy roads and countless building tops. "We need to meet," She buried her hand inside her pants pocket.
"And why the fuck would I meet or make a deal with a bitch like you?" He snarled.
Her lips curled up. She could hear him fuming right through the phone. "Fine. I'll come to you. See ya." She hung up the phone and stared ahead at the view. Giving up wasn't in her plan.
****
An hour later, her car pulled up at the junkyard. A remote location. Marco handed her a gun. She checked it out and tucked it inside her suit coat pocket.
"Let me come with you." He offered.
"And expose your cover, no. We'd work so hard for years for you to ruin everything for yourself now." She checked out her handphone to see if everything was good.
"Then please return safely." He said, his eyebrows knitted.
"Aww, my baby Bud is worried about me." She teased, making his face soften and his lips curl.
"Always." He said. She pressed his shoulder. "I'll be back before you know it. You keep your eyes open out here, okay?" This place was a lot of sick fuck's playground.
Marco nodded in response.
Chiara took the briefcase and stepped out. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the tall, ruined brick wall.
Avoiding the puddles and the mud. Her nose cringed at the stench of the rusty metals and patrol that dominated the air.
It was dark, with only a few lights flickering from the light poles. The sound of cars getting crushed filled the place.
Different-aged people, men and women, were headed in the same direction as her. Some dressed to the nines, and some like they were going to a Halloween party. Making her look like she was out of place in her blue office suit.
She blended silently behind them.
"Who are you betting on?" One woman asked. "Maori. He will win tonight." Replied the man she was walking with.
"How about you?" The man shot back. "The Silencer. Oh I wish I could fuck that guy." The woman said.
Amusement filled Chiara at the conversation that she had no business listening to. "Merry, what the fuck! I'm your boyfriend. Why would you wish to fuck another man?" He pushed the woman and she fell butt down.
Uh-oh. Chiara mouthed.
"Because your dick is fucking boring! Hah! It feels nice to finally say it to your face." Goodness. Chiara pursed her lips. The man's face darkened. And soon they were on each other, fighting and rolling like angry kittens.
Chiara shook her head, hastened her steps past them. And finally reached the wall. Behind it was an unpainted building. Faint music travelled in the air.
A no-shit-is-allowed looking man stared at her. "I'm here for Enzo," she said calmly. He muttered something over his walkie-talkie before letting her through the rusty metal door.
The moment she was inside, her ears were hit with a loud bang of cheering and hardcore punk music. She knew it so well because she listened to the same music while training at the training centre.
Then a fighting arena came into view. Surrounded by countless fans, while two fighters were hitting the fuck out of each other. No, they were killing each other.
A man in a black suit came for her. "This way." He uttered and ushered her to the deserted, neon-lit corridor.
What was with this theme at every corrupt place I goes to? Did they hint at each other, or do stupid minds think alike? She thought, following patiently all the while scanning the place just in case Enzo tried anything funny.
They walked past a door and pushed through tinsel curtains, and it felt like they had entered a different dimension.
People in suits and nightgowns were busy chatting and laughing at the casino tables. All covered in masquerade masks. A light and soft music played by a band at the far end of the room.
The man led her to another corridor past the casino, and then a door was opened for her by the two guards stationed outside.
She entered and found Enzo sitting on a couch. His shirt was off, a bandage loosely hanging across his chest, and on the table was a first aid kit.
"Good job out there. Perfect for those scam politicians," She said.
"Tie her up," Enzo ordered his men.
She took a step back, "Uh, uh, uh. Hold your horses, you don't want to do that." She opened the briefcase and placed it on the table before him.
They all jumped back, including their boss. "You brought a bomb to my den?" Enzo sneered.
"Just for safety purposes, relax." Just in time, her phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket and swiped the screen.
"Now here's how this is going to work. You'll ask your minions to wait outside while we talk business. If any of you tries anything stupid, I'm going to hang up this call and blow up this place. So?" She waved the phone at them.
Enzo's jaws ticked, glaring at her. He then turned to his men. "You heard the lady. Give us the room." The guards pinned her down. She mouthed at them a 'Shoo' as they walked out.
"That went well." She sat down on the couch across from him. "You are too confident to come all the way here at this time. That's too... alone." He said, having a hard time with his bandage.
She placed the phone on the table and approached him.
Chiara stood before him. "Let me get that." He watched her for a while before nodding.
She untied it. He moved forward, his eyes set on the phone. She hissed, holding his throat with her pointy white painted nails. "Don't you dare." She warned.
He sat back, fuming as she released his throat. "What brings you here, Chichi?" He asked.
She rolled off the bandage, revealing her work of art on his toned chest. "Like I said, I have a deal. And it's Chiara for you, not Chichi." She said.
She dropped down the stinking thing, motioning him to pass her the kit. "What makes you think I'll do any deal with you?" He grunted when she sterilized the wound.
"Because it is too good to deny." She uttered.
She applied the ointment before rolling the fresh bandage and tied it behind his back.
"What is it?" He asked, his face twisted in pain.
Chiara walked to his table, picked up some tissues, wiped her hands clean, and dropped them in the bin before resuming her former position. This time crossing one leg over the other.
"What is the most challenging thing in your business currently?" She held the phone up again. He silently thought it over before facing her, "Clean transportation? Why are you asking?"
She let out a breath. "What if I tell you, I can help you get something that would ensure clean and undetected transportation across any port and airport that you want?" She stated.
His frown deepened as he tilted his head up. "And why would you do that?"
"Call off the wedding in return. Tell Antonio you have changed your mind." She stated.
A torturous silence passed. Then he threw his head back laughing at her. She clenched her single hand, eyes not leaving his hideous face.
"God, Chiara. You never cease to amaze me." He leaned back on his chair, sitting as though he owned the entire world. "Let's hear the context first, then I'll think about it."
She leaned forward and told him only what he needed to know. All the while observing how the rotten pig's eyes widened and how his face beamed with a hopeful greed. Son of a bitch.
"Are you sure you can pull that off? I can't do business with a flake." He spoke.
Disrespect always made her blood boil, but she remained calm and rose to her feet. "I'll text you the place tomorrow."
His eyebrows furrowed. "The place?" He asked. Unaware what the woman had in store prepared for him.
She sighed. "The place where you'll retrieve your package. Just make sure you keep your words." She started to walk out when he uttered.
"Bring the package first, then we'll talk further. And Chiara..."
She fully turned to face him. He pointed at the beeping bomb in the open briefcase. "You toyed with me with the bomb thing, didn't you? You crazy woman." He shook his head, amused.
She smiled back at him. "I'll take that as a compliment. See you, my soon-to-expire fiancé." She walked out, leaving the briefcase on his table. Better things are not to be hurried.
The same guard escorted her out. And only when she got inside her car, did she let out a deep breath.
"So? How did it go?" Marco asked.
She glanced at him sideways, "Very well. Let's go." She looked at the red dot on the bombing application and smiled before hanging up the phone.
Hoping the man wouldn't catch-up and just fall in her trap like she planned for him to.