The mansion was loud with urgency, footsteps echoed through the halls, orders were thrown around in sharp tones but Enzo barely noticed all of it.
"Enzo you should sit. The doctor will be here soon," Lorenzo sighed.
"I'm fine," Enzo said with a rough voice. He was still wearing his blood stained shirt, his bruises were already darkening and the blood at the corners of his lips had dried but Enzo never looed at himself. His eyes were on Isla's sleeping figure.
"Sorry I'm late," a female voice said as the door opened. She was wearing a lab coat and was already putting on her gloves. " There was an emergency."
"Why isn't she waking up?" Enzo asked, his tone sharp and demanding.
Lorenzo sighed. " She just got here, Enzo."
He looked at the doctor and shot her an apologetic look. " Sorry Cassie, you know how he can be sometimes."
" Don't worry," Cassie smiled as she walked over to the bed and started to examine her.
"She's stable," she said, her eyes still on her patient. " There are no internal injuries from what I can see but we do need to get her painkillers and ointment for her swollen fingers."
"Enzo didn't respond, he just stood there, unmoving, his gaze fixed on Isla.
Cassie's gaze shift from Isla to Enzo, then to Lorenzo and back to Isla, confusion written all over her face.
"Who is she?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.
The question hung in the air because it was a wrong time to ask a wrong question.
Enzo's eyes, cold, sharp and unreadable found Cassie's confused ones.
"Mind your business," Enzo's words came out low and controlled.
Cassie let out an awkward laugh. " Forgive me for being curious. I thought we were friends."
She turned her attention back to Isla who had stirred slightly in her sleep.
The tension in the room had just shifted not settled.
" Cassie, you should take a look at him too," Lorenzo said, nodding towards Enzo.
"I said I'm fine," Enzo replied, his eyes never looking away from Isla.
" No you are not," Lorenzo rolled his eyes. " You can barely stand."
" I'm standing."
" Barely."
Cassie slowly raised her head to look at Enzo, like really looking at him, the blood, the bruises, the way he was pretending he wasn't in pain.
" Come on, lemme check you," she said, her voice gentle.
"No," the answer came almost immediately.
Lorenzo let out a quiet huff.
"You are injured Enzo. How are you going to take care of her if you're like this?"
" I said I'm fine," Enzo's tone was harsher this time.
Cassie stood up and walked to him, she didn't even look offended. If anything, her eyes lingered on him a little longer than necessary. That was exactly why Enzo didn't want her close to him.
Lorenzo rubbed his forehead, already tired of his brother's stubborness.
" For God's sake Enzo, she's just trying to help."
Enzo's gaze flicked towards toward him.
" Handle your problems your way," he said flatly. " I'll handle mine."
Lorenzo let out a chuckle.
"I know exactly what is going on...."
Cassie stiffened immediately whiles Enzo threw Lorenzo a glare.
"Oh come on," Lorenzo continued. " It's not a secret."
"Lorenzo, drop it," Enzo's eyes darkened.
But Lorenzo didn't, instead, he folded his arms and gave them a knowing look.
" She cares about you and you know it. So why is that a problem?" Enzo said plainly.
The room was filled with with silence as Cassie blushed deeply. She shyly looked at Enzo before quickly looking away to avoid getting caught.
Enzo's expression hardened instantly, colder than before.
" I don't need her to fucking care."
The words landed like a slap but she didn't react.
"Then let her just do her job," Lorenzo muttered but Enzo had already moved to the bed back to Isla.
His eyes fixed on her as if everything else in the room didn't matter and that hurt Cassie more than anything he could have said.
Lorenzo let out a slow breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Enzo."
He didn't respond.
" You're bleeding through your chest," he said.
"I'll deal with it later," Enzo said, adjusting the blanket that covered Isla.
" I said now."
Enzo slowly turned his head, the air shifted as he narrowed his eyes at his brother. Lorenzo didn't back down.
" Don't make me force you," he said quietly. " Because I swear, I will."
A long tense silence stretched between them.
"She's safe now. Let someone look at you."
A sharp exhale left Enzo as his gaze instinctively went back to Isla.
"Fine," he sais reluctantly.
" Was it that hard?" Lorenzo asked with a smirk.
" Don't push it," Enzo shot him a glare.
Cassie stepped forward and slowly started unbuttoning Enzo's shirt.
Enzo's hand caught her wrists in quick motion.
"I....I....I just want to see your bruises," she said softly.
After staring into her soul for minutes, he slowly let go of her hand.
She carefully pulled at his shirt, revealing all the bruising along his ribs and back.
" Oh my God," she gasped. "You're not fine."
Enzo remained silent as she cleaned the dried blood and disinfected the bruises whiles checking for anything worse.
" Thank God you have no fractures," Cassie said, pulling out her writing pad and scribbling on it.
" Get this for him," she handed the paper she tore out to Lorenzo.
"He won't take them," Lorenzo muttered, his eyes fixed on the paper.
Cassie chuckled lightly, getting up to pack her stuff.
Then a soft sound drifted through the air, gaining everyone's attention.
Isla stirred, her eyes slowly opening as she took in her surrounding.
"Lena?" sha called faintly.
Enzo shifted closer to her immediately.
" Hey," he said, his voice soft, softer than anything those around him had heard from him all day. " Easy... it's ok."
The shift was jarring. This was the same man who was just barking orders and threatening lives hours ago.
Now his movements were more careful and gentle.
" Lena will be here soon. She's preparing something for you to eat," he said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
Isla blinked up at him, still a little bit disoriented.
" Those men were bad," she whispered.
Enzo's jaw clenched for a brief second before his expression softened again.
" You're safe now," he murmured. " No one will hurt you again."
She looked at him for a second, before curling toward him.
Enzo hesitated for a bit but slid one arm behind her, steadying her as she leaned into him.
It was like they were lost in their own worlds, and nothing else mattered.
But, across the room, Cassie watched, her hands tightening slightly at her sides. She had seen him angry, cold, unreachable but this?
This soft-spoken, patient and gentle side of him was something she had never been given. She had never even come close to this version of him.
Yet she was the one who had seen him at his worst, countless times. Bleeding, broken and refusing help. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the late nights. He would call her and she would drop everything just to attend to him. She would stitch him up while he ignored the pain.
Her eyes dropped to her bag filled with medical kit.
How many times had she patched him up while he ignored her?
But for this woman, he didn't even hesitate. He even pulled her closer. He softened, held her like she was somethimg precious. Some irreplaceable.
The silence in the room was loud and obvious and Lorenzo had caught it. He saw the way Cassie's gaze was fixed on Enzo and Isla.
Then he clapped once, deliberately.
"Alright," he said casually, throwing an arm over Cassie's shoulder. " That should be everything."
Cassie blinked back her tears and quickly cleared her throat.
"Uh... yes. Just make sure they take their medications," she said quickly.
Lorenzo gave a small nod. " I'll do that."
There was a short silence.
"I'll walk you to your car."
Cassie hesitated for a moment, before nodding. " Of course."
Before turning, she glanced at Enzo one more time and forced a small smile.
" Take care of yourself," she said softly.
He didn't respond. He didn't look at her nor acknowledge the small wave she gave him. His attention never left Isla.
Her smile stayed on her lips but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Come on," Lorenzo said, leading her to the door.
She nodded and walked with him, trying to keep her steps steady despite everything.
Lorenzo exhaled softly once they were out of Enzo's sight.
"You okay?" he asked with a faint smile.
" Of course," she let out a small breath, her smile still on her face.
But they both knew it wasn't true.
" Thanks for everything Cassie," Lorenzo said and she nodded.
" That's what friends are for."
Friends.
She almost laughed as the word left her mouth.