Protettore.

Chapter 16.

Enzo's POV

I walked through the city's most bustling shopping district, but nothing was jumping out at me. Nothing seemed like a suitable birthday gift for her. My girl wasn't one to be impressed by high end makeup, expensive fragrances or designer clothes. She's the only woman I'd been involved with who wasn't interested in the money or power that came with being on my arm.

People seemed to give me wide berth when walking by me, as if they could sense I was a dangerous man. That was just fine with me. I hated interacting with most, and barely tolerated interactions with some. There was one exception to that of course.

After Fiero had slammed the door shut behind him, I was left with an empty house and nothing to distract me from my guilty conscience settling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't believe I had lost my temper with her. She's been so strong throughout this entire Russian situation we were dealing with, and I went and shouted at her for just trying to protect herself.

She had gone to Fiero for comfort. I hated that.

On top of that, I nearly forgot her birthday. I read and reread Varlam's sick note. I knew it was her birthday, but I was so focused on everything else, I had done nothing to celebrate it. The saddest part was Nora didn't seem to mind. It made me wonder how old she had turned the last time she had gotten a birthday gift. Lord knows her bastard of an uncle wouldn't have gotten her anything.

This gift had to be something special. I wanted it to tell my girl how I felt about her. If there was one thing I knew, it was that Nora wouldn't pick up on subtleties. I needed to be upfront and leave no room for confusion or overthinking.

I pulled my phone out to look up the nearest jewelry store and made my way over.

Nora's POV

After getting the cake frosted and decorated, Rosie gave Fiero strict instructions on what food to go pick up, then she dragged me upstairs to get me ready for dinner.

The floor of the bedroom was littered with discarded dresses that she made me try on. The black one had "too much sequence", the navy one was "too casual", but the emerald one "aged me", whatever that meant. She finally settled on a red, sleeveless gown that accentuated my body.

"We're going to have to pick Lorenzo's jaw up off the floor when he sees you in this. You look gorgeous." She gushed.

If was being honest, it wasn't a dress I would have put myself in. I couldn't deny the dress looked good, but it was almost too beautiful for someone like me to be wearing. I wasn't doing the dress justice, but Rosie was so excited, I didn't want to disappoint her.

She put down her curling iron and spun me around in my stool to see the finished look in the mirror. I nearly fell out of my seat. The girl in the mirror was breathtaking. She had fair skin and dark lashes, with blushing cheeks and crimson painted lips. My hair came down in a water fall of shiny waves down the side of my neck. The difference that surprised me the most was my eyes. They had life and emotions behind them again.

I could feel the tears welling, but I didn't want to ruin all of Rosie's hard work, so I forced myself to swallow them down. I had done such a good job convincing myself I was ugly, I almost didn't believe it was really me in the mirror.

"Thank you, Rosie." It came out as a whisper. "I can't remember the last time I felt beautiful like this."

"You've always been beautiful." She pulled me into a hug, causing another wave of emotion to crash over me. After I lost my mom, I didn't have any women around me to rely on. Rosie was the sister I never had.

After I pulled myself together a bit, I wondered if what Rosie had said was true. Would Enzo think I was pretty in this dress? The thought of him swooning over me was laughable, but it didn't stop me from fantasizing.

"Just wait until Lorenzo sees you babe." Rosie called out from her walk-in closet.

"He wouldn't think anything special Rosie. Don't be silly." I answered.

She walked out of her closet half-dressed with her hands on her hips. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"No idea about what?" I asked, somewhat defensively.

She stood in front of me and took my hands in hers. "He's crazy about you. I can see it in the way he watches you. He's changed so much since you've come into his life, all for the better."

"What are you talking about? Enzo would never feel that way about me. All I do is cause trouble for him." I muttered. I could think these things were true in my head, but when I said them out loud, it made it these truths harder to swallow.

"Honey, he used to be a lifeless robot. He never smiled. He would work himself harder than was healthy, and he was never happy. He used to run headfirst into danger. It would make me worry so much for him. It was almost like he was hoping he wouldn't make it out." She gave my hands a squeeze.

"You brought light into his heart and it's very apparent to anyone who was ever close with him. Give him a chance to show you what you mean to him. Try to let him into your heart, even if it's just a little bit at a time, because you've already taken over his."