Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

His tone was so intense that for a moment, all Adeline could do was blink at him. Then, a teasing smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "Damn, you’re really into this. Even more than I am. Are you sure you’re not getting something out of this?" She leaned forward just a bit, mock-squinting at him. "Right now, you’re acting like some overprotective mate straight out of a werewolf romance book."

At the mention of the word mate, Enzo’s gaze flickered to the ground. His lips angled into a smile, knowing that she was so close to the truth without even realizing it. If only she knew he was a vampire. If only she knew she was his mate.

Adeline’s features twisted into a befuddled frown as his sudden silence left her puzzled. "What’s with that look?"

He didn’t respond right away. He placed his hand on the underside of the chair and pulled it forward, drawing nearer to her without getting up from his seat. His face was mere inches from hers now, and instinctively, Adeline leaned his head back.

"Hey—what are you—?"

"If there’s one thing about me, Adeline, it’s that when I start something, I see it through to the end. Your uncles are going to pay for what they’ve done to you. They will be brought to justice, and only then will I be satisfied."

Adeline raised her hand and pressed her palm onto his face, slowly shoving him back. "Alright, fine, jeez. Back off already."

Enzo gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her movement, and interlocking their fingers. "Has anyone ever told you that you smell like flowers?"

He pulled their locked hands so close to his face that Adeline could feel his hot breaths.

Her face heated up, her cheeks turning bright red. "What?" she muttered, trying to pull her hand free, but Enzo held on for just a moment longer.

"Roses," he added.

"Shut up," Adeline shot back, yanking her hand free and turning her face away to hide her embarrassment. "Get away from me already."

Lifting her foot, she stomped on one of the legs of his chair, attempting to push it—and him away, but the chair barely budged, of course.

Enzo shook his head and stood up, stretching slightly as he turned toward the door. "Alright, I’ll go talk to the doctor about your discharge."

Adeline, still flustered and refusing to look at him, muttered, "Whatever. Just get out of here."

—--

Uncle Alfonso opened his third bottle of wine, the glass neck clinking against his wine glass as he poured more for himself. He swirled the red liquid before he brought it to his lips, taking a slow sip.

Across the room, Evans sat in his chair with one elbow propped on the table, his fingers pressed against his temple. Alfonso lifted the bottle toward Evans, but he waved him off, uninterested, his mind clearly elsewhere.

After a long stretch of silence, Evans finally spoke."If Adeline is really dead, then why haven’t we gotten any calls from the hospitals? There still haven’t been any reports about her body or her fiancé’s. It just doesn’t make sense."

Alfonso drained his glass in one gulp and slammed it down on the table with a dull thud. He shrugged lazily, leaning back into his chair and crossing his legs. "I don’t know. Have patience, Evans."

Evans shot him an irritated glare, his suspicion growing with every passing second. Alfonso, however, ignored it, reaching for the bottle again. Just then, the door creaked open, and Uncle Richard entered the room. He paused for a moment, observing his two older brothers before making his way over and taking a seat beside Alfonso.

Richard’s gaze landed on the three empty wine bottles scattered around Alfonso’s chair. He arched an eyebrow and let out a disapproving hum. "Since when do you drink wine like this? And more importantly, since when do you celebrate? Did something good happen?"

Alfonso burst into a hearty laugh, his wine-stained breath brushing Richard’s cheek as he slung an arm over his younger brother’s shoulder, pulling him in closer. "Yes, brother! Something fantastic happened. That brat, Adeline—she got into a car crash."

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "By the looks of it, I don’t think she’ll be coming back."

Richard’s expression didn’t shift as he watched Alfonso grab a second wine glass, pouring wine into it and shoving it toward him.

"Here, drink with me!"

Richard fixated his gaze on the glass before him, torn between accepting it or not. Though he stood by his brothers, he found it unimaginable to celebrate his niece’s death. After all, Adeline had never wronged him in any way.

With a small shake of his head, he pushed it back towards Alfonso. "No thanks. I don’t feel like drinking."

Alfonso raised an indifferent shoulder in response, taking a nonchalant sip of his drink. But at that moment, the door at their backs abruptly flung open with a loud bang, and Alessia barged into the room. Startled by the interruption, Alfonso sputtered on his drink, breaking into a brief coughing fit.

"Dad!" she shouted.

Alfonso turned to his daughter, startled, the wine glass nearly slipping from his grip. "What’s wrong, my dear? You startled me."

Alessia jabbed a finger in the direction of the hallway at her back, her breath coming in gasps as she attempted to speak. "She—she—"

Evans, already annoyed by his niece’s frantic behavior, shot up from his chair, his face darkening into a deep scowl. "What is going on, Alessia? Speak!"

"Adeline! She’s back! They just pulled into the garage!"

The room fell into complete silence. Alfonso’s wine glass slipped from his fingers, tumbling to the floor and shattering into pieces. He stared at his daughter with wide, unblinking eyes, as if her words hadn’t fully registered.

Richard let out a long, tired sigh as he stood up, brushing off his shirt. Without saying a word, he made his way out of the room.

Meanwhile, Evans glared at Alfonso, his nostrils flaring in anger. Alessia glanced nervously between the two before Evans gave her a nod. "Leave us."

She didn’t waste a second and quickly turned, disappearing through the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Evans turned back to Alfonso and marched forward, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him roughly to his feet.

"You said she wouldn’t survive, didn’t you?" he growled, shaking his brother. "So explain to me how she’s back now!"