Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

Enzo, as always, looked completely unbothered. He shrugged and walked further into the backyard, heading toward another door at the back of the house. Lifting his hand, he knocked. "Hello? Anyone home?"

Adeline, still uneasy, wandered toward the other side of the backyard. It was surprisingly spacious, with a well-kept garden along the edges and a few scattered lawn chairs.

"This place is way too big for a house this small," she murmured to herself, walking past a small doghouse. She didn’t even notice it until she heard a soft bark.

Her heart jumped, and she froze. "Am I... hearing things?" she whispered, slowly rotating her head toward the direction of the sound. Her eyes widened in shock as a Saint Bernard crawled out of the doghouse, stretching lazily.

"Oh fuck!" Adeline yelled, her voice shaky as she instinctively took a step back. She wasn’t scared of dogs per se, but she’d always preferred cats. Cats didn’t bark. Cats didn’t chase. And cats definitely didn’t look like they weighed a hundred pounds.

The dog stood fully now with its tail wagging enthusiastically. It tilted its head and let out low, happy pants, its tongue lolling out.

Adeline chuckled nervously, raising her hands slightly as if to calm down the animal. "Good boy... or girl," she said awkwardly.

The dog’s tail wagged faster.

Then, glancing over her shoulder, she called out, "Enzo..." Her voice was so faint that even she could barely hear herself.When she turned back to the dog, it felt as if her soul had just left her body. It was no longer standing still. It was running. Straight at her.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed. Adeline had heard somewhere that you weren’t supposed to run when faced with a dog, but her body betrayed her, and her legs carried her in the opposite direction. She sprinted, her lungs taking in short puffs of breaths as she barreled toward Enzo.

"Enzo!" She shrieked, waving her arms. "Run!"

He angled his head in curiosity, trying to ascertain what had driven her to such a panicked state, only to find a Saint Bernard enthusiastically bounding after her, its tail wagging heartily.

Enzo opened his arms to catch her, but Adeline didn’t stop. "MOVE, FOOL!" She yelled as she raced past him, headed straight for the back door.

The dog came to a stop in front of Enzo, panting as it looked up at him.

Enzo crouched down, shaking his head in disbelief. "Hey there, big guy," he said with a soft chuckle, reaching out to ruffle the dog’s fluffy head. The dog panted happily, leaning into his touch. "Where’s your owner?"

Meanwhile, Adeline had grabbed the door, ready to flee, when she heard Enzo’s voice. She turned her head, expecting to see him struggling or, worse, being attacked. Instead, she saw him crouched on the ground, the dog now sitting obediently in front of him. The Saint Bernard flopped onto its side, letting Enzo scratch its belly.

Reluctantly, she loosened her grip on the door handle and began to inch closer to Enzo, her gaze flickering from him to the oversized canine. "What the hell are you doing, Enzo?"

Enzo laughed, his hands now gently rubbing both sides of the dog’s furry face. "Relax. This one is harmless."

Adeline stayed behind him, peering cautiously at the dog. "I see."

Just as she was starting to actually relax, a gruff, raspy voice came from behind, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Who in tarnation are you two, and what the hell are you doing in my backyard?!"

Adeline whipped around to see a short, elderly man standing near the back door. He held a phone in one hand, his other trembling slightly as he pointed at them. "I’m calling the cops!"

"No! No, sir!" Adeline exclaimed, waving her hands frantically as she walked towards him. "Please don’t! We’re not here to cause trouble. We were just looking for someone!"

The old man wasn’t listening, his finger already hovering over the phone screen, dialing 911.

Enzo straightened up, brushing his hands off on his coat before stepping calmly toward the man. "Sir, let’s not make any rash decisions."

Before the man could argue, Enzo reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash. With a charming smile, he placed it into the man’s empty hand and gently gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Why don’t we just calm down and talk this over, hm?"

The man’s expression shifted immediately, his eyes widening at the sight of the money. He quickly tapped the screen, ending the call before it could go through. Clearing his throat, he looked up at Enzo and grumbled, "What do you want?"

"We’re looking for someone named Miranda. We were told she lives here," Adeline explained.

The old man scratched his chin, looking down at the money in his hand as if debating whether to speak. Huffing, he said, "She doesn’t live here anymore. Moved out about a month ago. I’m the landlord."

Adeline’s face fell with disappointment, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course..."

"Do you happen to know where she is now or where she moved to? We need to find her. It’s urgent," Enzo said.

The man shrugged, shaking his head. "No idea."

Enzo instantly recognized the lie in the man’s statement. He promptly retrieved another thick roll of cash from his pocket and shoved it into his clutches, drawing closer as he did so. "Are you sure about that?"

The old man’s gaze fell to the money, his fingers quickly riffling through it to assess the amount. Upon a satisfactory inspection, a grin crept across his visage, and he nodded. "She works at that new restaurant down the street. It just opened a couple of weeks ago. She’s a waitress there."

"That’s all?" Enzo asked, cocking an eyebrow.

The old man remained quiet for a moment, his stare unwavering as he held out his hand expectantly, demanding additional payment.

With a sigh, Enzo pulled out even more cash and handed it over. "Now, is there anything else?"