Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

Enzo couldn’t help but laugh, finding humor in her easily provoked startle reflex. "Relax, cupcake," he murmured before turning to Andrei and taking a step toward him. "What is it?"

Andrei’s hand dipped into his suit pocket, retrieving a sheet of paper that was folded carefully, and holding it outwards toward Enzo, gesturing for him to take it.

Adeline, her curiosity instantly piqued, walked up beside her fiancé. "What’s this?" she asked, her brow wrinkled as she stared at the paper in Andrei’s hand.

Andrei raised his head slowly, his eyes locking onto hers. "I was looking for Boss earlier."

There was a momentary pause as he shifted his gaze to Enzo, a silent exchange transpiring between them before he continued to elaborate. "I had some files to hand over, but neither you nor Miss Adeline were around. I asked around and heard from a kitchen staff member that you were both out looking for a former worker named Miranda."

He extended the paper further for Enzo to take. "This is her address, in case you haven’t found her yet."

Adeline’s eyes expanded, both amazed and irritated at the same time. They had spent so much time trying to find Miranda when they could’ve just asked Andrei.

Enzo took the paper, unfolding it with a skeptical look on his face. "Is this not the same address the head chef gave us?"

A small look of confusion crossed Andrei’s face. He wasn’t aware of the earlier address Enzo was referring to. "The head chef gave you an address?"

Enzo shoved one hand into his pocket, pulling out the crumpled piece of paper from earlier. He unfolded it, holding both papers side by side and comparing the two addresses.

After a brief moment, he nodded. "They’re not the same."

Andrei gave a subtle nod in response.

Adeline let out a baffled scoff, snatching the new piece of paper from Enzo’s hand, almost ripping it from his grip, and frantically scanning the text.

"Seriously?" she exclaimed, her brows knitting together. "We’ve been running around like headless chickens all day, and you just—" she paused, glaring up at Andrei. "How did you find this so easily?"

Andrei’s expression remained blank. He simply stood there silently, giving her no answer.

Seeing that he wasn’t planning on answering her question, Adeline groaned, handing it back to Enzo.

He crumpled the old address in his hand, tossing it out of the open hallway window. "What about the packet I gave you earlier? Any updates?"

Andrei shook his head. "Not yet. I’m still working on it."

"I see," Enzo said, his tone dismissive. He placed a hand lightly on Adeline’s back, nudging her forward. "Come on, little one. Let’s go see if this one’s her actual address."

"Who the fuck are you calling little one?" she asked as they walked.

----

About thirty minutes later, the car pulled up to yet another house—their fourth destination of the day. Adeline stepped out first, closing the door behind her before Enzo followed, locking the car and pocketing the keys.

They both stood there for a moment, staring at the house. It looked no different from the others—small, slightly weathered, with a porch that looked like it had seen better days.

Adeline, with her hands on her waist, let out a frustrated sigh. "This better not be another waste of time."

"Let’s go find out."

Together, they approached the door, and Enzo stepped up first, knocking on the door before stepping back to wait. They stood in silence for a moment. Nothing.

Adeline’s fists clenched, her patience already starting to wear thin. "If no one’s home again, I swear—"

Enzo suddenly raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. "Wait...I hear footsteps."

Her face scrunched in confusion. She moved closer, pressing her ear against the wood, but heard absolutely nothing. "I can’t hear a damn thing."

He ignored her, tilting his head slightly as if trying to get a better sense of the sound. "It’s faint... Someone’s pacing back and forth inside."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, shaking her head as she continued to listen in. "You’re messing with me, aren’t you? I’m basically hugging the door right now but still can’t hear a thing, so there’s no way you can hear—"

"The pacing stopped," Enzo interrupted. He then reached out and knocked on the door again, just above her head.

After a few moments, his hands shot out, grabbing Adeline by the shoulder and pulling her back from the door. She stumbled slightly, her face twisting into a frown as she shrugged his hand off. "What are you doing?"

He placed a finger to his lips, his eyes focused on the door as he whispered, "Shh... Someone’s approaching."

Despite straining her ears to detect the sounds Enzo was talking about, all she could hear was the faint whisper of wind. She opened her mouth to protest, convinced he was just messing with her, but then she began hearing it-- soft footsteps. Her eyes widened as she realized he was right. Seconds later, the distant sound of a lock turning resonated in her ears.

The door creaked open, just barely enough to reveal a sliver of a face peeking out. "Who are you? What do you want?" a cautious voice asked from the shadows.

Adeline leaned to the side to get a better look, and when her eyes landed on the woman behind the door, her heart leaped. It was Miranda.

"Finally!" she breathed, relief washing over her as a wide smile spread across her face.

She stepped forward eagerly, her hand outstretched. "We’ve been looking for you all day! We just need to talk to you about something really important—"

But before she could finish, the door slammed forward, cutting her off mid-sentence. She stumbled back, stunned, as the door slammed against something.

Her eyes widened in horror as she realized it was Enzo’s hand holding the door open. The heavy wooden door had collided with his hand with so much force that it made her stomach churn at the thought of the pain he must be feeling.

"Oh my god!" She gasped, covering her mouth as she stared at him in disbelief. "Enzo, your hand—"

Just then, something snapped in her. The expression of worry and concern that marked her face just moments ago now melted away, replaced by an annoyed one.

Without thinking, she propelled herself forward, slamming her body against the door and pushing with every ounce of her strength, trying to free Enzo’s hand.

To her utter shock, Enzo simply laughed. His expression was calm, almost amused, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked with a teasing smile, completely ignoring the fact that his hand was being crushed.

Adeline blinked at him, utterly dumbfounded. "What do you mean? I’m trying to free your hand, you idiot! How are you so calm right now? Does it not hurt?"