Chapter 258: The Adorably Innocent Enrico
Paige brought Enrico to his private villa.
The rain was incessant, with mist enveloping the entire bamboo forest. Deep within the flowing water, a grand private estate came into Enrico’s view.
“Mr. Gustin,” the guard at the gate, who had been replaced by Jaden, immediately called out upon seeing Enrico.
Enrico instinctively took a step behind Paige, as if hiding, yet without hunching his back. He still stood straight. No matter the situation, he never allowed himself to bow. This was something ingrained in him from a young age.
Paige chuckled but said nothing, continuing to walk forward. Enrico followed, looking at the vastness of the estate, and after holding back for a long time, finally asked, “Did I build this?”
“Yes, the feng shui here is excellent, with mountains behind and water in front. It’s perfect for a cemetery,” Paige replied.
As soon as she finished speaking, Enrico saw two tall tombstones at the crossroads of several paths. His eyes flickered, and he quickly ran out from under the umbrella towards the tall stones. On the tombstones were carved two exquisitely beautiful faces, surrounded by roses.
Enrico raised his hand to touch the engraved lines, each strand of hair finely detailed. Though they were merely stone carvings, the people depicted seemed incredibly lifelike, and his sister was still smiling at him, just as she had on that snowy night when she collapsed slowly into the white snow, a knife buried in her body, smiling all the while. He knew then that she had finally been freed.
“She loved roses the most,” Enrico whispered. At that moment, he truly believed that this estate was his. Only he would honor his mother and sister with such tombstones.
Paige stood quietly behind him, holding the umbrella, not moving forward to shield him from the rain, just silently accompanying him.
Enrico stood in front of the two tombstones for a long time before turning to Paige, determined, “I want to live here.”
He wanted to live as close to his sister as possible.
Paige shook her head, “That’s not possible. You need to come back to the new Rose Estate with me. It’s a secluded place, and if you stay here, someone might find out that you only have the memories of a 9-year-old now, and that could be trouble.”
“I don’t care.”
“You’ve made quite a few enemies over the years. Aren’t you afraid they might come and destroy this place?” Paige asked, easily shifting his stubbornness.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Enrico fell silent.
But soon, an inappropriate suggestion was heard in the rain.
Paige smiled, “Go inside and take a shower, then I’ll take you to dinner.”
Enrico stood in the rain, looking at her, feeling as though he was being led along by her, but was helpless to do anything about it. Alone, he couldn’t handle many things. Even if he stayed at the estate, he might not be able to protect it.
…
The rain continued to drizzle down all day with no sign of stopping. Paige had arranged for a private room at a restaurant and took Enrico there.
In the clean, tidy private room, a pure white tablecloth covered the table, with champagne and appetizers already set out.
Paige sat down first. Enrico glanced at her before taking a seat opposite her. He looked at the two dishes in front of him, frowning slightly, but the crease in his brow quickly disappeared, and he remained calm.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like pan-fried foie gras and escargot?” Paige asked, noticing the band-aid she had insistently placed in the middle of his forehead, making his handsome face look somewhat silly and cute.
“It’s not about liking or disliking.” Enrico replied expressionlessly, glancing at the various knives and forks beside him. He pressed his lips together, his face darkening a bit.
Paige quickly realized that he didn’t know how to use the Western cutlery. “You’ve never had Western food,” she stated, not asking, but affirming.
Enrico’s hands, hidden under the table, clenched tightly, feeling even more embarrassed. He almost thought Paige was deliberately mocking him.
“You once told me that you wanted to take me to try the best food in the world,” Paige suddenly said, her voice soft.
Enrico looked up and met her gaze. She was looking at him with a bitter smile. “Back then, I thought you were just showing off your wealth. But now, I realize that when you said that, there must have been a lot of pain behind it.”
Who would have thought that the heir to the Gustin Group hadn’t tasted Western cuisine by the age of nine? Even Molly from the Clarkes family had been trained early on in fine dining etiquette so Malik could bring her to high-end banquets. But he…Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
Thinking of this made Paige’s heart ache. There were so many things about Enrico’s past that she didn’t know.
In her eyes, Enrico saw no mockery, and gradually, he calmed down. Without a word, he picked up a knife and fork, randomly cutting the foie gras before bringing it to his mouth. He was really hungry.
Paige watched him, knowing that Enrico was Enrico. His ability to adapt was far superior to others. He would certainly adjust to his current situation.
She lowered her head to eat as well, saying, “Today was my mistake. In the future, if there’s something you want to eat, just tell me, and I’ll get it for you.”
Enrico didn’t reply, just kept eating, dish after dish.
After a while, he looked at her, seemingly after a long internal struggle, and said, “Yogurt.”
Paige, who had never known he liked yogurt, nodded seriously, “Alright, I’ll make sure to always have some at the new Rose Estate.”
“Jelly,” Enrico added.
“Sure.”
“The kind in pouches that you can suck on.” Enrico’s voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.
Paige could hardly contain herself, nearly choking on her champagne. She had to suppress her laughter. It wasn’t a big deal for a nine-year-old Enrico to like jelly; she had liked it when she was little too.
Enrico’s face changed as quickly as the weather in June. He glared at her, “Do you think I’m childish?”
He knew he should be acting like a 28-year-old now, not eating yogurt and jelly.
“No, it’s very cute,” Paige said with a sincere smile, looking at him with genuine affection.
She had beautiful eyes, clear as if washed by water, and she gazed at him with what seemed to be genuine fondness.
Enrico wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed or what, but his face turned a suspicious shade of red. “The yogurt and jelly were my sister’s favorites. I eat them in her place.”
“Okay.” Paige kept a straight face, as if she truly believed him.
“And I’m the CEO now. I’ll pay you for the food.”
“Okay.” At least he knew not to enjoy free meals.
…
At night, as the rain gradually eased, the grass and trees in the new Rose Estate emitted a pleasant fragrance.
Jaden stood at the door, cautiously peeking inside, where he saw Enrico, dressed in comfortable loungewear, curled up on a corner of the sofa. In one hand, he held a newspaper featuring articles about himself, while the other hand clutched a pouch of orange-flavored jelly.
When he finished the jelly, he squeezed the last bit out with his long fingers, ensuring not a drop was wasted before tossing it away.
Jaden’s worldview crumbled into pieces at the sight, and he found himself needing to walk with the help of the wall.