Chapter 35: The Secret Society

                                    

                                          
"Enzo." I called him from upstairs.
I see him jogging toward me from the main door of my house. "Yes?" he answers me when he reaches me. "I'm going out. You can go home, and I'll see you in the morning." I tell him.
"You are not taking any security with you?" he asks me, confused. "No, I don't need security tonight. Go home and rest." I give him a small smile.
He seems hesitant to go home, and he looks like he wants to say something. After a moment of internal battle with his own thoughts, he gets closer to me. We make eye contact, and he puts his hand on my shoulder. His cologne fills my nostrils, and at that moment, I broke character for a few seconds, basking in his scent and touch. "Call me if you need me." He says in a low voice, and I nod my head at him. "Promise?" he asks in the same tone as before; his expression is soft, and there is a sparkle in his eyes. "I promise." I rest a hand on his chest, close to his heart. "I'll walk you out." He offers me, and I give him a nod in agreement. 
We walk side by side to my garage, where my sports car is parked. He opens the door for me, and he closes it once I am inside. My window is down, and he leans into it. "Be careful." He says softly. "I won't take long. Don't worry." I touch his hand in reassurance.
Enzo smiles at me and stands properly. I start the car and take off. The gates are open for me to pass by without stopping. After that, the gates to my residence close behind me right away. My bodyguards protect my house while I'm gone.
I drive for around 15 minutes when a high-security gate comes into view. I put my window down, and the guard smiles when he sees me, letting me into the premises. I park the car in front of the building, behind the ones that are already there.
The building was built in the early 90s, and it has been well kept ever since. In my opinion, this is one of the most stunning buildings here in the city.
The owner of this building is a Chinese heir. His grandparents from his mother's side made a fortune back in their day, leaving all of their children with an inheritance that will last them for their whole lifetime. A fortune that is still alive even with their next generation. Nico Zheng inherited his mother's fortune at such a young age. Fun fact: we are the same age, and we met a couple of years ago since we went to the same tennis club; his girlfriend at the time dragged him there, but he looked way too in love to care. So we became acquaintances ever since. Nico was born in Shanghai, China, but didn't grow up there. His father is Italian, so they have lived here since he was little. Despite the Italian blood in his veins, he still has some features that resemble the Chinese blood he also carries, making him a sight for sore eyes. I know a lot of girls that are swooning over him, but he only has eyes for one girl.
My father and his father respected each other. His father is a well-respected businessman, but our fathers' never did any business together. Once Nico took over his father's business and obtained his mother's inheritance, all of that changed; he offered me to be part of a secret society that he was creating a few months ago. His offer and project were impressive, so I accepted.
Although his family is well known here in Italy and China, not many people know what Nico looks like. There is more to him than what people know, but that is a story for another day.
Nico created LZW, which is only for the elite of Italy. It only consists of heirs, just like Nico and myself. LZW has only five members, but no one knows who those members are. The purpose of this powerful union is to have control over Italy and, in the future, many other countries in Europe and Asia. With each of our connections and influences, we are the ones controlling our country at the moment. The only catch is that no one knows that we do. We have a meeting once a month, two if the situation requires it. And they are always at midnight or at the crack of dawn.
I finally walk into the room after going through four different stages of security. The room is more like a studio than a meeting room.
"Gentlemen." I greet them.
Did I mention that I'm the only woman among the five members? Not like I'm not used to that.
"Welcome, gorgeous. We were waiting for you." Matteo greets me.
I scoff at him and say, "You are everywhere these days," but I take a seat next to him anyway.
"Now that Lea has joined us, let's start the meeting." Nico says. "Lea, how are we going with the elections coming up?" He asks me.
"Everything is going according to plan. I'm keeping the president in check, and I've decided to keep him for the next few years. So, I'll sponsor his re-election." I answer him.
"Good choice. He will be of good use to us." Nico smiles at me.
The meeting went on for a while-more than an hour-but, to be honest, we talked about business for like 15 or 20 minutes. The remainder of the time was spent laughing and chatting about life in general while we had a few drinks.
Once we decided to end the meeting, all of us walked out into our respective cars. I stayed behind for a few minutes to find a good playlist to play while I drove. Once I found the playlist I was looking for, I noticed that Matteo was waiting for me. I drive past him, and I honk gently as a thank you, and he does it back, driving behind me but taking a different route from me 5 minutes later.
I notice the same car following me a few meters behind. I took a detour, and I pulled up in a parking lot that I knew would be empty at this hour. I checked the compartment of my car, grabbed my spare gun, checked the bullets, and then I got out of my car. The car also pulls up in the parking lot. I shot one of the front tires-just a minor puncture that can be easily fixed with a change of tire. I walk up to the driver seat, and at the same time, he gets out of the car. My gun is by my side, but I am not pointing at him.
"I told you to go home and rest. Why are you following me?" I ask him with a serious face.
"It's my job to protect you." Enzo says. "Was that Matteo Capone's car?" He asks, changing the topic.
"It was." I answer curtly.
"I see..." he says, diverting his gaze to his front tire. "It's a good thing this is not my Ferrari. That would have cost me a fortune." He tries to change the topic once again. The car is the one I assigned for him; I actually recognized it right away, which is why I pulled up in this parking lot. The bullet on his tire was just because he disobeyed my orders.
"There is a spare tire in the trunk." I tell him.
I look at his expression, and judging by his frown, he looks conflicted, like his mind is running with a million thoughts per hour.
I sigh and say, "I was in an important and discrete meeting with other people. Matteo just happens to be part of that group as well."
I know I don't need to explain myself, but my heart tells me this is the right thing to do. And judging by Enzo's change in expression, I know it was the best decision.
"Now, change the tire. I'll wait for you." I say to him while I lean on the car. He smiles at me and starts looking for the tools he will need.
I smile to myself at his antics.
He is lucky I (might) have a soft spot for him. Otherwise, I would have been furious that he disobeyed my order.