MAX.

Chapter Five

It's easy to fall in love with someone in your dreams. The trill of fantasizing about them. The way they tower over you. Lip's connected.

It was easy then. But now being in the same room as the man I've already slept with in my head...seems a bit unreal.

Max, now knowing him, was a quiet and serious man. When he sat across me I tried avoiding eye contact as much as possible, but in between organizing paperwork, I couldn't help but glance at him. His eyes so beautiful, like I've stated before, gray. They told so many stories, yet he hid them behind his stern persona. It was clear that he had many obstacles; the company, the people working for him, etc etc.

Yet he had made enough time to schedule a dinner between him and I?

I'm not complaining or maybe I am. I'm scared honestly. It's as if I'm walking into something dangerous or daring, and I'm not use to all of this.

Spending months binge watching kdramas, speaking with my cat, starting different projects for HIS company, what the hell did I know about conversations over fancy foods.

"There's another contract..."

Involving what?

My assumptions were now flooding my brain, causing my anxiety to explode. Overthinking about this until dinner time would kill me.

I left from the library, ignoring the calls from "my" assigned servant. Swinging the heavy door open, I tried to follow behind some busy works to try my best to avoid being interrupted by that house servant. Running past the huge dinning table in the open room across from the library, I assumed to have entered the East wing Annette had mentioned earlier.

Behind the kitchen wall, another hidden hallway exposed three doors before leading to a long staircase going up. Looking behind me, it was clear that I had lost that servant.

Walking down the hall, I heard a voice familiar to Max's along with another voice. Quietly I walked up the stairs trying to hear the voice and Max from afar.

"The Marino family will be moving in tomorrow." They continued walking down the hallway, voices fading from the distance.

I walked more up the stairs and followed the clicking of their feet. Hiding behind the marble wall. From the office door, I could hear the same voice speaking in a raspy tone.

"It seems as if Antonio will have to move forward with the plan we had to execute the contract between the Marino family and ours. The Hamilton bloodline has entrusted the Marino family only due to the peace treaty that was signed in blood. They gave their word to never set foot on our grounds in the exchange of their lives. But as excepted, it seems that the Marino sons aren't backing down."

Samuel...

I could hear his voice traveling across the room, before the sounds of leather indicated he had taken a seat.

"They already moved in on the lands of Genoa, Rome, and Turin. Italy has been notified over the past two weeks, that Spaniards forces have taken over docs set up in our territory. Police officials that we've been paying off haven't moved forward with any arrests, because it'll link back to our drug trafficking."

Dr—drugs?!!? Now I did hear about the possibility that the Hamilton family dealt with the Mafia but I didn't know that they were the fucking Mafia. Dealing, trafficking, and enemies? That doesn't sound like Mafia shit?

"The best thing we can do is either cut them out immediately and break the treaty or allow them to take those docs, while we move our troops over to Spain like you've always wanted."