28. Sorry

“I'm sorry.” Leonardo said weakly. He had repeated the words dozens of times since then. His palms were cold; his heart was beating very fast. He was really nervous now; he had never been this nervous in his life. Even when he had to deal with enemies, he never felt nervous. However, he felt extremely nervous when he was about to meet Caterina.

“I—I... love you.” Leonardo stammered. His voice was weak and trembling. The sentence sounded like a mumble; he could barely even hear the words he was saying.

Leonardo squeezed his fingers repeatedly. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. The man was impatient; he had waited there long enough.

Leonardo's sigh sounded so heavy. He opened the desk drawer and took out a pack of cigarettes from there. He fiddled with the pack repeatedly, wondering whether he should smoke or not. He needed the cigarettes to calm his mind, but he was afraid because Caterina didn't like cigarette smoke. He didn't want to disappoint her by offering her something she didn't like.

Leonardo clucked with annoyance. After thinking for a while, he put the pack of cigarettes back into the desk drawer.

The man in the black shirt glanced at the clock on his wrist. The short hand had already struck 10 pm, which meant he had been waiting for four hours. He didn't realize that he had waited that long because he was busy fighting with the feeling of anxiety that attacked him.

Leonardo reached for the phone in front of him. He dialed Alex, wanting to order the man to ask Caterina to come see him. However, his call was not received.

“Shit.” Leonardo chuckled in annoyance. Since when did Alex become such an unreliable man?

“Ah, maybe he's already asleep. It's already bedtime; I'll see him tomorrow.” Leonardo finally decided. He walked out of his office, striding decisively towards his room. His men seemed to be busy with their own business. Some were cleaning up the remnants of the explosion damage this afternoon, some were busy playing cards, and some had fallen asleep.

Leonardo never questioned that. Everyone had their own duties.

***

“Call Kate for breakfast together. I want to talk to her alone.” Leonardo gave orders to the maid who was serving breakfast at the dining table.

“Yes, sir.” The maid quickly did as she was asked. She left there.

Leonardo waited anxiously. He had prepared himself for a full night, but he was still nervous this morning. No matter what, he had to make a concerted effort to speak his mind. He didn't want his relationship with Caterina to deteriorate further, so he had to confess his feelings for her. They should at least stop fighting.

The food on the table was untouched by Leonardo. He wanted to have breakfast with Caterina this morning. He sighed repeatedly, staring at the door connecting the dining room to the other rooms. The mansion was very spacious; there were even several dining rooms there. Because there were many people living in the house, it was not enough to eat at just one table.

After waiting for a long time, the maid finally returned to Leonardo. However, this time her face looked very panicked. The panic was also accompanied by fear. Who wouldn't be afraid to deal with Leonardo? If they make a mistake, Leonardo will not hesitate to be cruel.

“Sorry, sir. There is no Kate anywhere. I've looked for her everywhere and asked the guards, but no one saw her this morning.” The woman replied nervously out of fear.

Leonardo was silent when he heard that sentence. From the look on his face, he looked very disappointed. Where had Caterina gone so early? That question ruled Leonardo's mind.

“Alright, you can go.” Leonardo said with annoyance. He rose to his feet and left the dining room without even touching the food. He walked quickly towards Caterina's room. His steps were so sure, his eyes looked very sharp.

The door to Caterina's room slammed slightly when Leonardo opened it. He stepped into the closet; all of Caterina's clothes were still there. He turned to the bathroom; there was no one there. Even the bathroom looked dry, a sign that it hadn't been used this morning.

Leonardo began to panic when he realized something. He turned towards Dante's room, which was on another floor. Dante was nowhere to be seen. However, the man's clothes were also in his closet.

“What fool would run away with so much stuff? Kate and her father must have left without taking anything.” Leonardo finally came to his senses. He had been so wrapped up in his feelings that he had been caught off guard and didn't know when Caterina had run away.

Leonardo couldn't calm down after he found out that Caterina had left. To him, there was no safer place for Caterina than La Vendetta headquarters. If Marco and his other enemies knew that Caterina and Dante had escaped from La Vendetta, they would be targeted by many enemies.

“Prepare the troops; we split up to search for Kate's whereabouts this morning!” Leonardo gave the order. He didn't blame anyone for Caterina's disappearance. He was angry, that's for sure, but he couldn't blame anyone. If he was angry this morning, it would only drain a lot of energy. He didn't want to spend his energy on something unimportant. There were more important things than this.

“Sir, I'd like to give you a report.” Ben approached with hesitation. He glanced around, making sure Alex wasn't there so he could speak more freely.

“What report do you want to give?” Leonardo gave him a sharp look.

“Kate and her father were able to escape because of Alex's help. They left yesterday afternoon. I tried to hold them back, but Alex helped them. I wanted to report it to you immediately, but Alex threatened me.” Ben finally opened his mouth. He couldn't keep the secret any longer. Admitting the mistake earlier might have reduced the punishment.

Leonardo clenched his fists very hard. His face looked flushed with anger. His jaw hardened, his teeth chattering. It turned out that the person he trusted was the one who betrayed him the most.

“Quickly bring that man here!” Leonardo said angrily.