38. Envy

"Why are you here? You should be in a cage by now." Ben looked surprised when he found Alex walking towards him. From the look on his face, he seemed quite worried that Alex would be angry with him after what he did. Who wouldn't be angry when treated like that? Alex was getting punished because Ben couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"You don't seem happy. Mr. Bianchi has already released me from punishment." Alex replied casually.

"Of course I'm happy. How could I not be happy when I see my friend happy." Ben tried to put on a friendly face, he smiled awkwardly at Alex. Inwardly he chuckled with annoyance that Alex had been released in such a short time. He hadn't even managed to convince Leonardo that he could do a better job than Alex. At this rate, his chances of becoming Leonardo's confidant would be dashed.

"Mr. Bianchi asked me to get the records regarding Kate's search report. He said you took care of everything, I need the data to analyze." Alex got straight to the point. The man didn't think anything of it, he never thought that Ben was jealous of him. To him, they were friends, so there was no need to suspect each other. He had forgotten what Ben had done to him. After all, technically he was guilty of helping Caterina to escape.

"I'll give it to you later. I forgot where I put it." Ben tried to make excuses, because he didn't want Alex to steal Leonardo's attention again. He wanted to beat Alex this time, so that his position was one level above Alex. He really wanted to do his best. He had tried hard to analyze, search for information here and there, collect reports from his colleagues, then Alex easily asked for the records? Not that easy! He would not let his hard work be picked on by others.

“Alright, meet me when you find your notes.” Alex replied confidently. He sighed deeply, then left to start the investigation.

Alex began to work very seriously. For him, this was not only his duty as a member of La Vendetta, but also his duty as Caterina's friend. He felt that he had a responsibility to make sure that Caterina was okay. He felt very worried like a friend worrying about another friend's condition.

“Alex, you are requested to see Mr. Bianchi!” A man gave orders to Alex who was focused on his work.

Alex sighed, then rose to his feet to fulfill the summons he had received. He made his way to Leonardo's office. He knocked politely on the door, asking permission before he entered.

“Come in!”

After getting permission, Alex walked in and sat in the chair across from Leonardo's desk.

“Did you get the note?” Leonardo stared seriously. His gaze was always deadly sharp when he was serious.

“Not yet.” Alex shook his head. “Ben said he forgot where he put the note, so he'll give it to me when he finds it.” He answered honestly.

Leonardo understood. He picked up the brown folder on the right side of his desk. He gave the folder to Alex.

"I have a more important task now. There's no one I can trust but you to take care of a big order. You send this package out of town, I've already received the payment, so all you have to do is send it. You bring along some friends you can trust. Ben is focused on finding information about Kate, so you can choose your other partners." Leonardo gave the order.

“But-” Alex was about to refuse and argue, because he really wanted to focus on finding Caterina's whereabouts. He wouldn't be able to make a focused delivery if his focus was divided on Caterina.

"I understand you want to focus on finding Kate, but this is a big order. I don't want to take the risk of entrusting it to someone else. You can also look for information on the street. Bars are usually the fastest centers of information. You can stop by the bar after you finish the delivery." Leonardo tried to explain. He wanted to be understanding.

Alex could no longer argue. After all, he was just a subordinate who had to obey the boss. He received the folder given by Leonardo; he opened the folder to see the list of orders and also the destination address. Just as Leonardo said, it was a big order. The buyer was one of their regulars, and Alex had met him several times. So, it would be easier if he did the transaction since they already knew each other.

“I'll give you a bonus if everything goes well.” Leonardo gave the lure to make Alex more eager to work. Because he could clearly read from the look on Alex's face that the man was forced to accept orders this time.

“Thank you, sir.” Alex said with resignation. He got up and left the room with the folder in hand. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to do it.

“Alex, what did Mr. Bianchi just say?” Ben came over; he was very curious when he heard Alex being called by Leonardo. He was worried that Alex would complain about something else because he didn't give Alex his notes. Moreover, Alex's face made it clear that he was not happy.

"I got the task to take care of a big order. I'll leave the search for Kate to you. Try harder before it's too late. Kate's life is very expensive; there are many people who are after her life." Alex said with emphasis. Then, he left.