5 ◆ Legal Matters ◆

◇ KEL ◇

"Are you frickin' kidding me? Why didn't you just tell me you needed more money? I could've asked Dad."

I plugged my earphones in and sighed to myself, minding my best friend's incredulous tone and apparent disappointment in my recent decisions.  Although I knew that Gaia's family had some real estate properties under their name, I never tried to borrow money from her or her family for my tuition, student loans, and some of Daddy Jim's hospital bills.  I just didn't want to inconvenience them in any way. 

For the past few years, Gaia had also been busy studying for the bar exams.  Clearly she thought I should've just asked her for financial help, instead of borrowing a huge amount of money from Enzo, a guy I just met some months ago.  Her point was valid. 

But, too late for reprimands.  I had already paid for loans and hospital bills using Enzo's money.  I definitely planned to pay him back as soon as I earned my first paychecks, though.  It might take me another year and a half—I wasn't done with med school just yet—but I'd certainly pay back every cent I owed him.

"Am I talking to myself?" Gaia muttered when I kept mum.  Her voice on the other line sounded quite pinched.  Maybe she was feeling under the weather.

"You don't sound so good. How's you?" I tried a more cheerful tone, deliberately changing the topic just to avoid talking to her about Enzo and his family.

"When did he give you the rest of the money? I need to state the specifics on here. You know that." Gaia sighed on the other end.  Her tone remained dead serious. 

Yikes.  She definitely sounded pissed now.  It was my fault.  I didn't tell her that Enzo lent me money again for my student loans.  I just told her some months ago to help me draft a contract detailing the payment agreement terms which I wanted Enzo to review and sign.  But now that I'd been trying to avoid him after what happened back in San Pietro, I would just send him the contract via email or post—whichever he preferred.

"Few months ago. I'll send you the date and his bank account information," I replied, checking my Notes app for the specific date. 

It was on that day Enzo first met Mommy here in New York, weeks after my dad's funeral.  Enzo even tried to emotionally blackmail me into accepting his money.  "Just to help you out a little," he'd said. 

It reminded me just how wealthy he and his family were.  Almost 100,000 euros was "little" to him.  Maybe he still thought...he should help me in return by loaning me that much money for saving his life back in Umbria.  Some days my brain just harked back to that time we were all stuck with the Falcos in their countryside estate.

"So in total, it's 94,500 euros? Sans interest?" Gaia asked next after a moment of silence.  Perhaps she was on her computer right now, revising the document with the payment terms. "And you haven't paid him back yet?"

"Just 5,000 last night. From my savings." I sighed, mulling over the small amount I had been able to pay him back as of yet.  My remaining savings from my short-lived modeling career was also running out.  "Online fund transfer. I'll send the screenshot." 

"You'll send him this contract via email? Or post?"  Gaia sighed.  "Or you're planning to meet up with him soon? He's doing business there in New York. Right?"

"Yeah. Biotech company," I replied. "Meet up with him soon? No."  Enzo might come back here soon to talk about the money and payment terms, but he was probably tied up in Florence at the moment.  I didn't want to contact him or ask him to meet me this month. 

He was a busy guy—an unquestionably busy businessman—with a lot on his plate at the moment.  Family issues to resolve and whatnot.  The last time we talked about my debt, Enzo  told me not to worry and he didn't want to sign anything.  

Of course I still worried.  I wouldn't use up all of the cash and then just forget my promise to him.  Maybe one of these days I'd ask Gaia or Miles for a loan, just so I could pay off my outstanding debts.

"Why not? Is he in Florence?" Gaia's voice sounded a tad higher, her tone more curious now.  "He lives there. Right?"

"Yeah."

"He's not married, is he?"

Enzo? Married? I didn't know for sure.  All I knew was that he was dating Libby Roche, a fashion designer based in Milan.  He also mentioned to me once that he was planning to propose to Libby before they turned 35.  "No.  Far as I know. You want his email?"

"Yeah. I'll need it."

"Um...why?"

"In case he wants to revise some of the terms," Gaia mumbled, sounding calmer now.  "I have a feeling he would.

"Thanks, cyst." I snickered. 

She was the one who suggested we use the homonymic term of endearment, back in high school when we were  bio lab partners.  "In case he insists you pay him back this year, tell me. I'll send you the money."

"No. He's not like that. But thanks, cyst." I laughed again. I missed hanging out with her, but Gaia was as busy as I was these days.  "How's the training?"

"Exhausting. Basically modern-day slavery. But, I'll get over it. Just need more sleep."

"Amen." 

"You sure he didn't make you sign or agree to anything? Not even through email?"

"No," I sighed.  "He keeps dropping the subject every time I try to talk to him about it. Said he doesn't wanna sign a contract or...anything legally binding."

"Hold up." Gaia's voice sounded louder now. "You said his family's doing business with Miles' folks."

"Yeah. Enzo's father and brother."

"Don't lie. Are they a mafia clan, too?"

Uh-oh.  Drats.  Should I just say yes?  I trusted her. But I  didn't want to put her in an awkward position because of my involvement with the Falcos and the Tomassinis.  I bit on my lip.  I shouldn't share more information about Enzo's family, or about Leandro's huge business deal with Miles' father.

"Mykaela." Gaia spoke sternly now.  "Is he a drug dealer or something? Just tell me. I'm gonna find out anyway."

"Enzo? No," I near yelled.  As far as I knew, Enzo started his own business and didn't want anything to do with his brother and his uncles' underground dealings with the mob.  "He owns a pharmacy chain with his best friend, like I said last time. Then he started the biotech company recently.  Here in New York."

"Oh. Okay.  'Cause he could actually be a loan shark for the Italian mob, if you think about it."

"No.  He's not," I murmured.  "He never mentioned he loans other people money. His uncles own a banking group, though."

"Yeah. I did some more research a few months ago. So you trust him that much?"  my best friend inferred.  "Dude, you barely know the guy."

True.  I just met Enzo by accident, in fact.  If it weren't for the Falcos, I wouldn't have met someone like him.  Well, the way I saw it, he and Miles were on a rather similar tangent, considering they both came from a wealthy clan of Italian businessmen.  But their list of similarities ended there, to my knowledge.  "Yeah. I trust him," I said to dispel some of Gaia's suspicions. 

"Why?"

"He's always been nice. And generous. Sincere." To be honest, though, I had been dealing with seeds of doubt regarding Enzo and his real motives. 

Miles and Mrs. Falco even warned me to stay away from Enzo.  "He can't be trusted, like his brother and the rest of the Tomassinis," was their unanimous opinion back when I was recovering in the hospital after what Leandro did to me.

Ugh.  The guilt's creeping up on me again.  I hadn't told Gaia about what happened in San Pietro, after that night of torment I experienced back in Leandro's luxurious beach house. 

What's worse? I'd been keeping quite a lot of secrets from Gaia the past year.  I just didn't want to mention any of it to her yet.  I didn't want her and my family to worry, and then they would push me to press charges against Leandro—Enzo's spawn of evil brother. 

Then, to save face from the general public, Leandro might hire someone to off me or blackmail me and my family just so I wouldn't testify against him in court.  His entire family was influential and powerful, and I certainly didn't need that kind of trouble right now, even if the Falcos generously offered to get me a lawyer to help me file a strong case. 

"If he tells you he wants to meet with you again to discuss this contract, call me," Gaia advised, using her 'Attorney Galatia Kazan' voice on me now.  "I'm serious. I need to talk to him in person."

"Okay, okay," I said resignedly.  I could still hear her typing noisily on her keyboard.  "But only if," I stressed. "I'm not asking him to come over here just to sign it. Busy guy, like I said."

"Fine." Gaia sighed again. "Just text or call me, if ever. Okay? I mean it." 

"Yeah."

"I'm dead serious, Mykaela." 

"I know." I made a face and checked my phone screen. We'd been on the phone for half an hour now, but I wanted to keep chatting with her.  

"How's Miles?" she asked after a comfortable silence.

"Busy, I imagine."

"When did you last hang out? Weeks ago? When you last flew to Italy?"

"Yeah," was all I said in response. 

"And?"

"And what?" I muttered. 

"Did he say anything? About...makin' it official?"

"Official?" I chuckled at the premise.  Funny that she thought Miles was the type who would "make it official".  Far from the truth.  "I told you he's not the relationship type."

"Mm-hmm. Sure," she murmured.  "So it's a friends-with-benefits kinda thing now?"

"No," was my half-meant denial.  I didn't think of it that way, even though other people would argue my sentiments on the matter if they knew the truth about my current relationship with Miles.  It's pretty complicated, to say the least.  "It's not like that."

"Liar." Gaia giggled.  "Anyway, don't take any of it seriously. 'Cause he's obviously not the type to commit."

"Beating a dead horse, but thanks for the advice, cyst," I joked while stretching my arms.  I rested on my bed now.

"Glad to help, cyst." Gaia snickered.  "There. Done with the revisions. Sending you this third draft now."

"Thanks." I muffled a yawn and glimpsed the clock above my study desk. "You goin' to bed now?"

"In an hour or so. You?"

"When will you come see me?"

"After this litigation," Gaia murmured. "Need to finish more paperwork this week."

"Fine." I pouted. I knew she was going to be busier this year, but I still expected her to hang out with me on some weekends. Maybe I should just pay her a visit soon.  "Miss you, cyst."

"Miss you, too, cyst." Gaia chortled. "Night."

"Night, night." I hung up and closed my eyes, exhausted beyond words.  I didn't want to prolong our conversation about Miles and Enzo.  

Firstly, I might spill the real beans and mention something about "pureblood vampires" and "dhampiricas".  I also didn't want Gaia and my mom to freak out after I accidentally mentioned I just met my biological father in person back in Belgrade, Serbia. 

On that note, I might also mention that:

1) Ilya is a murderous Russian mafia boss who wants to get rid of the Falcos in order to dominate the drug trade in Europe;

2) The Falcos are a clan of pureblood vampires and they think I'm a half-vampire (dhampirica), and, apparently, Ilya's only daughter;

3) Cloe Falco thinks I'm a seer, or a halfling with sporadic visions that seemingly foretell events within this lifetime; and

4) I am Miles' "bonded" and I let him drink some of my blood to help him manage a genetic liver disease and get rid of excruciating pain attacks.

Well, my mother and sister were quite open-minded about such things—but not Gaia.  If ever I mustered up the courage and convinced myself she had to know everything, I was pretty sure my best friend would think I was clinically insane.   So... 

Story for another day.

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