Chapter 3: Second Encounter

Alice could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching her. She struggled to open her eyes, feeling as if she were experiencing sleep paralysis. Her eyes flew open when she felt someone pour something cold on her.

She scrunched her nose in disgust as she looked at the cold liquid that dripped down her body. She was tied to a chair and gulped fearfully at the thought of Collin finding her. It had to be him.

She heard the sound of steady footsteps approaching but couldn’t see because her eyes were covered with blood. Her vision cleared, and her eyes widened when she saw Alfonso Ferdinando, the Consigliere of the Vicenzo empire, standing in front of her. Alfonso was the direct advisor to the Don, giving him a rank much higher than her father’s.

She was shocked to see him. Why on earth had he had her kidnapped? She hadn't done anything wrong to him unless he was related to Collin, which seemed impossible.

Alfonso easily intimidated everyone with his tall frame and cold nature. His words were law, and no one dared to go against him except the Don and his underboss.

"Mr... Mr. Ferdinando," Alice stuttered fearfully. This man could sever her head from her body, and Sergio wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

"Shh," he placed a finger on her lips, and Alice shuddered at the sudden contact.

"Don't fret. We're just here for a simple chat," Alfonso said as he made himself comfortable in the chair in front of her.

Alice gulped, knowing there was nothing simple about this man. Alfonso snapped his fingers, and a man hurried over to hand him a tablet.

Alfonso showed her the screen, and Alice gulped when she saw herself, masked, on the screen. It was a picture taken during her theft from the city museum.

"She looks familiar, doesn’t she?" Alfonso chuckled, and Alice's face paled as dread overwhelmed her.

"I must commend Sergio for hiding such a treasure from the empire. Too bad he wasn’t smart enough, as he left a slip. But don’t worry, I don’t plan on handing you to the cops. If you follow my instructions, there will be no need for that," Alfonso said, making eye contact with her.

……

Alice stood in front of the mirror in her room, dressed in a baggy black trouser and a baggy t-shirt. Her breasts were flattened with a chest binder to make it look like she had none. She wore a short wig with neatly trimmed hair to resemble a man's hair and a fake mustache and beard.

She vividly remembered Alfonso's instructions. She was to be a bodyguard for one of the richest billionaires, Enzo Vicenzo. He was the CEO of one of the most successful companies, Vclass Mobile. Alfonso had told her that Enzo needed a bodyguard but despised the idea of a woman being his bodyguard. Alfonso knew she was a skilled fighter because she had been trained by Sergio.

Alfonso had warned her that he would personally hand her to the cops if she refused the job offer and told her not to communicate with Sergio until her job was over. More importantly, he had instructed her to ensure no one discovered she was actually a woman. If anyone found out, he would kill her.

Alice could not care less about Alfonso's threat. Her main goal in accepting the job was to find her mother’s murderer. She figured finding the murderer would be easier if she mingled with influential people, like Enzo Vicenzo.

Alice paused as a thought occurred to her. She hadn’t checked up on Collin. She hadn’t stabbed him that hard to cause severe injury. She walked to the far end of the room, where a large picture of Collin was hung on the wall. She was madly in love with him. She knew that being in love with someone who wanted nothing but her doom was crazy, but she did anyway. She texted Chiara to help her check on him.

Alice sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror again. She really looked like a boy, and to make her appearance seem more realistic, she put on her glasses.

Alice walked out of her apartment and took a cab to Vclass Mobile. She arrived 20 minutes later and stood in front of the magnificent skyscraper with both hands tucked in her pockets.

The building had "Vclass Mobile" inscribed at the top. Alice charismatically made her way inside, unable to shake her nervousness about her disguise. It wasn’t the first time she had disguised herself, but she couldn’t get rid of the anxiety.

She walked over to the counter where the secretary was. After exchanging a few words, the secretary directed her to Enzo’s office.

It seemed Alfonso had informed Enzo about her. Reaching the front of Enzo’s office, Alice took a deep breath. She rang the bell, and Enzo’s secretary came out.

"Please come in, sir," the secretary said. Alice nodded and walked inside.

According to her disguise, she was now Simone Leonardo. Alice shook off her nervousness as her eyes fell on Enzo Vicenzo.

He wore an expensively tailored suit and reeked of wealth and arrogance. His gray hair stood out, indicating he was well past his fifties.

"Mr. Vicenzo," Alice bowed slightly, speaking in her practiced manly voice. "I am Simone Leonardo," she said.

Enzo hummed in approval as he stared at the man Alfonso had described. He looked quite frail for the role of a bodyguard and wondered if he would be suitable for the job.

"Enzo Vicenzo," Enzo said with a grim look on his face. "You’re dismissed for now. You can come back tomorrow for your test," he said.

Alice looked apprehensive, wondering what the test would involve. Nevertheless, she nodded and left the room.

She walked as quickly as she could, needing to go home and start practicing for the test, as she had an inkling about what it might be.

She got outside the building, and unfortunately, it began raining. Alice stood rooted to the spot for a while, and at that moment, a black sleek SUV pulled up in front of her.

The chauffeur got out and opened the door for the person inside. The expensively polished black shoes touched the ground first, and then the person fully emerged.

Alice's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. She recognized him; he was the same man from the hotel. She had forgotten about him until this moment. What was he doing here?

He suddenly made eye contact with her, and Alice felt her heart momentarily stop beating.