Chapter 6 Legal Matters

◇ KEL ◇

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

"Just 'cause..." I plugged my earphones in and sighed to myself, minding my best friend's incredulous tone and apparent disappointment in my recent decisions.

Gaia's family had some real estate properties under their name, but I never tried to borrow money from her or her family. For my tuition, student loans, Daddy Jim's hospital bills, or for other reasons. I just didn't want to inconvenience them in any way. Gaia had also been so 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 months ago. Her point was valid. But it was too late for reprimands. I had already paid for loans and hospital bills using Enzo's money. And I planned to pay him back as soon as I earned my first paycheck.

It might take me another year and a half-residency would take another couple of years-but I'd certainly pay back every cent I owed him.

"A hundred grand? Are you kidding?"Now Gaia sounded like she wanted to scold me all night.

Well, most med schools definitely cost more than that...I wanted to remind her.

"Am I talking to myself?" she 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 about Enzo and his family.

"When did he give you the rest of the money?"

"A while ago."

"When?" Gaia sighed on the other end. Her tone remained dead serious. "I need to state the specifics on here. You know that."

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

"Few months ago. I'll send you the date and his bank account information." I checked my phone apps 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. 100,000 euros was "little" to him. Maybe he still thought he should give me money for helping him back in Umbria. More than once, he said I saved his life, but I often thought it sounded exaggerated.

Some days, my brain just harked back to that time we were all stuck with the Falcos in their countryside estate. It didn't do me any favors, though. It just made me lose sleep thinking of Miles.

"So in total, it's 94,500 euros? Sans interest?" Gaia asked after a minute or so 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. 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 tutted.

"Whichever he prefers."

"You didn't ask him to meet with you soon? He's doing business there in New York. Right?"

"Yeah. Biotech company," I replied. "Meet up with me? No." Enzo might be 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 just to ask him to see me this month.

He was a busy guy-an unquestionably busy businessman-with a lot on his plate. Busy work schedule. Some family issues to resolve and whatnot. The last time we talked about my debt, Enzo also told me he didn't want to sign anything. For the past couple of months, he'd kept insisting that I shouldn't worry about the money.

Of course I still did. 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 to Enzo.

"Why not? Is he in Florence?" Gaia's tone sounded 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 her before they both turned 35. "No. Far as I know. You want his email?"

"Yeah. I'll need it, in case he wants to revise some of the terms," Gaia mumbled. Her muted voice sounded calmer now.

"Thanks, cyst." I snickered. I fleetingly recalled she was the one who first used the homonymic term of endearment, back in high school when we were 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," I said reassuringly. "But thanks, cyst." I laughed again. I missed hanging out with her, but I knew Gaia was as busy as I was these days. "How's the training?"

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

"Amen."

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

"No. He keeps dropping the subject every time I try to talk 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."

"Um...yeah."

"Don't lie." Now she was almost whispering. "Are they a mafia clan, too?"

Uh-oh. Drats. Should I just say yes? I trusted her because she was my best friend, but I just didn't want to put her in an awkward position because of my involvement with the Falcos. Or that I had met the Tomassini brothers.

As my hesitation prolonged, I bit on my lip and thought of the repercussions. I didn't want to share more information about Enzo's family, or about Leandro's huge business deal with Stefano, Miles' father. Gaia didn't need to know. For her own sake.

"Mykaela..." Gaia was almost screaming on the other end now.

"Yeah?"

"Is he a drug dealer or something?" she mumbled. "Just tell me. I'm gonna find out anyway."

"Enzo? No," I replied quite loudly and with certainty. 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 legit pharmacy chain with his best friend, like I said last time. Then Enzo started the biotech company with an engineer friend. 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 while trying not to laugh at the imagery. "He never mentioned he loans other people money. His uncles own a banking group, though."

"Yeah. I did some more research. 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. They both came from a wealthy clan of businessmen. But their list of similarities ended there, to my knowledge.

"Yeah. I trust him," I said to dispel some of my best friend's suspicions. To be honest, though, I had been dealing with seeds of doubt regarding Enzo's 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 was 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 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. The Tomassinis were incredibly influential and powerful. 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 press charges.

"If he tells you he wants to meet with you again to discuss this contract, call me," Gaia advised, now using her 'Attorney Galatia Kazan' voice on me. "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. "Just text or call me, if ever. Okay? I mean it."

"Yeah." 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, confused as to what Gaia wanted me to say next.

"Did he say anything?"

"Like what?"

"About...makin' it official?"

"Official?" I almost chuckled at her question and premise. Funny that she thought Miles was the type who liked to "make it official". It's just so far from the real situation. "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 was pretty complicated, to say the least. "It's not like that."

"Liar." Gaia giggled at my reply. "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 was resting on my bed now, eager to recharge after a whole day of training.

"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 next time. "Miss you, cyst."

"Miss you, too, cyst." Gaia chortled again. "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 some things about the mafia clans in Italy. I also didn't want Gaia and my mom to freak out once I mentioned I just met my biological father in person back in Belgrade, Serbia.

On that note, I might also mention that Ilya was a murderous mafia boss who wants to get rid of the Falcos in order to dominate the drug trade in Europe. Then, to make matters worse, I might mention that I got assaulted and almost murdered by a psychopathic mafioso whose brother had lent me a hundred thousand bucks.

Well, my mother and sister would think I just needed to be back on my anxiety and depression meds-but not Gaia. She would question me till I confessed every single thing. And if ever I mustered up the courage and convinced myself to tell her everything, my best friend would think I had gone insane. No doubt.

So...story for another day.

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