Chapter 10
JULAIN POLE
The guy was walking through the hospital like he owned it. Hell, maybe he did. His stride was too easy, too confident, like everyone else in the room worked for him. Jaw sharp, smile soft, blue eyes catching light like they knew how to steal attention. And then that damn dimple when he smiled—no way that was real.
"Oh, hey, Enzo," my mum greeted, smiling back at him.
Enzo? My brain stalled.
"Mrs. Pole," he said smoothly, pulling out the chair right beside her like he belonged there.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Enzo, meet my boys. Boys, this is Enzo," Mum introduced.
Silence. Thick, awkward. Because I knew what my friends were thinking. Same as me.
Luka was the first to break. He cleared his throat.
"Are you guys… close?"
Mum's eyes went wide. "Little bastard, he's the owner of the hospital," she hissed.
Luka leaned back, deadpan. "Exactly my point. Why are you close with the owner of the hospital, Mother?"
"Are you hitting on our mum? She's married, happily." Rico added, and I almost choked because—exactly.
"Rico!" Mum scolded, but it was too late.
Enzo laughed. Full-out laughed, head tilting, like we were the best entertainment he'd had all week.
"Why is he laughing?" Luka muttered.
I shrugged.
"What a first impression," Enzo finally said, still smirking.
Rico leaned forward, unrelenting. "So are you?"
"Mrs. Pole, am I hitting on you?" Enzo asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Mum rolled her eyes. "Forgive their manners, baby, they're just protective of me." Then she shot us a look sharp enough to kill. "Boys. Apologize."
Rico scoffed, Luka fake-nodded like he meant it.
"On behalf of my friends, our sincerest apology," Luka said, every word fake.
Enzo chuckled. "Which one's your son?"
Mum gestured at me.
His gaze landed, held, and lingered. "Relax. I'm not hitting on your mother. She's like a mother to me—I never had one." His words were soft, but his eyes didn't leave mine. "Though from the look on your faces, you clearly don't like me."
"Obviously," Rico said flatly.
I shot him a side-eye, but honestly? He wasn't wrong.
Enzo leaned back, smile curling. "Alright then. How do I raise my approval rating with you three?"
Silence. And then, of course, Luka perked up like an idea had been handed to him by God himself.
"Take us to the gallery."
He turned to me. "You know, there's an exhibition today at that big gallery—what's it called again?"
"Azure House?" I said.
"Yeah. That one." Luka turned back to Enzo. "Get us tickets."
"They're probably sold out," Rico said.
"Don't care. If he wants to score points, this is the least he can do." Luka concluded like it was already decided.
Enzo's smile didn't waver. "Done."
Luka grinned, smug. "See?"
Mum cleared her throat, her break clearly over. "Please, Enzo, take care of my boys. They're hardheaded, but sweet when you get to know them." She turned to us, stern. "And you three—don't cause him trouble."
Then she took her box of cookies, kissed us goodbye, and disappeared back into the hospital.
Enzo stood, adjusting his jacket like this was the most natural thing in the world. "Shall we?"
On the way to the parking lot, Rico muttered, "I don't like him."
"Me neither," Luka added immediately.
I snorted. "So what, I'm the one supposed to like him?"
"So we don't like him?" Luka asked, dead serious.
"Obviously," I and Rico said in unison.
We ended up going to the gallery. Honestly? It wasn't bad. Enzo pulled strings like it was nothing, and next thing I knew, we were walking through Azure House like we belonged there. The exhibitions were beautiful, and I hate to admit it, but the guy was… chill. Luka was all over him by the end of it, laughing at his jokes, practically his new best friend. Even I had to admit, Enzo wasn't unbearable once you got past the whole "I-own-the-hospital-and-walk-like-a-god" thing.
Rico though? Rico didn't buy it for a second. He kept watching Enzo like he was waiting for the mask to slip.
After the gallery, Enzo took us out to eat, then showed us this rooftop spot where you could take insane pictures of the skyline. The day turned out kind of perfect, which is weird, considering how it started. By the time we said goodbye, he'd already shared his contact with us and promised we'd catch up again soon.
Still, Rico's verdict was final: he didn't like him. And honestly? A part of me wondered if maybe he was right.