Bewitched His Soul

The next day, after waking up, Enzo got ready and went to his study room where he was answering  emails while sipping his cup of coffee. His phone started to ring and it was a call from his mother, Aurora.

"Hello mom, how are you?"  Enzo greeted .

"I will be good if you come to visit me more,"  Aurora complained.

Aurora was promoted as the director of the hospital. After finishing her masters with distinction she had performed well and had given a hundred percent success rate during the operations.

Not only was she intelligent, but she was also humble and patient while dealing with the patients. All these attributes made everyone form a good opinion about Aurora. So when the old director was about to retire, Aurora was the first choice for the vacancy. 

One can say that her professional and personal life was going really well. Dimitri loved and pampered her the same way if not more as the day they met. She was blessed with two wonderful children, even though sometimes they got on her nerves. 

Enzo was too mature and responsible for his age. He did not like to share much and came to his father when he encountered any problems at work.

Logan was still mischievous and spoiled as he was the youngest one. He feared his brother more than his father, and was serious when it came to work.

"Mom, I had back to back work trips and returned home only last night,"  Logan replied. He knew his mother would be most happy when she saw all four of them having meals together. His mother loved cooking and in spite of having so many maids she preferred to cook when she was not working.

As Enzo and Logan grew up and moved out, it was quite difficult for them to spend time together as before.

"How about you come visit me for breakfast?" Aurora suggested.

"Mom,I…," Enzo trailed off as he heard some noise in the background.

"Aunt, which do you think suits me," Esther asked. Then he heard someone's giggling sound and a voice whispering something funny.

His grip on the phone tightened as he stood up. He was so familiar with her voice that he could identify her just by her laughter, and no words were needed.

"I will be there soon," Enzo said in an urgent tone.

Aurora was happy that her son was coming home so she went to prepare his favorite breakfast.

Enzo climbed down the stairs in a hurry, not wanting to miss her. She was there at his home and one look at her was enough to make his day.

When he reached their home his mother hugged him and complained that he has not taken proper care of himself as he had those dark circles around his eyes because of staying up too late at night.

Enzo's gaze roamed all over the living room, but did not find the one person for whom he drove so many miles that early morning.

"Mom where is Esther, isn't she always here to welcome me?"  Enzo asked. Esther was very close to her cousins, especially Logan. So whenever they came back home, she demanded they spend time with her, to accompany her in her shopping or watching movies.

"Oh, she is busy with Hazel. they had a sleepover yesterday, and now they must be in her room trying on clothes they bought," Aurora replied.

Just hearing Hazel's name changed Enzo's expression, it was such a minute change that Aurora failed to notice as usual. His eyes softened and lips tugged upwards as his gaze went to the stairs.

A few steps were separating him from Hazel. There were so many factors which made him think twice before approaching Hazel, unlike what he did when they were younger. Those times were too simple, where being next to each other and playing  games was enough.

"Mom, I need to take something from my room.  I will come back in a while,"  Enzo said before going upstairs.

"Come back soon, otherwise the food will get cold," Aurora stated.

Enzo headed straight to Esther's room but did not find anyone. He looked, but there was no one nearby. It was such a big mansion that it took time to check all the rooms. 

As Enzo was passing by the closet he noticed the door was ajar, and someone was humming a song. He slowly pushed the door and saw a woman's back who was standing on the stool and looking at the handbags at the top shelf.

Hazel sensed someone and turned around to see who had entered the room. She was wearing high heels and had one foot at the edge of the stool.

"Ahh!" She screamed as her foot slipped and knew she was bound to fall on the floor and  hurt her knees. But she never felt any pain from the impact. She opened her eyes  to see that Enzo was holding her in his arms.

His face had a frown and his body tensed, but one thing was clear that there was concern in his eyes.

"Where was your mind? Why  can't you be more careful?"  Enzo roared. Hazel flinched because of his harsh tone and looked at him warily. She was the pampered princess of the Ambrosio clan, and no one had ever dared to raise their voice on her.

Enzo quickly realized his mistake when he saw that she was about to fall and he quickly ran to her side. In his presence, how can he let his beloved get hurt.

He was worried that she was so careless to step on the stool with such high heels. His worry came out in the form of anger and he unknowingly talked to her in the same tone he used with his employees.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"  Enzo made sure to lower his voice.

"No, I am fine,"  Hazel gave him a small nod.

No one said anything, but they were looking at each other. Enzo's gaze was so intense as if he was drinking her beauty, whereas Hazel had a scared and confused look.

Hazel and Esther were close friends and even though both of them were studying in different streams at college they both had common friends. Hazel was studying business management while Esther was pursuing medicine. There was a birthday party this evening so both the girls were trying out clothes in the closet.

Since Aurora had two boys, she loved to doll up Esther from childhood. Whenever she went out on business trips she shopped for Esther. Since having the Santoris name had its privilege, Aurora ordered all the limited edition shoes and bags from high end brands.

Esther had been trying on all the dresses since that morning and asking her aunt Aurora's opinion until she went to the kitchen to cook for Enzo.