04. GIOVANNI'S POV

“Why do you think you're a good fit for this position?” The hiring manager asked one of the candidates. It was the interview day, and since I wasn't busy I decided to sit in.

“ I feel my skills are particularly well-suited to this position because..” a brunette began answering. 

But, I wasn't really listening. For some reason, I found myself looking forward to seeing the redhead I'd seen in the files. That wasn't normal for me, I never got excited about strangers. Yet something about her caught my attention.

Time passed as the interview continued. Then, through the glass door in the adjacent office, I spotted a familiar face.

Lucas.

A tall guy with silver hair, with deep brown eyes under his glasses. He stood there with the cheesiest grin painted across his face. I stepped out to greet him. Lucas was a sommelier, one of those people who gets paid to taste wine.

“You look like someone who tastes wine for a living,” I joked,pulling him into a hug.

“You look like a rude workaholic CEO,” he laughed, hugging me back. 

Our fathers had been close, and that's how we met. He and his family had moved to Italy after losing his younger sister in a car accident. We talked about everything, my father, our last time together and life in general. 

“I just know those flowers aren't for me.” I said, eyeing the bouquet in his hands.

“ Yeah,no.” he chuckled. “I went to see a friend, but it turns out she fainted this morning. So I'm heading over after this.”

“Oh, I'll give you a ride. I'm not busy.” I offered, grabbing my coat. 

“Really? I don't want to bother you, Mr CEO.” He teased me.

“ Let's go.” I replied with a chuckle. 

We reached the Riverside Hope hospital, and Lucas headed in while I stepped aside to take a quick office call. 

The hospital smelled of antiseptic and faint citrus cleaner,with a soft beep of monitors coming from nearby rooms. The overhead lights buzzed slightly, casting a sterile white glow over the polished floor. Nurses moved briskly, their rubber soles squeaking lightly on the tiles. It was the kind of place where time seemed to stretch, like grief itself lingered in the walls.

When I finally entered the hospital room, I found him hugging and chatting with the patient.

And there she was.

 The redhead from the files.

 She was even more breathtaking up close. She had warm, brown almond eyes that seemed to pull me in,and her red lips soft as secrets whispered to the moon. But wasn't she supposed to be at the interview? What happened? And she knew Lucas? 

“ Oh, Giovanni, this is Isabelle and -,” Lucas turned to the other girl.

“ Camille,” she said, looking just as surprised to see me..

“Camille and Isabelle, this is Giovanni. I'm sure you all know who he is.” Lucas grinned. 

“Nice to meet you,” They both said in unison.

I nodded politely. 

The doctor entered, wanting to speak to Camille, and Lucas followed, leaving me alone in the room with Isabelle. After a few seconds of awkward silence,she finally spoke.

“I'm sorry about your father,” she said gently. “I saw the news. It must be so hard on you.”

I hadn't expected that.

“ Thank you,” I replied, genuinely moved.

Another awkward silence.

“I thought I'd be interviewing you today,” I said suddenly, not thinking. 

She blinked,surprised. “um....”

“I saw your resume,” I added quickly, trying to make sense of the situation. 

She looked directly into my eyes.

And oh God, those hypnotizing eyes.

Before she could respond, Camille returned with news from the doctor that Isabelle had been discharged..

“If anything happens,make sure to call me, alright?” The doctor told her and she nodded in response.

On our way out, Isabelle chatted with Lucas about how much she'd missed him, how she used to babysit him. Apparently, they were childhood best friends..

“I'm so hungry, guys,” Isabelle said with a pout.

She looked adorably childish with that expression. Her skin was flawless and her voice ,raspy yet sweet, made me want her to keep talking. I didn't even realize I was staring until Lucas nudged me..

“Everything alright,Mr Giovanni?” Camille asked.

“ Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?” I blinked back to focus. 

Now what the hell was I doing? 

Staring?Seriously?

“We were planning to grab dinner, but we didn't know if you'd be free,since you are, you know-” she made air quotes “ the ‘respectable’ CEO. We thought you might have a tight schedule.”

“Oh,” I glanced at my watch, then at Isabelle, who was already watching me. “Sure. I don't mind.”

“Great!” Camille grinned.

The three of them slipped into conversation easily. Lucas and Camille hit it off quickly. They had already gotten along. I pulled out my phone and sent a text.

“Everything's on me,” I said, “Consider it a welcome for Lucas, and for the patient.” I tilted my chin toward Isabelle.

And my driver who I just texted arrived and parked in front of us. Isabelle and Camille were surprised, but they got in anyway.

On our way, Camille and Isabelle were whispering at the back seat.

“ You know,I never thought that he even talks, people say he is cold.” Camille whispered to Isabelle. “Isa, we shouldn't believe everything on the Internet.”

“ Facts.” Isabelle nodded.

Eventually, we reached one of my favorite restaurant. I loved it for two reasons, their nostalgic desserts and privacy. They do serve this cake that always makes me come back. Also not many people were here.When it was time to order, I was disappointed to find the owner changed the chef, and she didn't know what I usually like.

“ it's alright, I'll just have coffee.” I said.

“ Coffee? at dinner? That's crazy,” Lucas teased.

I simply offered him a small smile. Socializing wasn't really my thing,especially around new people. People call me cold but it's just that people irritate me.But these three didn't irritate me,somehow i enjoyed their presence.

While we waited, I glanced at Isabelle. She laughed at something Lucas said,unbothered and glowing in a way I couldn't ignore. And for a second, something in me stirred, something I hadn't felt in years. I looked away at the glass window. 

Don't be stupid Gio,you don't do feelings.Not anymore, not after what happened.

“Antisocial?” She asked to bring me back to reality.

“I..uh..guess so.” 

She nodded as if she understood. Before she could say more, my phone rang. 

An unknown number.

I hesitated. Something about it made my chest tighten but I couldn't place why. I reached for it, about to answer, but just as my thumb brushed the screen, it stopped ringing.

I stared at the screen for a bit longer than I should have. Waiting, but the call didn't come back. I said to myself that I'll deal with it later.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the night. I hadn't felt like this in a long time, maybe not since my father passed. Camille had a sharp sense of humor, Lucas was full of entertaining stories and Isabelle, she was just happy to be there, though clearly still recovering.

We didn't stay too long, Isabelle said she wasn't feeling well and needed to head home. We parted ways shortly after.

That night…that was the best night I'd had in a very long time. And for the first time in months, I found myself hoping for more.