CHAPTER 6

"Hey, dimwit!"

Vincenzo sat up almost immediately, then looked around the room, puzzled for a second and relieved the next.

It'd been a dream, thank goodness. Because he was pretty sure he wasn't going to survive the head bash that Dream Scarr was about to give him before he jolted awake.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and looked around the room. Due to his time in the prison, he kept looking over his shoulder every four minutes, and getting into a defensive mode whenever he felt people approach him.

At that moment, he was surveying the room in case someone had snuck in while he slept. He wouldn't put it past Scarr to not keep a grudge.

After a short while, he got out of bed and into the bathroom, pouring water on his face while revisiting the dream he'd just had.

Sometimes he wondered if he was truly healing.

Hours later he sat at the dining table pouring over the news, when he caught glimpse of a report on television displaying what triggers his rough past. The orphanage he grew up, now that he's wealthy,it is only natural he reach out. Only problem is that he didn't know their new location since they moved. Immediately he sent for the butler, who appeared in the blink of an eye.

"Have you ever heard of Safe Haven Orphanage, Mr. Bradley?"

The butler answered in the negative, but explained that the orphanage could be researched on if he gave a few more descriptions, and listened to Vincenzo's statements carefully as the latter quietly drummed his fingers on the table.

"I want to know everything about them: from the location to the number of current inhabitants, to the current list of prospective parents, to the staff, to the economic state of the institution...I want to know everything. Every single thing." The butler nodded. "And have your eyes on the restaurant where I used to work. I'll return there to further conceal my identity. I hear it's one of the franchise under my grandfather's empire so make the arrangements right away."

Subconsciously he stared directly into the butler's eyes. "It's extremely important, so you must work thoroughly. I need the information as soon as possible, please."

The butler did not flinch at the direct stare. "Of course, Young Master. And would you like me to bring more butter for your toast?"

In response to that, Vincenzo shook his head, and the man left his presence, allowing him to eat his breakfast in much appreciated silence, before leaving for school. The Inzaghi with their influence had settled every dispute Vincenzo's short absence in the school might have caused, now he's as good as new, clean slate just like he never left. Indeed wealth and power opens doors of impossibilities.

Ditching several luxurious cars at his disposal and opting for a taxi, hellbent on hiding his identity for now.

Taking a deep breath, he looked out of the window as the scenery changed with every second.

Within a short while the taxi was parked in front of his college premises, and he nodded gratefully at the driver before stepping out of the car.

"You just have to get through the last year," he mumbled to himself as he joined the mass of students walking towards the gate. "You'll be fine, Vincenzo."

But he couldn't ignore the pangs of pain that went through his heart every time he thought of Lillian and what she'd allowed her family to do to him.

Schooling his features, he marched towards his faculty building, intent on just staying put throughout the day and fleeing at the end of classes.

However, it seemed fate was against him that day, because he bumped into someone seconds after turning down the hallway.

"Shit. I'm sorry, I -" the words died in his throat when he realized who was standing in front of him.

Shit indeed.

Evelyn looked at him with shocked eyes for a short while before her expression turned into one of gladness.

"Vincenzo! Oh my gosh, you're back! I'd honestly thought you weren't planning on returning to school since you'd disappeared for almost two months, and I'd been telling myself to never expect you back! I never knew -"

If he could, he would have pinched her mouth and kept it that way.

He'd almost forgotten how talkative the lady was. One would think that being in college would facilitate the process of shutting one's mouth up - but for every one word he got in during their conversations, Evelyn had a thousand.

"Hello, Evelyn," he gritted out. "How are you doing?"

She paused mid-rant and blinked at him, then her eyes lit up as if she'd just heard what he asked.

"Oh! Well, I'm very well, thank you! Of course I've been knee-deep in assignments like everyone else here - I'm not sure if you still understand what it means to be in such situation - but yeah! I've been good! You know, just last week I was telling Susanne Goodrich that I -"

"That's good to hear," he interrupted, not wanting his ear to take any more of her oral onslaught. "However, I have a lot to do, now that I'm back in school. Excuse me."

"Oh, but..." Evelyn's words trailed off when she noticed that he was already far away. "Our classes are the other way."

He thanked his lucky stars when he found that she wasn't in his first and second class, though she was in his third. Wanting to avoid any altercations, he entered the lecture hall far earlier than normal and went straight to the back, hoping to conceal himself from others.

That was not to happen, apparently, for Jason and his friends walked in minutes after him, and they were discussing about some distasteful occurrences, while laughing and hooting.

Vincenzo groaned and wished to crawl into a hole.

Jason noticed him almost immediately after they walked in, and if his darkened expression wasn't enough to show how much he hated his presence, his clenched fist ought to have amplified it.

It was all Vincenzo could do to not scoff and roll his eyes. He'd had enough of the other man's bullying and definitely not covert ways of getting under his skin.

Two months had passed, for goodness' sake.

Just then, the embarrassing scene at Lillian and Jason's wedding fluttered through his mind. In spite of himself, he grinned.

And Jason saw that.

In the twinkle of an eye, he was at Vincenzo's desk, holding his shirt.

"What are you grinning at, you bastard?!"

"Nothing you need to be aware of," replied Vincenzo in a cool tone that surprised even himself. "Let go of my shirt, Jason."

To his surprise, Jason immediately did so, but he didn't move away.

"You've missed two months, you ex-convict. Why the hell are you back?" he spat, anger blazing in his eyes.

The other man sighed and attempted to smoothen his shirt. "Uh...I want to receive my degree at the end of the year?"

"Just because you're a scholarship student doesn't mean you're smart," Jason countered. "You're just very lucky."

"Well, not exactly," Vincenzo replied with a cynical smile.

"You see, being a scholarship student means I'm very lucky and very smart, Jace. Being in final year, one would think you're fully aware of things like that. But since you're not on a scholarship, I guess it would explain why you're not very smart."

A collective gasp went around the area they were in.

"You fu -"

"Mr. Franklin?"

'Saved by the professor,' Vincenzo thought as the arrival of the elderly lecturer caused a bit of decorum to return to the class.

Not that he was complaining, anyway. It felt good to give a clap back, though he had a feeling it would affect his image in the eyes of his course mates.

Hopefully they still continued to think of him as a scholarship student, and nothing more, because although he loved the privileges that came with being an heir to the most prestigious and powerful family in the city, he liked the life he lived on campus.

As soon as the second class was over, he raced to one of the restaurants for a quick meal.

And there, he saw her.

Lillian sat there, pretty as usual, with her eyes smiling as she listened to what her friend had to tell her. Before her was a plate of her usual meal, and her laugh was enough to send him back to places he thought he'd almost forgotten.

His chest squeezed, and he sighed. She'd really done a number on him.

"Vincenzo!"

Oh, shit.

He tried to pretend that he hadn't heard his name being called, but it was no use, because soon enough Evelyn (the caller) materialized before him, her eyes bright.

"Hey!" she said, panting. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Evelyn," he managed to say, inwardly crying to the powers that be for help. "Hello. You called me?"

"I was," she replied. "I'm surprised you didn't hear me, because everyone around looked at me."

Everyone?

Subconsciously he snuck a peek at Lillian's table -

- and found her staring right at him.

But her expression was far from kind. She had the most disgusted look on her face, and soon enough she turned back to her friends.

Well, ouch.

"...you're not listening to me, are you?"

Startled, he turned his eyes back to Evelyn, and caught the sadness in her eyes for a moment before it returned to its usual brightness.

"What?"

"Oh, never mind. You're here to eat, yeah? Mind if I tag along?" she said with an expectant smile.

"Uh...no, of course not," he replied, still distracted by the look he'd seen on Lillian's face.

If faces could dazzle, Evelyn's would have. But it merely remained as a glow, and she walked with him into the restaurant.