CHAPTER 8

Anthony's ego seemed to have spiked up as he watched the younger man before him walk away. He's known for his brutality and no church rat was going to dare bring him down. As long as remained Sophia's benefactor, they will continue to do everything he asked.

"Stupid people. Imagine that boy trying to tell me what to do!" He continued to rant as he walked towards Kevin, shaking his head in disbelief. "Keep working!"

He barked at the seemingly tired and worn out young men digging in the sun. He could care less.

Kevin scoffed, although worry clouded his face. Soon, his phone rang and he gestured towards Anthony to give him a moment.

"Hello?" He started. "Yes, I'm the representative for Anthony Stewart construction company. How may I help you?" There was a pause and Anthony's curiosity was now piqued.

"What do you mean the contract has been canceled and our property is being revoked?"

Anthony's eyes widened as he broke out in sweat, perspiring really hard and pacing back and forth.

"What the fuck is happening? Let me speak with them?" He snatched the phone from Kevin. "Listen to me, whoever you are. I have a whole family to feed and I already sold all my other properties to treat my sick wife. This is all I have. You can't do this to me."

"You should have thought of that before spitting on someone and exploiting young kids. If you're ready to fix this, go see the owner of your property in the orphanage."

Then, he hung up.

Anthony expected to see a man in his late sixties with a portly round shaped belly sitting behind the desk. He held his breath as he walked through the smelly corridors to get to the proprietor's office. He knocked.

"Come in," he entered. "How may I help you?"

Anthony paused, his face turning white and knuckles whitening as he grabbed the knob. "Is this some sort of a joke!? What's this?"

"If you think so, then, you're a bigger fool than I thought." A voice said from behind and he turned to see the man who had awarded him the contract on the property, Mr. Jude.

"What?"

"That's the owner of the Inzaghi empire, responsible for the financial support rendered to all of the grassroots construction companies, including mine." Anthony's knees buckled as he looked back at Vincenzo.

At once, he knelt to the ground attempting to kiss his shoes as he cried.

"Oh, please, master, forgive me! I am so stupid and selfish. I'll never do that again."

As he raised his head, snot and tears mixed together mapped his face. A smirk was planted on Vincenzo's face who derived joy from seeing his oppressor who was power drunk kiss his shoes.

"Well, one one condition."

"Anything! Anything!"

"Forget about the debt and the property and let the kids be."

"That's easy!" He yelled.

"Also, keep your mouth shut about any of this or I'll make sure I find your family and shut you up myself."

Anthony visibly quivered as he nodded in agreement.

*********

"CAMPING?!"

"Tone it down, man," one of Jason's friends groaned, slapping the guy who'd yelled on the back of the head.

The victim of the slap growled in annoyance, but he didn't retaliate, choosing to remain quiet.

"Who the heck does that man think we are? Teenagers?" Jason groaned, furiously typing on his phone. "We're in our final year of college, for crying out loud. Who the hell takes final year college students camping?"

"It could be entertaining," piped another member of the gang. "You never know how much fun one could have in the woods, right? Especially when it's dark and secluded and-"

"Pete, for once in your life, get your head out of the gutter," the guy that'd yelled at the beginning growled. "The expedition excuse isn't working, and I'd rather spend five days doing pedicures than staying in the woods for some boring activity."

Vincenzo listened quietly from his corner, inwardly agreeing with the guy.

When he'd heard the announcement from the school management, his initial reaction was confusion, then irritation, then acceptance.

Perhaps he might have once loved the idea of packing his things and sojourning into the great unknown, but things- and times- had changed.

He had changed.

He sighed and began to scribble a list of things he'd need for the trip, groaning and dropping his pen when he saw he was merely scribbling.

It was hard to continue to act like a normal college student with all the things he'd been through, and he'd merely managed to hold on to the last of his sanity for the sake of his final year.

He stared at the piece of paper. All he had to do was keep his head above water.

He could do that.

"Hey, baby."

And there went his resolve.

He raised his head and watched Lillian place a chaste kiss on Jason's lips before smirking at him (Vincenzo) and sitting on her man's lap. "I take it you all heard the announcement."

"Yup. Crazy stuff, right?" one of the gang commented.

"Yeah," she laughed. "Especially the fact that the lecturers came up with the idea. But I love the chance it gives me the chance to camp out with the love of my life."

Jason beamed when he heard that, and Vincenzo felt like a part of him was being wrenched out. "Of course, my love. That's the best thing for me too."

He'd have continued listening to their conversation despite the pain in his heart, but he was saved from the torture by a tap on his shoulder.

Looking up, he was surprised and a bit grateful to see Evelyn.

She smiled warmly at him, but he noticed her hesitancy.

"Hello. Is anything the matter?"

She blinked at him before replying. "Uh…well…I wondered if you had a partner for the trip. This is weird and all, even for me, but I really want you to be my partner."

He stared at her briefly before nodding. "That's fine. I thought I'd be alone anyways."

"Really?"

She beamed, and he was taken aback at how bright her smile was. "That's wonderful!"

"We're merely rooming," he shrugged. "It's really nothing."

She nodded, but the smile didn't leave her face. "Still, you accepted. I'm glad you did. Uh…would you be fine with us planning together later?"

"I doubt that's necessary," he said. "I just need essentials, and you can plan your stuff yourself."

Her smile dimmed a bit, but remained bright. "Alright then. Well, thank you. I'm really grateful. See you around."

He nodded and turned back to his paper as she walked away.

The day of the expedition came swiftly, and before he knew it, they were on their way to the site.

Luckily for him, he'd been spared of Lillian and Jason's seats in his field of vision throughout the ride, but he could still hear their laughter, so that didn't help much.

Evelyn sat beside him though, and for the first time, he was grateful that she was talking. It helped take his mind off the issues of his life.

As soon as they arrived and received the necessary instructions, he raced to his alloted space and began to set up before Evelyn even arrived.

She'd tried to make conversation with him, but he was tired, and although he tried to respond politely, he soon saw the disappointment on her face before she shut her mouth and focused on arranging her side of the tent.

She was very organized, he noted as he watched her set up from the corner of his eye. Every of her things had a label on it, and he stared at her as she marked the items she retrieved from her bag on a list.

"If you keep staring, I'd break out in a sweat," she said, turning to him with a small smile. "Your gaze is making me nervous."

He blinked, momentarily surprised that she'd caught him, then regained his senses. "I apologize; I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"It's fine," she said in an amused tone and continued her business.

After a while they were called out for lunch, where they were given further instructions on how the expedition was to go. They would begin the following day, and there were a lot of precautions to be adhered to.

He'd listened halfheartedly, because his eyes kept going over to where his ex and her husband sat.

One would think two months of jail time in her place was enough to cause him to completely hate Lillian, but in the first place, he'd gone to prison because he'd loved her.

It was extremely difficult to erase that love from his heart now, and as he watched Lillian giggle when Jason fed her, his chest squeezed, and he muttered curses. Her presence wasn't supposed to affect him that much.

"...Vincenzo?"

His eyes focused on Evelyn, who had a concerned look as she stared at him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," he replied in a heartbeat. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "You just looked…out of it, I guess. But if you say it's okay, it's okay. I recall I had a friend once, who'd been just like this. I'd tried to get the truth out of her but she'd…"

Oh dear, here they went again.

As they ate, he occasionally glanced back at Lillian and Jason's table until the occupants left, and only then was he able to concentrate on Evelyn's presence.

But he soon realized she was silent and watching him.

"What is it?"

She shrugged. "You're still interested in Lillian, I see."

He blushed in embarrassment. "That's not true."

She raised a brow. "It isn't? Because your eyes were trained on the back of her head for the entire time she was there after we sat."

"They were not," he immediately countered. "She was just in my field of vision."

The expression on her face showed that she didn't believe him.

He didn't believe himself, either, but he kept quiet, watching as she sobered.

"I heard you were in jail. I can't blame you for being this way. If I was the one, I most likely would have tortured her or something."

"I'd rather not," he replied dully, though he found himself considering it. But he forced himself to concentrate on his meal.

His phone made a beeping sound signifying an incoming message.

“Master, we could not get hold of the proof that William Johnson was behind the unfortunate accident, every evidence that could lead it to him has been completely erased”

Vincenzo sighed, realising loll father will be a tough nut to crack. But he is determined to give it his all to destroy his ill-built reputation.

But he has a current situation to deal with as Jason and his cohort have plan in place for him to make the camping experience bitter for Vincenzo who is equally ready to counter any attack on him. As he is no longer the poor Vincenzo they once trampled on, he is the heir to the most rich and powerful Inzaghi empire!