A Statement

"Sorry for bothering you."

Victor glanced at Enzo when the man spoke when they were talking alone. Enzo immediately went to Victor's house when the doctor explained Mia's condition to the man. Enzo was only able to freeze when his eyes focused on staring at the bandages that wrapped Mia's hands and feet when he found Mia, who was fast asleep in her new room.

Enzo did not know who to show his frustration about Mia's condition to. Every time the man came to visit Mia, Enzo would be silent and regretful. The man could only clench his fists tightly before he left Mia's room to calm his emotions.

Enzo knew he couldn't blame Victor for the wounds that Mia was suffering from. He knew Victor still couldn't be with Mia every second because the man had his own business. On the contrary, Enzo realized that he was making things difficult for Victor after he saw how messed up his house was.

He knew that Victor had tried to take care of Mia as best he could. So now he apologized, in a small voice that Enzo never uttered except to his parents.

The voice showed that Enzo was sorry, and he no longer considered Victor an outsider who happened to be involved in his current problems.

"This happened because of my negligence too. Mia's symptoms should have gotten worse because Mia kept forcing herself not to consume that thing again for a long time. These phases are the most important. I won't let Mia get out of control again in the future."

Enzo took a deep breath when the man heard Victor's humble words towards his apology. From what Enzo knew so far, Victor was rumored to be an untouchable man who saw everything from the side of profit or loss. Victor also didn't like someone entering his personal space. Some said it was because Victor was too weak to defend his position, while others said it was because Victor was too big-headed. The man was so withdrawn and rarely took the initiative to talk to other people, and rarely attended any events because of his antisocial nature.

However, the facts Enzo found were far different from the descriptions people had said. Victor, who was present in front of him, always looked at his cousin with a worried face. Victor not only let Mia stay in his house but also allowed Enzo and some of his subordinates to visit Mia whenever they wanted. From his observation of Victor so far, Victor was also not a man who could not start a conversation because the man could be comfortable chatting casually with him or Mia every day. Enzo even occasionally found that Victor could also crack jokes, something that was very incompatible with his face, which mostly looked flat and looked like he was not interested in anything.

Although he was jealous that Mia was more attached to Victor now, it was undeniable that Enzo also felt relieved to have left Mia in the right hands. Honestly, even though bringing Mia home in her current situation could put her in greater danger, the man would prefer to bring her home if Victor acted like the rumors had said about him. Even until death, Enzo would never let Mia get close to a man who only saw Mia like they saw an object. But seeing that now there was someone who could love Mia as much as he loved her, Enzo had nothing to say anymore.

But speaking of relationships...

"Victor, do you like Mia?"

Victor's pupils immediately narrowed when he heard Enzo's sudden question. The man was silent for a long time as if trying to find the right answer to the question.

Like? Initially, Victor interested in Mia because she reminded him of his lover. The interest continued to grow after Victor began to realize that Mia's voice could calm him down, talking to Mia could make him smile, and seeing Mia suffer unconsciously made his chest feel so tight. Victor felt like he wanted to know everything about Mia's life. Her past, her life, what the girl liked, and what the girl didn't like, Victor wanted to know everything from now on.

That curiosity again began to change into another feeling since Mia started living with him. Victor no longer wanted to be considered just a fan and savior by the girl. Victor wanted to know more, even more than Enzo, who had been taking care of Mia.

Can such feelings be called love? Even Victor himself didn't know the exact answer.

"What are you thinking? Why don't you answer my question right away? My question shouldn't be a question that makes you have to think hard, right?"

Victor's thoughts were interrupted when Enzo's voice criticized him. The man in front of him had furrowed brows, apparently not liking Victor for not answering him.

"I don't know."

In the end, Victor preferred to sort out his feelings first before he was sure about his feelings for Mia. Victor loved the girl. He didn't want to hurt Mia by making a careless statement just because Enzo asked him.

"Huh? You don't know?"

But unlike Victor, who thought too much, Enzo's voice unconsciously rose as he stared at Victor with a look of disbelief because Victor didn't say the answer he had been expecting. At first, Enzo thought Victor did all this because they both loved each other. But Victor's unclear answer made his anger rise again. There was not a single person in this world who could doubt their feelings for his sweet cousin, Mia.

"I... don't know. I want to protect her. I don't want her to be tortured anymore. I just want her to be happy and pampered. But I don't know if this feeling can be called love or not. I don't want to hurt her by giving an answer that I didn't think through carefully. Give me a little more time until I can solidify my feelings for Mia."

Enzo could no longer be angry when Victor revealed his reasons. Coming here many times made Enzo sometimes have long conversations with Leon, Victor's right-hand man who lived under the same roof as his cousin and Victor. Once, Enzo treated the man to a drink when he was in a bad mood, and Enzo accidentally found out a fact that he had never known from Victor.

While he was drunk, Leon was confused about many things. About the death of Victor's former lover, how the man lived after that, and why Victor was initially interested in Mia. Initially, Enzo was angry with Victor after he heard the real reason Victor approached Mia. But in the middle, he realized that Enzo also approached Mia only because he was curious about the cousin he had never met before.

It doesn't matter what their first reason was for wanting to approach Mia. What he wanted to know most was how Victor looked at Mia in the present. Being here for a long time finally made Enzo realize why Mia always wanted to meet Victor to the point of daring to oppose him at that time.

"You should decide your feelings before Mia is completely healed, Victor. If you still don't have a definite answer after Mia is healed, I will take Mia away from you so that she doesn't have to keep waiting for you. I swear I will make Mia forget you so that she no longer remembers that the first man she liked could never return her feelings."

"Take her away? What do you mean-"

"Ah, I'll check on Mia again."

Not letting Victor finish his sentence, Enzo immediately stood up to go to the room where Mia had been resting. He left Victor, muttering softly to repeat the sentence that Enzo said.

"He... will take Mia away if I don't confirm my feelings..." Victor muttered seriously.