Chapter 67: As Planned

Third POV

Marco’s hand paused, and a long sigh escaped him, then pulled away from Fabio.

"And you’re still going to stop me from ending that nuisance?" Fabio finally spoke up as he began buttoning his shirt. The way his brows furrowed together was enough to show his displeasure, even without him saying anything more.

Marco chuckled quietly as he stepped away and walked towards the desk. He took a seat, watching Fabio finish buttoning his shirt before the latter approached and stood in front of him, his hands clasped together in front of his body.

Marco leaned back in his chair, studying Fabio’s expression. Then, with a knowing smirk, he asked, "If you admit you’re jealous, I’ll promise to let you kill him."

Fabio rolled his eyes and let out a deep chuckle. "Jealous? Of that thing? Why would I be?"

That nearly sent Marco into loud laughter, but he quickly muffled the sound, refusing to let himself laugh openly at Fabio’s response. The more seriously Fabio denied it, the more amusing Marco found the entire situation.

"What’s funny?" Fabio asked, the lines on his forehead deepening with irritation as he watched Marco struggle to contain himself.

Marco managed to calm down, but before he could reply, the office door swung open, and Luca barged in, breathing heavily as though he had run all the way there.

"Babe!" he called, seemingly on the verge of bursting into tears.

Luca hurried to Marco’s side and attempted to hold his arm. Fortunately for Marco, he shifted away just in time, casting a warning glance at the younger man before he could make contact. Luca pressed his lips together, looking as though he had been wronged by the simple act of being denied a touch.

"Can’t you see I’m busy?" Marco asked, trying his best not to sound too "mean", as Luca had complained about before. He still needed Luca’s connections if he wanted to secure a definite victory in the upcoming war, and he could not afford to ruin that relationship over something so trivial.

Luca pouted and lowered his head before speaking in an overly sweet, apologetic tone. "I’m sorry for barging in like that."

He then looked up at Marco, his expression quickly changing into a smile. "But I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?" Marco asked, his attention finally shifting to the reason behind Luca’s sudden appearance.

Luca went ahead and sat on the desk, seemingly comfortable enough to disregard the fact that he had interrupted a private conversation. Then he announced, "I spoke to my dad, and he agreed to a meeting with you."

That immediately caught Marco’s attention. He looked up at Luca, his expression changing for the briefest moment before he managed to compose himself again.

Seeing his reaction, Luca’s eyes widened with excitement. He quickly continued, "Not just that. I briefly told him what you’re after, and he doesn’t seem too much against it. I think..."

Luca paused and glanced towards the unfamiliar man standing in front of the desk. His eyes travelled over Fabio, examining him from head to toe, before he leaned closer to Marco and lowered his voice to whisper the rest.

"I think he also wants Uncle Edoardo out of power."

Marco’s eyes lit up with satisfaction, though the reaction disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. A slight smirk settled on his lips as he considered what this information could mean for his plans. If the Prime Minister was willing to cooperate, then it was a sure win for him.

"When shall I meet him?" Marco asked, keeping his voice calm despite the good news.

Luca clapped his hands together before answering, clearly pleased with himself. "As soon as he returns from France. In a week."

Marco’s calculating smirk widened slightly. "Good. Thank you, Luca."

Luca pressed his lips together, attempting to suppress his smile, but his excitement was too obvious to hide. He had clearly been waiting for Marco to acknowledge his efforts, and now that he had received the thanks he wanted, he seemed even more pleased with himself.

"It’s nothing. I promised to help you. But..." Luca brought his index fingers together, tapping them against each other repeatedly as he gathered the courage to make his next request. "If you really want to thank me, can you have dinner with me tonight? Like... a date?"

Marco did not give the request much thought. He simply nodded, then glanced at the watch on his wrist before answering, "Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs in thirty minutes."

Luca giggled to himself, unable to contain his happiness any longer. He quickly stood up from the desk, already looking forward to the evening.

"I’ll go get ready," he announced before dashing out of the office.

As soon as Luca disappeared, Marco released a short, satisfied sigh. Everything was going according to plan, and there was plenty to be pleased about. The meeting with Luca’s father could prove useful in securing the support he needed for the approaching war, especially if the man genuinely wanted Edoardo removed from power.

However, there was one problem, and that problem was standing right in front of him.

Fabio.

Fabio’s expression was devoid of emotion as he watched Marco, carefully observing every small change in his expression since Luca had arrived. From the way Marco had avoided Luca’s touch, which had almost made Fabio want to shout," Yeah, boy. That’s my man. Only I get to touch him," to the way Marco’s face had shifted into a smile upon hearing the news, Fabio had noticed everything.

Yet what irked him the most was the way Luca kept looking at Marco without turning his eyes away for even a second. The younger man seemed perfectly comfortable making his interest obvious, and that alone was enough to test Fabio’s patience.

"Hey."

Marco’s voice finally snapped Fabio out of his thoughts.

"Want to come along?" Marco added, looking at him expectantly.

A deep gulp travelled down Fabio’s throat. From the look in his eyes, he seemed to be on the verge of doing something regrettable to many but not himself.

"No," Fabio answered without hesitation, turning around as though he intended to leave immediately.

However, he stopped halfway and glanced back at Marco. His expression remained unchanged as he added, "Thinking of it, I’m your bodyguard now. So I’ll be forced to go... though I don’t want to. Really."

With that, Fabio left the office, leaving Marco watching his disappearing figure.

Marco’s lips curved into a faint smile, but the expression carried more than simple amusement. Doubt, confusion, and a hint of worry crept into his thoughts as he leaned back in his chair, wondering where exactly all these would end.