Hazel woke up in the morning, her night still lingering in her mind. It had been exciting—she had dreamed about Enzo. In her dream, he had even kissed her. None of the dreams were bad; they were romantic.

She felt a mix of happiness and disappointment. She knew she would never meet him again. Clearly, she wasn't his type, and he wasn't hers. Of course, he was handsome, but Hazel wanted a serious relationship. Enzo seemed like the kind of guy who had a new girl every week. She knew her heart couldn't handle that.

"If I fall in love with Enzo, I'll be the biggest fool in the world," she told herself.

She got ready and headed to the shop. When she arrived, she felt a little nervous. Someone from the hotel had promised to return her wallet that morning, and she was anxiously waiting.

The sound of the doorbell made her heart leap, and she looked up hopefully, but it was only Benita.

"Good morning, girl," Benita said.
"Good morning," Hazel replied.
"How was yesterday?" Benita asked.
"Yesterday was crazy," Hazel said, smiling faintly. Benita gave her a polite smile but didn't seem interested in why the day had been crazy.

"I'll head to the storeroom. I need to finish the work I missed yesterday," Benita said before quickly disappearing into the back.

Hazel felt a little upset that Benita didn't seem interested in hearing her story. The truth was, Benita wasn't the type to share personal things, gossip, or even engage in casual chatter. When Clara wasn't around, Benita often acted like she was the manager of the shop, even though Clara had never assigned her such authority.

Benita already had a handsome, wealthy boyfriend and seemed proud of it. She was set to get married next year, and sometimes, she acted as though she was about to become royalty. Despite this, Hazel couldn't say Benita was annoying.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang again. When Hazel looked up, she was stunned by what she saw. It was Enzo. He had come back to the shop, looking fresh and smelling amazing.

Hazel felt her heart pounding, as if it wanted to leap out of her chest and run straight to him.
Calm down, you stupid heart, she thought, trying her best not to look overly excited.

Today, Enzo was wearing a dark blue casual shirt that suited him perfectly. Hazel's eyes drifted to the open buttons, catching a glimpse of his chest. When she looked back up, she noticed a faint smirk playing on Enzo's lips, as if he had caught her staring.

Her cheeks flushed, but she couldn't make eye contact with him—he was wearing aviator sunglasses with a gold-colored thin frame and dark brown lenses. They matched his look perfectly.

Leaning casually on the counter, Enzo said, "Hello, Miss. I'm from the Crown Monarch Hotel. I brought your wallet."

After Hazel had left the hotel last night, Enzo noticed a wallet lying on the grass. He assumed it might have fallen from her bag, so he picked it up and checked inside to confirm—it was hers.

He kept it with him and stayed in the area, drinking alone. A short while later, a hotel employee came by, searching for something. The man approached Enzo and asked if he had seen a wallet nearby. Enzo nodded and explained that it belonged to the girl who had come to meet him earlier.

From their conversation, Enzo learned that Hazel had called the hotel to report her missing wallet. Curious, he went to the front desk to ask for more details. After a brief discussion, he suggested that the staff inform Hazel they would return the wallet in the morning.

With this plan smoothly in place, Enzo ensured he would have a reason to see Hazel again.

Enzo held up the wallet to Hazel. As she reached out to grab it, he playfully snatched it back with a flirty smile.

"Well, I came all the way here to return this little wallet. Aren't you kind enough to give me a tip, Miss?" Enzo asked, his tone teasing.

"A tip? How much of a tip?" Hazel asked, surprised.

"Oh, I don't want money. A little kiss on the lips would do—like yesterday," Enzo said in a low, sexy tone, sending a shiver through her body like a bolt of lightning.

"Well, umm..." Hazel stammered, trying to find the right words, but before she could, Enzo suddenly placed his hands on the counter, lifted himself up, and sat down on it. Leaning toward her, he closed the distance and kissed her.

Hazel's eyes fluttered shut as she surrendered to the moment, feeling every second of his kiss.

"That's a good tip," Enzo said, breaking the kiss with a confident grin. He hopped back onto the floor, leaving Hazel staring at him, her expression a mixture of shock and excitement.

"Here's your wallet," Enzo said, handing it to her. The gesture snapped Hazel back to her senses.

"Oh... umm, thanks!" she replied, still a bit dazed. A small smile lingered on her lips, though she tried her best to hide it by looking down shyly.

"If anything's missing from your wallet, let me know," Enzo said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "...Maybe give me your number, so when I call, you can tell me if something's missing."

Hazel opened her wallet and started checking its contents to make sure nothing was gone. But before she could go any further, Enzo placed his hand gently over hers, stopping her.

"Just give me your number," he said smoothly.

Hazel hesitated for a split second, her mind racing. A small voice inside her screamed don't do it, but before she knew it, she was reciting her number.

"Okay then, bye!" Enzo said with a confident grin before turning and walking out the door.

Even after he left, Hazel found herself staring at the door, her thoughts swirling. A dreamy smile spread across her face.

"Hazel, what are you looking at?"

She gasped at Benita's voice, startled. Realizing she had been lost in her thoughts, she quickly composed herself, her cheeks flushing pink.

—------

Enzo got into his car and shut the door.

"You met her again?" Manuel asked, his sharp green eyes watching Enzo through the rearview mirror.

"I was just returning her wallet," Enzo replied, deliberately avoiding Manuel's gaze.

"How generous of you, boss," Manuel said with a hint of sarcasm. Then his tone grew firm. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Anything stupid? Like what, Papa?" Enzo shot back, his voice laced with annoyance as he met Manuel's reflection in the mirror.

"Like falling in love," Manuel said, his voice heavy with caution. He hated to say it, knowing it might hurt Enzo, but he felt he had to.

"I'm not in love, Papa," Enzo replied, his eyes drifting away from the mirror.

Manuel kept his gaze on Enzo for a few seconds, searching for any hint of truth in his words. Then, with a resigned sigh, he started the car.

"Okay then," he said simply, though he didn't believe a word of it.