Chapter 169: How to distract me
Layla stepped out of the car, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she took in the lush greenery surrounding her. The rolling hills of Umbria stretched out in the distance. In front of her stood an ancient stone house.
"So, you’ve finally made it!" A deep voice rang out, drawing their attention. At the top of the stone steps stood a man with a warm smile, arms crossed casually as he leaned against the doorway. He walked to them after a moment.
"Demitri," Lucius greeted, striding forward with purpose. The two men exchanged a firm handshake before pulling each other into a brief, brotherly hug.
Lucius turned to Layla, who had been watching the exchange with curious eyes. "This is my wife, Layla Rosenzweig De Salvo," he said, his voice filled with quiet pride. "Layla, meet Demitri Velkazh."
Demitri stepped forward, extending his hand with a smile. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Layla. I’ve heard a lot about you."
Layla shook his hand, her grip firm yet warm. "The pleasure’s mine, Demitri. So, you’re one of Lucius’s friends?" Her brow furrowed slightly, curiosity sparking in her eyes.
"Not just a friend," Demitri replied with a playful smirk. "We were high school classmates. Best friends, in fact."
Layla’s eyes widened in surprise. "High school friends? Really?" She turned to Lucius, raising an eyebrow. "You never told me you had close friends from school."
Lucius, who was busy juggling her purse, hat, and their duffle bag, gave her a small, knowing smile. He was already anticipating the questions that would come later about why he had omitted this detail. He simply shrugged, his expression saying, We’ll talk about it later.