Chapter 454
An hour later, Lorenzo walked out of the operating room, his expression as calm as ever. Ella had been waiting nervously by the door the entire time. When Lorenzo saw her, his eyes widened slightly. “You’ve been here the whole time?” His tone was unreadable. Ella nodded, tense, her gaze drifting to his shoulder, where a pressure bandage had been applied. “They got the bullet out? Does it hurt?” she asked cautiously.
Ella had never imagined that someone she knew might one day get shot. Yet here she was, living through it. She had even experienced her own brush with death not long ago. In her mind, anyone who got shot should at least be unconscious for three days, then bedridden for a month. But Lorenzo just walked out like it was nothing, alive and kicking. She couldn’t help but wonder if gangsters were born with underdeveloped pain receptors.
Lorenzo raised a brow at her. “You’re worried it hurts?” he asked, staring directly at her. Ella froze for a moment before shaking her head firmly. “No. I was just making conversation.” Without warning, Lorenzo grabbed her delicate chin between his fingers. “If you’re not worried,” he said, his voice low, “then why are you still waiting out here?” Ella flushed, suddenly at a loss for words. He had a point.
Just then, Cecil and Bernard followed Lorenzo out of the operating room. Both men were still wearing dark green surgical scrubs. Seeing Lorenzo holding Ella’s chin like that, Bernard instinctively spoke up. “Mr. Moretti, girls like gentlemen like Mr. Giovanni. Even if you’re ruthless, you should at least be gentle with girls.” Bernard had seen firsthand just how gentle Sebastian could be with Stephanie. So, of course, Sebastian became his go-to example.
As soon as he finished speaking, both Lorenzo and Cecil fell completely silent. Cecil was stunned. Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head toward Bernard, looking at him like he’d lost his mind. Not only had Bernard dared to say something like that to Lorenzo, he had the audacity to compare him to Sebastian. But Bernard, oblivious to the heavy silence thickening the air, added casually, “If you scare Mrs. Moretti off, you might lose her.”
Hearing this, Cecil, without missing a beat, made a run for it. “Mr. Moretti,” he said quickly, “I just remembered I have something urgent to take care of. I’ll be going.” On a normal day, Cecil would’ve dragged Bernard out of the line of fire with him. But today, Bernard was on his own. Staying even one second longer felt like playing with death. Cecil decided his life was more important. As for Bernard, he could only wish him luck. And without waiting for Lorenzo to reply, he turned and left without another word.
Lorenzo’s cold gaze settled on Bernard. “Go on,” he said icily. He practically forced those two words out through his teeth. Bernard shuddered at his tone. Only then did he notice Lorenzo’s grim expression. “Mr. Moretti—”
Bernard was puzzled about what he’d said wrong and why Cecil was in such a hurry to leave. They hadn’t even gone over the wound care instructions with Lorenzo. “Well, I have things to do too. I’ll text you the wound care instructions.” Bernard, suddenly realizing he’d blundered, couldn’t worry about it now. He bolted after Cecil, leaving the sentence hanging. He inwardly griped that Cecil had left him in the lurch.