Chapter 39 He Can Be A Perfect Model

Antonio didn't continue the discussion; he was engrossed in watching Dante and Matteo compete. I breathed a sigh of relief, picked up an apple, and took another bite. Dante, as the older brother and also Antonio's bodyguard, held the advantage in both age and experience over Matteo. Mature, composed, and shrewd, Dante was clearly superior, though Matteo, despite his prowess, was still just a snack-loving 17-year-old.

Antonio grabbed my hand and bit into my apple. I was puzzled. "There are more apples," I thought. "Why bite mine?" Antonio ate gracefully, chewing slowly and swallowing before speaking. "Your apple looks very sweet," he remarked. Although he said that, weren't all these apples bought by Dante from the same supermarket?

Perhaps my confusion was too apparent. Antonio's expression darkened instantly. "Are you disgusted by me?" he questioned. Sensing danger, I quickly adjusted my expression and bit into the apple, its sweet juice bursting in my mouth. "The apple is very sweet," I said. "Your bodyguard is impressive, good with a frisbee, and picks sweet apples too."

Antonio's mood seemed to darken a bit more at my words, and he snorted coldly as he walked towards the frisbee area. What was he going to do? As if answering my silent question, Antonio picked up a frisbee as soon as he entered the area and threw it with the posture and force he had taught me. He didn't even need to aim; the frisbee flew straight into the metal frame.

My gaze was fixed on him, unable to look away. From his firm, handsome face to his sexy Adam's apple, and the muscles bulging under his shirt, every inch of him shone under the sunlight, his hair gleaming as if coated in gold. I took out my camera and found the perfect angle to capture him.

Antonio was surely favored by God, blessed with so much beauty. By the time I realized what I had done, I had already captured his dashing figure in my camera. This was a mistake! I screamed internally. I shouldn't have kept images of Antonio. He would never allow me to keep these pictures, much less use them in a contest.

As a member of the mafia, having his pictures in an ordinary person's camera only spelled endless trouble for me. My first instinct was to delete the photos and pretend it never happened. However, when I opened my camera to check the photos, I hesitated. Antonio looked too good on camera, his candid shots adding a lively charm that no amount of editing could match. Not my best work, but definitely the ones I least wanted to delete.

"You've taken some nice shots," Antonio said, appearing silently beside me. Did he move without making a sound? Was that a mafia skill? Startled, I nearly hid my camera. "I'm sorry, I'll delete them right now!"

"Why delete them?" Antonio asked, taking the camera from me and scrolling through the photos. After reviewing his own, he continued scrolling through photos of me with friends, school assignments, random encounters with cats and dogs, bustling cityscapes, and rundown buildings at dusk. He found no photos of Nico. I had deleted them long ago, along with anything else related to Nico after our breakup, determined not to let him bother me again.

I could feel Antonio's mood improving as he tossed the camera back to me. "I'll allow you to keep my photos," he conceded.

"Boss..." This was clearly an imprudent decision. I saw Dante's hesitation, but he didn't object further under Antonio's firm stance. But I wanted to object. Although I was reluctant to delete such good shots, keeping photos of Antonio was like harboring a ticking time bomb in my camera.

"Do you want to delete it?" Antonio's senses were sharp. I dared not show any hesitation and quickly shook my head. "No!"

"Good. I'll check periodically," he said, patting my shoulder.

Matteo looked puzzled. "Why do you look happy one moment and sad the next? Are you happy or not?"

I didn't really know myself. "Just assume I'm happy," I shrugged it off, but Matteo wasn't pleased and accused me of dismissing him. I took a photo of him with my camera, "You guessed right," and he stormed off.

With my camera in hand, I began to explore the surroundings, taking more daring steps further away. I heard Dante instruct Matteo, "Follow Miss Corsetti." I paid it no mind and discovered a lake lined with various aquatic plants near the shore. Though I recognized few species, their beauty was not diminished.

However, I soon regretted my exploration as I approached the lake without my shoes, which Antonio hadn't returned. The soil near the water was moist and soft. Stepping closer, my foot sank into the muddy ground. It was an unpleasant experience. Hastily, I pulled my foot out and stepped back, my white dress now stained with mud.

Looking disheveled was inevitable, as Matteo's laughter rang out loudly. Annoyed, I snapped at him, "Your laughter is loud, Matteo. And please, don't block my light with your shadow."

I knew Matteo was doing it on purpose; he was still upset. "Go get my shoes," I commanded, wiping my feet with the tissues from my jacket before climbing onto a rock by the lake to wash the mud from my dress. Matteo haughtily huffed, sounding still angry, but obediently turned to fetch my shoes. He really was just a kid, showing his pique in such a childish way.

I couldn't help but smile broadly, taking several photos of Matteo's sulking figure before turning back to my landscape shots. Viewing the world through a viewfinder might narrow my perspective, but it helped me focus more on the beauty in front of me.

I saw the dazzling sun slowly setting towards the direction of the lake. In a couple of hours, I would be able to capture the beautiful sunset here.