Milo didn’t know where they were going or what the event was. All he knew was that he was there to help Salvatore identify anyone who might die. He also didn’t know what that information was for.

Besides, he tried not to make eye contact with Nero, if the man was actually there.

When they arrived at a hotel in the city center, the lobby was already filling up with people.

Milo was getting nervous. But Salvatore touched his arm before they went inside.

"Don’t worry. Just stay still. Nobody will pay attention as long as you don’t do anything stupid," said Salvatore, noticing Milo’s nervousness.

Milo nodded. "I’ll just watch from a distance."

Salvatore nodded, since he’d given Milo a gun, the young man wasn’t allowed to enter the room. Milo would simply act like the guards waiting outside.

Milo saw many men in dark sunglasses who looked stiff. He didn’t understand why all the bodyguards had such rigid expressions. Would he end up like that too someday?

He also noticed some of Salvatore’s guards getting out of the car. He hadn’t known they were coming too. They immediately spread out as soon as Salvatore stepped forward.

Milo was still nervous. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. But Salvatore had said he just needed to observe his surroundings. It shouldn’t be a problem.

Milo walked beside Salvatore along with Roderick. He stared toward the hotel lobby, which looked intimidating to him.

He didn’t want to overreact, but he rarely left the house and entered a grand place like this in regular clothes, and even carried a gun.

Anyway, he was nervous. Very nervous.

He was surprised to see three people he knew were also there.

Alben!

He was waiting near the entrance with his jacket unbuttoned and already looked bored.

Then Felix stood a few feet away from him, hands in his pockets, looking at Milo with a sour expression.

Joe was further back, near the wall, talking to someone seriously.

Alben spotted Milo the moment they came through the door.

He crossed toward them with a wide smile and reached out toward Milo’s shoulder. "Hey, sweetie! You’re coming too?"

He leaned in to give a quick kiss.

But Milo stepped back immediately. "Please don’t, sir."

Alben stopped, then smirked. "Why? I’m not doing anything. Come on, just sit next to me. I’ll behave."

Milo moved sideways and positioned himself directly behind Salvatore.

Alben laughed dryly, not believing it. "Milo! You’re breaking my heart!"

He still tried to reach for Milo’s arm. But Milo moved further away, trying to disappear behind Salvatore.

Salvatore looked at Alben. "Tsk! Stop teasing him, you bastard!"

Alben laughed, genuinely delighted. "Oh, come on! I didn’t do anything!"

"I know exactly what you’re doing."

"I just want him to sit with me. Is that a crime?"

"With you, yes."

Alben laughed again and let it go, turning back toward the room with his hands raised in mock surrender. "Come on!"

Felix had watched the entire exchange from where he was standing. He looked at Milo, then at the way Milo had positioned himself, then at Salvatore. His jaw tightened slightly.

"Why did you bring him here?" Felix said. Not exactly a question. "What is he going to do here? He’s not even fit to be a statue."

Salvatore turned to look at Felix. His voice was calm and even. "Watch what you say to people."

Felix held his gaze for a second, then turned away. Then he simply walked beside Salvatore.

Joe hadn’t moved from his spot near the wall; he was still talking. He glanced at Milo once, briefly, then looked back at the man in front of him.

Salvatore touched Milo’s arm lightly. "Come."

They went inside.

Milo looked at the many artworks along the way. He read the banner. It seemed to be an art gallery auction.

The auction was held on the fourth floor. The atmosphere was calm and quiet. People spoke in hushed tones. Milo looked at the statues as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.

He noticed the carpets were thick and the lighting was dim. He saw many women in black uniforms pushing carts.

Milo stayed half a step behind Salvatore as they moved through the room. A man guided them with a confident gesture, as if he knew Salvatore and his men.

"You’re so early today, Mr. Portello. We have new items you’ll like," the man said.

Salvatore smiled. "You know, it doesn’t matter if I like it. I just need to pay for it."

The man chuckled softly.

Milo felt so small. He’d been in places like this before, as Nero’s plaything, and the memory of that was unpleasant and hard to shake off.

He tried to focus. He just needed to function.

He kept his shoulders straight and his face neutral, watching the room the way Salvatore had told him to, without making it obvious that he was watching.

Salvatore stopped him just before the security guard let him inside. "Wait here. When we’re on break, tell me if you see anything interesting."

Milo began scanning the people inside the room. As far as he could tell, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then he looked at Salvatore and nodded. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Salvatore called over a guard and said to Milo, "Stay here with him."

Milo nodded.

Salvatore patted Milo’s trousers to check that the gun was still there.

Milo stood there, looking at the guards scattered around him. There were a lot of guards. Who were the people inside? They all seemed like important figures.

Milo noticed they were well-dressed. Most of them were older men with calm demeanors. He was sure they were all very wealthy. Their wives or companions stood close by and spoke in low voices.

There were younger men entering the room as well. But Milo looked at them nervously. Many of them could be Nero’s friends.

On the surface, it looked like a private art event. Staff carried glasses of wine on trays. Paintings hung on temporary walls with small lights above them.

Milo didn’t understand why people paid so much money for a painting. The door opened slightly, and he could hear numbers being called out, figures that were unbelievable to him.

Nobody was looking at the art. They were looking at each other, tracking who bid on what, calculating something Milo didn’t understand.

During the auction, people kept arriving. Milo just watched them all. He felt relieved to see they looked so cheerful. And they weren’t Nero.

Then his eyes widened as he saw two men walking together. The guide led them in with the same smile.

They were Nero’s friends. His body trembling, he tried to look away. He noticed they paused for a moment.

Milo felt his heart pounding hard. Then he watched them walk into the room.

He exhaled roughly. Damn, why were they here?

He hadn’t seen Nero yet.

Milo didn’t know the guards were getting food and drinks as well. The guard standing with him didn’t say anything. He tried to mimic him and his gestures.

For the next few hours, he just ate and drank. He didn’t care that the guards there were watching him. But many of them took food and drinks as well afterward.

He didn’t see Salvatore come out to check on him. That man just smiled when he saw Milo focused on his coffee and went back inside.

Salvatore was certain that if Milo became a guard, it wouldn’t be Milo who should worry about him, but him.

Minutes later, Milo was biting into his biscuit when he saw him.

Nero!