"So, where do you want to go?" Ilario asked once they were ensconced in the car.

Tanya was still in a little daze. She didn't want to but a small voice in her head was insisting that it was their second date. She tried telling herself that the club thing was pure work, but her stupid heart was daring her to hope.

Hope for what? He was an engaged man.

Then what is this? Why am I in a car with Ilario on a Friday evening?

"Rio." She started tentatively, her eyes locked on the road ahead. "What are we doing?"

"What do you mean?"

She suppressed a sigh of irritation. Why was he acting obtuse? But before she could say anything, he took a sharp turn from the signal.

Frowning, she asked, "Where are you taking us?"

"Since you looked lost when I asked you where you wanted to go, I am deciding for us."

That was mighty high handed for him and she didn't like it one bit.

"I... don't really appreciate..."

He cut in again, "Maybe a little more history lesson is in store." The traffic started becoming heavy as they progressed.

History lesson? Whatever did he mean?

But Tanya wasn't one of those girls who worried about everything. She had decided long ago that thinking was overrated. What will happen, will happen. Qué será, será, you know?

She wasn't going to sit in this divine car with a gorgeous Italian and worry about things which were inconsequential anyway. At the end of the day, Ilario De Russo was going to marry Apollonia Visconti and Tanya Singha was returning to India hopefully with a reasonably good experience. Meanwhile, what was the harm in enjoying an evening in Milan with a native?

She turned to him with a happy grin, "Where did you have in mind? I was thinking of visiting Navigli."

He looked sharply at her, then back at the road, murmuring, "Interesting!"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Incidentally, I too, was thinking of the same place."

Tanya didn't know if he was joking, "That is indeed interesting."

Ilario parked near Piaza del Rosario. They disembarked and he led them towards Navigli Grande. The weekend mood was infectious. As Tanya walked she observed the beautifully dressed people all around them, laughing and chatting. Everyone seemed cheerful, with not a care in the world. The street was lined with eateries, boutiques and art shops. It was a brilliant world, vibrant with its boho chic.

Ilario led her to a small, crowded pub. While Tanya stood outside on the pavement, he waded through the crowd and came back with two large drinks in both his hands. Gesturing to her, he led her through the bar and onto the other side where a door opened up to a sitting area.

As Tanya emerged onto the other side, she found herself on the bank of the Naviglio Grande, the famous canal, supposedly designed by Leonardo Di Vinci himself.

They found an unoccupied table seating only two and rested their drinks there.

"What is it?" She asked after taking a sip of the orangish liquid.

Ilario took a sip of his own before answering, "Negroni. It's been ages since I've had this. How's the taste?"

Tanya took another sip, "Bitter, but fruity."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, not bad."

"Hmm." He smiled, the smile reaching his usually serious eyes, "For all my troubles, I get only 'not bad'? I must be getting off my game."

Tanya responded by a shy smile. There it is, that incorrigible Italian flirtation. Seemed that her very stoic boss wasn't an exception to it either.

"It's called an aperitivo." He explained when a waiter placed a plate full of finger food. "It's usually drunk with some light munching, designed to stimulate one's appetite before the main meal."

"Hmm, I know." Tanya replied, tasting the crostini with ricotta. Since she has arrived in Milan, Tanya had found an appreciation for cheese. She never knew there could so any varieties of chesses and that she'd love them so much. "Matteo told me. In Goa, on our date."

Ilario looked away from her, towards the canal, "He did?"

"Yes." She continued eating, "It was his MO, I think. He played the part of sexy Italian to perfection. Along with the sophisticated swagger, he sprinkled in the abundance of gourmet food on the banks of Naviglio Grande."

"And yet, you didn't fall for him?" He asked casually, but Tanya was aware of some undercurrent in his tone that she couldn't name.

"I told you, no. I found him sleazy." When he looked at her fully, she faltered. So maybe the two brothers didn't get along, but that didn't mean Ilario would be comfortable listening to outsiders calling his younger brother sleazy.

"I mean, not sleazy per se. He is charming in his own way. Plus he is very handsome." Ilario raised his eyebrows, but she continued on, "But somehow I felt that he tried too hard."

Ilario didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the canal. It made her nervous, to be honest, so as per Tanya's norm, she babbled on, to fill the silence.

"But ultimately, I am sure Mateo is good person. He is your brother after all." She reddened once she realised what she said, then in another desperate attempt to normalise the situation, Tanya continued, "Well, it's a good thing you took me off the Wazisi Capital case. I mean, I understand your concern, Rio, but I don't think I have it in me to actually deceive someone. To pretend to like him when I don't. Oh, fu...".

Tanya slapped a hand on her mouth. There she was with her big mouth, landed right back where she started from. She was trying to convince Ilario that she didn't think his brother was unlikeable, but then she went and proved exactly the opposite.

But, her gaffe seemed to cause no harm because Ilario turned to her, eyes bright with amusement. "It seems I did make the right decision. You don't have the capability of pretending. And even if you did, your mouth would land you in hot soup."

Tanya was perplexed. Hot soup? What did that mean?

Then, comprehension dawned.

"Oh you mean, big soup?"

"Scusa?"

"You meant like 'land me in hot water' or 'land me in big soup', right?"

He waved an elegant hand in dismissal. "You get the meaning."

"Yeah, I did."

"What I am trying to say is that you aren't a very good actress."

"Yeah, you could say that." She mumbled.

"Also, judging by your reluctance, you aren't even interested in helping me, so let's forget about it, okay?"

Tanya tried another crostini. She should be feeling relieved, but somehow, inexplicably, she was feeling ashamed. Bad, as if she disappointed Ilario in some way.

Really, she gave herself a pep talk she had nothing to be ashamed of. Ilario should never have asked her to do something like that. Spy on his own sibling? Really, that was the limits. If anything, Ilario should be the one to feel ashamed.

But the feeling of disappointing Ilario lingered.

"I mean, I could still help you with the case. Make some discreet enquiries."

He lifted his eyebrows, which made her flush. She wasn't capable of being discreet. Tanya was a girl who marched in protests, hung out with activists, she was one of those people who spent sleepless nights writing slogans and then somehow made it to the examination hall the next day. No, Tanya was definitely not suited for the role of a spy.

"How was your afternoon?"

"I gave you the report." The mention of reports made her remember the events of earlier this evening, and she hastily changed the subject. "I learned something new. Alonzo was very helpful."

"What new did you learn?"

She launched in to explain everything that was new to her. The way Alonzo had questioned the shop manager, how to conduct an inventory inspection and so on. She also mentioned the hospitality, especially impressed by the way they were treated.

Ilario was patient as she prattled on, smiling encouragingly, asking her questions in return. There were a few she couldn't answer, which he answered.

"So, that is it? You didn't find any violation?"

"Um, not really." She said thoughtfully.

"Any new information that was not included in the original proposal?"

"To be honest, I didn't have a lot of time to go through the whole proposal, as it was sprung on me unexpectedly, as you know." She didn't lose the opportunity put in a little dig of her own. "So, no. No new information came my way."

"Hmm." He looked away again towards the canal.

"What now?" She asked, a little affronted. First, she was extensively trained to do one job, then the man asked her to do an altogether different job, and then he found fault with that when she was not fully prepared for it.

In Tanya's opinion, Ilario was acting like an ogre.

"It's just that, I had more expectations from you." He said after an while, as if almost to himself.

Tanya fumed silently. Her boss was impossible, wasn't he?

"Anyway." He uncoiled his lithe form to sit up straight. "Enough work talk. Tell me about you."

"Am I being interviewed again?" Tanya asked with a scrunch of her nose, annoyance marked clearly on her face.

His dimple flashed and for a moment she was mesmerised again. It wasn't fair, she thought, that all he had to do was smile for her resolve of treating this evening as just fun with a friend to waiver. She mentally chastised herself.

I need a boyfriend, that's all. It's been too long since I have dated!

With that pep talk, she asked Ilario what he wanted to know. He asked about her family, her college, what she liked to do. As she spoke, she started getting comfortable, feeling that the old camaraderie was back.

Emboldened by his easy grace and frequent smiles, she asked him about his family. She knew his father was the CEO and that Mateo was his younger brother, but nothing else.

"I had a normal enough childhood, nothing extraordinary. I was always groomed to be in banking business." He replied to her question.

"What about Mateo?"

"Well, Mateo was born several years after me. So, naturally, my parents doted on him. Not that I am saying that I was any less loved, but being a younger child definitely has its charms."

Tanya pondered about this. She was a younger sibling, and to be honest, she was pretty doted upon. In fact, she distinctly remembered receiving more gifts for birthday than her brother. But along with charms, being younger also came with its own challenges.

Now that she thought about, if she wasn't brought up like that, maybe she would have been more driven like her brother. Maybe she wouldn't have taken everything so casually in her life. Maybe she wouldn't have felt the need to leave her family and come halfway across the world just to prove herself when the same set of parents and brother who had lavished her with love, berated her.

She shook her head. What was the point of thinking along those lines? She was happy with her life now. Look at her... she was sitting in Naviglio Grande with the CEO of Orlanes Banking Services, swapping life stories, learning a valuable trade. Life was good.

Life was indeed good.

Tanya liked her work as well. And she had to admit to herself that she had deflated a little when Ilario remarked that he had expected more from her. She expected more from herself. She should excel in her field. Not just the way she had passed her exams, somehow, but by being diligent and being excellent.

After all, it felt great receiving compliments.

Especially when those came from Ilario De Russo.

Maybe that was what prompted her to interrupt Ilario to say, "I went back there. In that club."

He stared at her for a beat too long, "You did?"

"Yeah."

She saw the most unexpected expression flit across his features. Fascinated, she stared and stared and stared as he launched into an enraged tirade.

"Idiota! What the hell were you thinking? Going there alone? In that den of wolves? Are you crazy Tanya? Or are you just plain dumb? I knew you aren't really conscious, but to be stupid to this level is just.... Do you know what happens to unaccompanied girls there? Like a lamb to slaughter... just like a lamb... deficiente..."

He went on and went, explaining in clear detail what he thought of her actions, punctuated by what she was sure curse words in his native tongue. Tanya kept staring, half of the words weren't even registering in her brain because of the sight in front of her.

Ilario De Russo, the stoic, reserved CEO of one of the biggest banks in the country, whose feathers cannot be ruffled by anyone, at least she hadn't seen till date, was losing it!

He had actually lost his cool. All because of her!

It indeed was a sight to behold.

As she saw no sign of the rage abating, tentatively Tanya put her small palm on top of his which was balled into a fist on the table. The touch jolted him enough to falter. Ilario looked down, seemingly astonished to see her touching him. He gulped, then looked back at her, this time silent.

"Rio." She breathed. "I didn't go at night."

Incomprehension coloured his features, as if he was so lost in his own head that her words didn't register.

"You... you... cosa?"

She continued gently, slowly, enunciating every word, to calm him down, careful not to make him fly into another fit of rage.

She explained to him everything about that day. Including the lunch menu to Shalini getting yelled at. When she was finished, there wasn't a lot of interest on Ilario's face, instead that worry was back again.