Carmen
I heard the door before I saw him.
"I figured you would give up after five minutes," Nico said from right behind me. "I was surprised when I called and you didn't answer."
I turned sharply.
He stood there in a black suit that fit him like it had been stitched onto his body. The fabric hugged every line of muscle, and his dark hair was brushed forward, carefully hiding the scar on his forehead. He smelled annoyingly good too.
Which only made me frown.
Why would he come all the way to the storage room himself when he could have sent someone.
"You came to get the red file yourself?" I asked.
The small room suddenly felt even smaller. I resisted the urge to step back, painfully aware that we were alone—and that he was standing much closer than necessary.
"Then I'll leave," I said quickly, moving toward the door, only for Nico to step directly into my path.
He looked down at me, his gaze calm but intense.
"You've been avoiding me," he said. There was mild displeasure in his tone. "Even after I gave you a job."
I didn't bother hiding my irritation.
"This… is a company," I reminded him, hoping he understood that whatever game he liked to play wouldn't work here.
"My company," he corrected instantly.
His smile widened with obvious amusement as he stepped closer again. I glared at him, preparing to step back—
"Let's have dinner," he said. The words caught me off guard.
"We can talk. And if it goes well…" his smile turned almost playful, "I might even listen to one of your requests,"
For a split second, panic flashed through me. Then I realized what he had actually asked.
Dinner.
Just dinner?
Not another ridiculous offer involving obscene amounts of money.
"Just eating?" I asked skeptically, trying and failing to hide the suspicion in my voice.
Nico smiled and nodded slowly.
"Yes. We'll go right after working hours."
I hesitated… then nodded.
Was I curious about why he suddenly wanted dinner with me? Of course.
But asking him directly would be pointless. Nico never answered questions he didn't want to answer. And besides… there were things I needed from him too.
I watched him turn and walk out. The door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing through the quiet storage room.
Father's will wouldn't be ready for a few more days, and that worried me. If fate decided to play a cruel joke and Father chose someone else as his heir, then I'd have to find another way to repay the money I owed.
As long as I stayed in that house, no one would take me seriously—not when it came to what I really wanted.
Finding out who killed Father and who kidnapped me from
My own room and tried to kill me.
If I couldn't uncover the truth myself…Then I might have to ask Nico for help.
Especially since I was fairly certain of one thing. He wasn't the one who killed him. He had no reason to.
I left the storage room and headed straight to the bathroom. The mirror confirmed what I already suspected—I looked terrible.
Dust clung to my clothes, and my hair had half-fallen out of the ponytail I'd tied earlier. I sighed and turned on the tap.
Cold water splashed across my face as I washed away the dirt. After a moment, I looked up again. This time, the reflection staring back at me looked… better. Healthier. Alive.
My skin had color. My cheeks weren't hollow, and I knew the truth. Without Nico, my life would have been far worse than it already was. Staring at my reflection, I allowed myself one small admission.
I was glad that Nico was the one who bought me.
Determined, I headed back to work and to the small cubicle I'd been given. The tasks allocated to me as his assistant were minimal, especially since there were others there to handle most of them.
My real priority was the folders detailing his more illegal businesses and the flow of income. One of the folders handed to me contained transactions I was supposed to check to ensure no one had been stealing money from him.
God help whosoever Nico caught doing that.
Still, time passed faster than I expected, and evening arrived before I realized it. Along with it came a small flicker of fear.
Especially when Nico stepped out of his office and signaled for me to follow him with a simple motion of his hand.
At work he was the boss, and I simply obeyed, packing up the folders and following behind him as we headed down the elevator and toward the underground parking lot.
"Your guards?" I whispered the moment we got there, walking through rows of cars that most definitely belonged to him. Beside us was only one guard when there should have been more.
"More are already waiting by the car," he responded in a severe tone. "…I won't play with my life, especially with how recently a mafia lord just died."
I quietly took in a deep breath. He was right.
Whoever killed Father might decide to start taking over more territories.
I had a lot to say, but I decided to wait until we were alone and seated.
We had just reached the car when Nico pulled open the door for me with a calm, gentlemanly expression on his face.
He had the look of a CEO. His eyes appeared quiet and composed, but I knew it was merely a mask.
He could kill someone without batting an eye.
It came with the job.
"Get in, Carmen. I don't bite," he said.
I cracked a small smile and stepped into the car with the folders in my hand. Nico followed, sliding into the back seat beside me—much closer than I wanted—before slamming the door shut.
The driver started the engine and pulled away.
The silence inside the car was louder than I liked, so I spoke first.
"Where are we going? Is it a fancy place?" I asked, my gaze fixed on the window as the car moved steadily through traffic. Other vehicles followed behind us, ensuring our exact position couldn't be easily tracked.
"It's okay. But it's quiet," he replied.
There was an almost soft expression in his eyes that made me clench my fists in wariness.
Yes, we had known each other for years.
But the fact remained that I was the reason he had been sent away—exiled from Father's territory. It was hard to believe he had completely forgiven me. Which was exactly why I needed to know what he wanted so I could give it to him.
It was the only way we could return to equal footing—without me constantly waiting for the moment he decided to stab me in the back.
Did I need him? Yes.
Did I trust him?Hell no.