Bought by My stepbrother, the don

Chapter 25: Jarred

Carmen

Some distance away, but not too far for my eyes to make out what had happened, I saw it.

It was an accident or at least, that was what it first looked like. But the closer we got, the more it resembled an explosion. A bad one.

Bad enough that I expected to see the remains of massive fuel tanks scattered across the road.

Instead, I froze when I realized the truth. There were no tanks. Only the shredded remains of the three cars I would have been in.

The metal had been torn apart, twisted into jagged shapes. Flames still licked at the wreckage, thick smoke curling upward into the night sky.

They were ruined beyond recognition and yet I still recognized them instantly. It was an explosion. There was no doubt about it. The cars were still burning. I could no longer sit calmly in my seat.

My gaze snapped toward Nico.

He sat beside me, calm and composed, watching the scene outside as our car continued to move through the traffic and past the wreckage.

I, however, was anything but calm. If Nico hadn’t gone out of his way to stop me earlier, I would have been in one of those cars. I would have been dead. The sight was chilling enough to make it obvious that even ambulances wouldn’t have saved anyone inside.

The first responders were already there. But instead of rescuing survivors, they were pulling out half-burnt corpses. I had no idea what was going through the driver’s mind, but he didn’t slow down. Our car kept moving.

Soon the wreckage disappeared behind us. Silence settled in the space between Nico and me. Neither of us spoke. I folded my hands in my lap and leaned back into the leather seat, trying to ground myself.

The fact remained that Nico had saved my life. I was tempted to thank him instead, I turned to look at him, expecting to see at least a hint of smugness on his face but there was none.

Instead, his expression was thoughtful.

"How did you know?" I asked directly. My gaze was sharp, almost accusing. I refused to believe that he had simply acted on a gut feeling.

"...Something must have given it away," I added quietly.

Without him, I would have killed me tonight and It made me wonder if I was truly capable of taking over my father’s territory.

A thread of doubt crept into my mind—one I failed to bury immediately. Still, it grated on my nerves.

Nico took his time, leaning one arm against the door before finally speaking.

"What I do," he began calmly, "is focus on moments when I might appear weak."

I listened carefully.

"We were drinking," he continued. "... that was harmless—information anyone could obtain for the right price even from allies that be long to me"

He paused briefly.

"Moreover, I was with you."

His gaze flickered toward me.

"I figured whoever wants you dead wouldn’t give up so easily. Not if they had the chance to eliminate both of us at once."

"That was it? A nudge?" I asked, my expression filled with disbelief. It sounded too simple.

I turned my gaze back toward the window, getting lost in my thoughts. But then Nico continued speaking.

"...I also hoped they would attack."

I turned back to him immediately.

"The restaurant’s parking lot is close enough to the road," he explained. "Easy access to the cars. Easy access to my men. And even to us once we stepped outside."

He paused again. free𝑤ebnovel.com

"I hoped they would attack."

Then he fell silent, almost as if giving me time to understand what he was implying.

"Instead of waiting for an unknown opportunity... you created one," I whispered.

The realization reminded me of my escape earlier, a situation he had orchestrated.

"You had people monitoring the cameras?" I asked.

He nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Finding out their identity should be easy enough," he muttered.

But as soon as he said that, a shiver of dread slid down my spine.

Slowly, I turned to look at him. My heart began to pound heavily in my chest.

"What... what about your men?" I asked.

My voice was so quiet it barely rose above a whisper.

"...If you assumed they would be in danger, then shouldn’t you have—"

I didn’t get to finish.

"Like you said," he interrupted calmly, "it was merely an assumption. I needed to be sure."

I already knew what his response would be if I pointed out the obvious cruelty in sacrificing his men.

They were employees. They knew the dangers when they accepted the job. He would probably add that their contracts included generous death compensations—money their families would receive.

I glanced at him again. His expression was cold, almost blank.

He was completely unbothered and instinctively, I realized something important.

If I truly intended to take over my father’s territory, strength alone wouldn’t be enough. I would have to be cruel and calculating. Cold too otherwise, I would die without ever knowing how it happened—or who had done it.

My mood darkened completely I saw no reason to keep talking.

Instead, I leaned against the door, impatient to return to my room and shut the world out. I had a lot to think about and I hated the helpless feeling creeping into my bones.

All the rules I had followed, all the lessons I had learned, none of it was enough. If I wanted to survive, I would have to do better. If I wanted to thrive, I would have to become something far more dangerous.

Eventually, we arrived at the estate. The gates opened smoothly, and the car rolled into the courtyard. Nico stepped out first and opened the door for me. I took his hand as he helped me out.

His expression was gentle. It was a look he somehow showed only to me—and it always unsettled me. Making me wonder what sort of manipulation he was trying this time. Still, I had to believe he would honor the terms of our agreement.

"Goodnight," I said, moving to walk past him only to flinch when he suddenly grabbed my hand.

Before I could react, he pulled me into a hug and entire body stiffened. His arms wrapped around me completely, strong and warm. My head barely reached his jaw.

"Relax," he whispered into my ear with a light chuckle in his voice.

"I won’t let anyone have you."

His voice lowered even further.

"...Not until I’ve had my fill."

Then he pulled away and I simply stared at him. Too many thoughts were racing through my mind for me to summon any form of anger immediately. After a moment, I nodded silently then I turned and walked away heading toward my room.