Bought by My stepbrother, the don

Chapter 48: Kidnapping

Carmen’s POV:

It was the anger that had worried me first, right before he sat down, and I could feel the hint of disappointment in his tone as he began to speak—and even more when I responded. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"I’ll blame your ignorance on the fact that you have no practical experience," he said, continuing while I sat there and listened, knowing better than to get annoyed at the rebuke.

"The gala committee is a tool like everything else..." he said with utmost severity.

"The only ones we have to watch out for are enemies. The kind that never give up on you...on us," he said, alluding to the fact that I also had half my father’s businesses and intended on taking over his territory.

"Their goal is to look for every opportunity to succeed. And if you were them, how would you do it?" he asked, urging me to put myself in their position, something father had said over and over again.

"...Food and drinks is the easiest," I responded, even as Nico’s expression didn’t mellow—the anger becoming more pronounced as he spoke.

"...You trust the bartender or something?" he asked, and I realized that he was right. He might have made the drink in front of us, but there was no way to be sure that Aran’s drink was exactly the same as mine.

Lowering my head, staring at my wine glass, I realized that Nico was right even as he continued to speak.

"Let’s not even start with Aran, who you have absolutely no information about, yet you let him follow you...lead you," the anger palpable as he spoke, his hand tightening around his glass cup as I watched him take a sip in a bid to calm himself down.

Speaking again after a moment, he continued, "Regardless of his proposition, you could have met in a more secluded place after you had more information. Instead, you walked him for long enough for everyone to think you have some working relationship with him."

"We don’t! There were others who mingled and..." I began, only to be cut off. Wondering if his jealousy was the problem, he raised his voice at me, which made me glare right back.

"...Mingled in groups. It was why I allowed you to go off by yourself in the first instance. If he were to go around claiming to be your business partner, do you think anyone would doubt him? Heck, someone else could spread the rumor if his reputation was bad enough," he snapped, sinking back into his stool.

Again, Nico was right, and it was hard to argue otherwise as I stared right at my wine glass, which I didn’t even have the urge to drink from.

"You made mistakes, Carmen, and it only takes one to get you killed," he told me, and I listened, nodding my head slowly before speaking.

"I’m sorry. I... I was wrong. I should have been more careful," I told him, and I meant it, more than aware of my mistakes, which seemed tragic in retrospect.

Raising my gaze to meet Nico’s, I watched him drain the rest of his cup, placing his glass on the counter before turning to me, moving close enough for me to smell his cologne.

I remained seated as I watched him lower his head with a severe expression on his face, wondering what other mistake I seemed to have made when he spoke.

"Most importantly, if we’re going to be partners, then no more running," he said, moving close enough that I could feel his breath against my face, his lips close enough to brush mine—but he didn’t.

"...You will take what I give you, and you will trust that I’m not trying to hurt you," he said with the same severe expression still stamped on his face, one that said he was willing to call the entire thing off if I so much as whispered a no.

"Can you do that, Carmen?" he asked, his voice much lower and deeper than before, as my lashes fluttered, wanting to pull back, but knowing better than to do that.

Nico was clearly great at keeping himself alive—even better than Gotti—and I hated to point it out, but father himself.

His support was crucial, and if all he wanted were kisses, shouldn’t I be able to allow it? At the end of the day, sex was still way different—something I would never allow.

Slowly, I nodded my head to show that I agreed, with a fierce look in my eyes trying to communicate my determination, only to feel him lean closer and peck my lips.

It was the most chaste kiss Nico had ever given, as I felt the slight taste of wine on his lips. He leaned close to me with a smile before pulling back.

"As long as I do not have to remind you again," he said, straightening back up to his height, and I grabbed my glass and sipped on it.

"Were you able to speak to the man you needed to speak to?" I asked, seeing as how I had no clue, realizing that Aran had taken more of my attention than he should have.

"Yes!" Nico responded. "Meeting with him was the easy part," he said with a shrug of his shoulders as he rolled up his sleeves and moved to get his jacket, continuing to speak.

"Kidnapping him would be more difficult," he said, as I got up and moved closer to him since it was clear he was heading out and wearing his jacket.

"When?" I asked, confident Nico would tell me why later once we got back to his estate, only for my eyes to widen in shock as I heard him respond.

"Now! Preferably before the party is over when Vale would be noticed," he said in such a serious tone it was impossible to think he was joking as he pulled on his jacket and straitened it glancing at a nearby mirror to ensure that nothing was out of place.