Chapter - Six

Aleena - POV

“Why did you stop?” I asked as we stood a few feet away from the banquet hall.

He didn’t answer. I looked behind Caldwell, taking another route to get back to the party.

Nico stood a few feet away, scrolling through his phone, his expression unreadable as he texted someone. Then his phone rang, and without a second glance at me, he walked away to take the call.

Annoyance curled inside me.

Just moments ago, he had been holding my hand, guiding me back toward the party like I actually mattered. And now? I was forgotten the second his phone buzzed.

Exhaling quietly, I checked my reflection on my phone screen and grimaced. My makeup was slightly ruined. If El saw me like this, she would absolutely drag me straight to the ladies’ room for an emergency touch-up.

With that thought, I headed toward the restroom.

But the moment I reached the entrance, voices stopped me cold.

“You think Nico is really in love with that nerd?” one girl asked.

“Come on, he will go to his regular woman at the strip club or the long-time girlfriend he has on his side,” the girl said.

“That sorry nerd looked so dull next to him,” another woman's voice said.

Such gossip. This didn’t even affect me in the least.

“Nico is a dangerous man. I am worried about this geeky nerd.” The meek sound of another woman joined in.

There was silence for a few seconds. “She is right. Nico is a handsome guy. A dangerous one. He doesn’t spare anyone if you cross him, piss him off, or lie to him. I think that guy is a psychopath.”

I gulped. So my father doesn’t really care. I stood there silently. Though my father wants to buy time and take money from the Bellinis to make the dangerous drug, the Bellini family is not even aware of my father's schemes. My father is crossing a line, and he put me in this mess. It’s like crossing Nico Bellini and dying by his hands if he learns I was aware of my father’s schemes and kept things from him.

“Oh, I am sorry,” one woman said, looking shocked seeing me standing at the entrance. The group of women looked uncomfortable seeing me.

“Did she hear us?” one of them murmured.

“Who cares,” one said.

I stepped into the washroom. I needed to find a way to get out and save my sister from this mess. Doing my touch-ups, my hands shook. What if my father wanted me and my sister as collateral damage?

No, I wouldn’t. My shaky breaths continued, but I tried to calm down by taking the medication from my clutch and swallowing it down.

Stepping out, the music hit my ears, and I looked at Nico talking to some man who looked powerful enough. My father, in the corner, eyed Nico with distant hate. Caldwell stood on guard next to my father. Our eyes connected briefly before Nico looked at me.

He walked up to me with an unemotional look, no fake smiles. I looked around. The media were not around.

“Where did you run off to?” he asked in a calm tone.

I didn’t answer. I was nervous and scared after hearing what he was capable of. I should have done more research on him.

He stood closer. “Don’t get spooked,” he whispered low in my ear.

His other hand rested at the small of my back, his hand interlocking with mine, warmth radiating from his big hand. His face remained stoic.

I noticed why he was acting this way. Guests were coming toward us and talking to us. He talked to the guests who congratulated us on our engagement. I put on my fake smile for them while, from the corner of my eye, looking at Nico, who held a small smile for the guests that vanished as thin as air.

Nico's hand tightened as I saw a woman walking toward us. I knew she was an actress and also a daughter of the Mafia; her name was Anastasia Kirova. Her black eyes looked at Nico for longer, and Nico's body stiffened as she walked toward him.

Her eyes looked at our locked hands.

Her eyes zeroed in on me. I could feel the tension between them, a shared history. Nico looked at her with such intensity for a second before he masked his emotions, noticing my stare at him.

Nico’s grip loosened, and I pulled my hand back to myself. Nico looked at me for a second to see if I was having a panic attack or something.

“I am okay,” I muttered low enough.

“Congratulations, Mr. Bellini and Ms. Caruso.” Her words were sweet as honey. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Anastasia Kirova. I am so grateful to be part of this happiness.” She looked at Nico, who looked coldly at her.

“Thank you,” I said in a calm tone.

“Can you spare me a minute, Nico?” She called him so sweetly, purposely showing she knew him personally. Her eyes gave daggers in a subtle way, those smoky eyes of hers adding an extra edge to that look.

“I don’t want to talk with you at all, Ms. Kirova,” Nico brushed her off so coldly. Her face looked like she was hurt by his cold attitude.

Before she could speak, I interrupted.

“Nico, I think my father is calling us,” I said, and her eyes looked at me angrily. I knew she was here to create chaos, and I didn’t want to get dragged into Nico's mess. Nico took my hand and walked away from her. I could feel her eyes boring holes into me. We took an exit to the balcony again, with a server bringing drinks. I held the wine glass in my hand. Nico held a whiskey glass.

“So, is she your girlfriend?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Impassively answered. “She won’t be a bother.”

“I am not sure about that,” I said.

He looked at me.

“It seems she won’t rest easy having you back in her life,” I said.

“Are you an expert at reading people?” he asked coldly.

“I am,” I said, meeting his green eyes, which looked at me with a stoic expression. “She is crazy about you.”

“I don’t care,” Nico said. “I care about business and money.”

Of course, he does.

“She is an actress, isn’t she?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. It was hard to talk with this guy. We both sat in awkward silence. His phone rang again.

“I will be there,” he said coldly. “You get back to the party. Something came up.”

I nodded. He walked away from the balcony. Nico’s expression just now, the one with dark eyes and a bloodthirsty look, lingered in my mind. I didn’t know what was wrong with me to follow him to see what he was up to. Holding my heels in my hands to not make a sound, I followed him.

Ducking around the pillar, I watched him turn around to see if someone was following him or not. I should stop. It’s crazy, Alee.

I needed to see if he was going to attend business or hurt someone. That look on his face reminded me of how my father would react if he was going to hurt someone.

I did a stupid thing after all. I followed him, and he walked to the basement of the Caruso estate. I gulped. It was a bad sign.I looked as some of his men brought a man tied up with rope and gagged at the mouth while one of them removed the gag.

A faint groan escaped stranger’s lips.

“Please spare me,” Man begged. Looks like he has been hurt lot.

“You shouldn’t have crossed me, asshole.”

His words made my skin crawl. He grabbed the man by the collar, the darkness in his green eyes turning far more sinister than the cold stoic mask he usually wore. There was nothing human in the way he looked at his prey only violent intent.

His fist slammed into the man’s face with brutal force, the crack making me flinch as blood poured from the man’s nose. But Nico didn’t stop.

I could hear painful muffled groans from that man. I shut my eyes. I couldn’t stand the violence, reminding me of a darker past.

“Please! Stop!” I screamed.

His hand stopped, and his eyes flashed toward me, looking murderous, as if there was no emotion in them. He took a step towards me slowly.

He looked at me, his hands covered in blood. “You shouldn’t be snooping around,” I flinched at his words and bolted, my heels clutched tightly in my hands. Running was the only thing that came to my mind. But Nico was faster.

Before I could get far, his hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back hard enough to pin me against the wall. My breath came out uneven as he trapped me there, one arm beside my head, leaving no room to escape.

Blood stained his hands.

His cold green eyes locked onto mine.

“What should I do with you, Aleena?” he asked coldly, his bloodstained hand tightening around my wrist.