NICO'S POV —Soon, the lights on Clifford bridge come into view. Fabio stops the car and parks under an oak tree at a good distance away. There's nothing in sight. Well, nothing that I can see from my spot over here. I don't even sight any of Marcus's henchmen around. "I can't stop you at this point, can I?" Fabio asks one more time.I give a chuckle and push open the car door. "Don't show up unless I call for backup," I instruct him. "Tell the men to lay low too. I'll find out what Marcus wants." Fabio rolls his eyes but nods in understanding anyway. I take extra care to make sure that my gun is in place before turning towards the bridge.The soft grass crunches under my boot, creating a faint rhythm that only I can hear. I hum softly, taking long strides forward. Jasmine's message replays in my mind, but I try to push it aside. She has no idea what I'm up to. And besides, out here was way better than going back to the mansion. I'm a man of action. Even if things don't end up
Nico POV—I let out a short laugh, amusing myself by the audacity of Marcus's proposal.He glances at me, but I really don't have the words to reply to him right now. For now, the whole matter is just so unheard of that it's actually amusing."Leave Los Angeles and New York for you?" I asked, taking a step closer to him. He subconsciously steps back. Yes, that's the way it should be. He's only a wannabe king of the streets. I don't care if he's the leader of the Lord of the Night. He has cowered at my wake."Why are you trying to chase me away?" I asked, my lips twisting into a sly grin.Marcus stands his ground. It is quite comical, actually. I can see the way he quivers slightly, the way he shows his tension. I know just the type of effect my presence has.Even though he faces me eyeball to eyeball and crosses his arms across his chest, I see the fear in his eyes. He tries to play it off, but it's only a pathetic attempt. I should give him a D for the efforts."If this is your passi
Jasmine's POVNico doesn't text me back. I stay up all night wondering what to make of it. I hate the fact that I'm staring at my phone waiting for a notification that's probably from him. It shows clearly there that he read it, but for some reason he doesn't text back. I mean, why should he now that he has no reason to?I wonder. Waiting myself is a bit painful, but that has become the reality of the situation. There is a knock at the door and I'm snapped out of my pitiful state."Come in," I say, knowing that at this point it didn't even matter who came in or not, and there was no use to dress up. The door opens and Isabella steps inside."Are you okay, miss?" she asks, a concerned look on her face. A part of me feels guilty for making her worry over nothing like this. I'm just being a very deadbeat person, wallowing in my self-pity."I'm fine, Isabella," I say, managing a little smile even though I don't feel like it at all at the moment. I turn around to face her. She walks into t
Jasmine POV Somehow I make it past the day. And did I mention that it is a perfect beast? After speaking with Isabella, even though I didn't feel much of an insight and was still pretty much where I started off at, I also realized that the only thing more important to me than making up my mind was doing whatever I have to do fast. And at the end of the day, after being in my head for so long, I finally came to the conclusion that if it all boiled down to Nico versus me, I would make sure that I came out victorious. And I didn't have to leave Los Angeles for my own selfish interests since I was technically still doing it for my own safety and to make sure that Michael had a clear future ahead of him.That happens to be pretty much all I need to make my decision. "We leave Los Angeles before the end of the week," I say to Isabella later on at dinner. She looks up at me but simply nods, not saying anything or questioning my motives any further. The only person that doesn't seem to
Jasmine's POV Michael stays silent for a while, and the only thing that can be heard in the room is the occasional drop of water dripping into the sink that comes from the other side of the room, precisely from the kitchen.Which leads me to think that someone didn't secure the tap well enough. I make a mental note to myself to go and check it later, but for now, the fact that Michael has gone silent is of utmost importance to me. Who would have thought that my mind would be in such chaos just because my 4-year-old decided to keep silent? "What's going on in your mind?" I finally ask him, unable to bear it anymore.Michael shakes his head and looks up at me with a soft smile, then pulls back from me a little. "Nothing much," he mutters. "Can you hand me your phone for a while?" he asks with a cute smile, already opening his little hand like he expects me to do it at once.I raise an eyebrow. I'll be damned if I say that I am not in the least curious as to what he's up to."Well, w
Nico POV —Eventually, I have to go back to the Mansion, and just like in my deepest, darkest predictions, Camilla is there waiting for me. She might as well be holding a judgment mallet, I think to myself. I stand there in front of the dining room, and I can't help the scowl on my face. I predicted that I would have to face her sooner or later, but I didn't budget for the extra two fuckers that sit beside her, flanking her on either side like bodyguards. Camilla's fucking brothers. The side door opens and Diego steps in, making his way leisurely to the table. Make that three extra fuckers.He doesn't lock eyes with me, but I can still feel his eyes on me. He looks weird with his casual clothes that could even pass off as pajamas if I wanted to be creative, and I don't even want to think about that.I take a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. I already know that this is going to be by far the longest marathon I'm going to have. Camilla locks eyes with me, and I can see th
Nicole POVI stand in this pause, staring at the phone, and for the first time in my life, I feel confounded, unsure of which decision to take. My hands tremble slightly. I take a glance back at the dining room. They are still waiting for me, although the dinner has already commenced. I doubt they are really thoroughly invested in their food, though."Okay, okay buddy, I'll be right there," I speak into the phone, and cut the call. I know that I have to make a decision, I'm fast. So, without thinking, I grab my coat again, and turn to the dining room, heading for the door. "Hey, where are you going?" Fabio stood up, looking at me, with a dismayed expression on his face."I have urgent matters to attend to," I say, looking at everyone at the table, daring them to try and stop me. None do. But Camilla faces my stare back, holding me. I have a feeling that she knows exactly what I'm up to. But I don't care, I'll deal with her later.I turn around instantly, and storm out. I storm out
Nico's POV"What are you doing here?" She hasn't inquired, stepping back from me like she has seen a ghost.I hate that she's looking at me like that, but at the moment, I don't see anything I can do to change the perspective that she has of me."Don't you know that I can sue you for trespassing?" She continues.I suppose it's a bit of a shock, seeing me suddenly appearing in a house like that."I doubt you will," I say, folding my hands across my chest."What do you want from me? Stay away. Haven't I already made myself clear?" She says in frustration."But, you are the one who called me.""I did no such thing to you," she snaps, glaring at me.I frown a little, and it occurs to me that she doesn't know anything about the call. My lips carve into a smirk.Well, I already guessed that that would be the case, but I didn't exactly expect it to be so."Well, he did," I say, nodding in Michael's direction. The little kid is already fast asleep.I want to go back to him, and maybe have spe
Chad's POV He doesn't reply to me immediately but instead passes across some coded message to the rest of the men, and they take their sweet time circling us, forming a tight barricade around the car. I clench my fist, knowing that this situation is one that I won't be able to get out of easily.What do you want from me? I say, trying for another approach."You're asking unnecessary questions, man," the masked man says in a gruff voice. He raises his weapon, pointing the gun directly at my head. Anything that makes him pull the trigger at this point leaves me completely dead. The reality is enough to bring shivers down my spine. I purse my lip, thinking desperately for any means of escape. What is happening? My mind keeps on turning up completely blank, and honestly, it leaves me very much frustrated. What do you want from me? I find myself asking at this point. All I'm doing is trying to get the conversation going and stall him for as long as I can while waiting not so patientl
CHAD'S POV"It's not over yet," I tell myself as the car drives down the road. Now that I know for sure that I can't get Jasmine to myself, I dedicate my time to exposing Nico instead.It's not like I hate him, it's just that when it comes to Jasmine, I feel genuinely remorseful of my actions in the past, and I want to make sure she ends up with someone better than me at least. Nico, though well-dressed and handsome and all, didn't cut that aspect.I grit my teeth, my hands tightening by my sides. Luckily my driver doesn't take notes—or maybe he does—and he knows better than to talk unnecessarily or try to make up conversations.Fine, maybe I was a bit jealous of Nico, but that doesn't matter now. If I was to be completely honest, nothing much matters to me right now.I still have the car now driving down and arriving in the main road. There is only a tinge of satisfaction that I feel from seeing Nico's angry face. Now that will be a bonus that I will be sure to remember for a long ti
JASMINE'S POVAfter the episode with Chad, I don't know what to think anymore. Or more specifically, I choose not to think of anything. It's just too dangerous to let my thoughts move around unrestrained in my head after everything that happened.And I don't think that I've seen Nico so damn angry in my life. I shudder from the thought. I don't even need to evoke my senses to visualize his emerald green eyes spitting fire and the look on his face filled with pure rage.I can swear that he was ready to kill someone back there, and I can only imagine what would have happened if I wasn't there to stop him. I shake my head, chasing away the thought. I don't want to think that Nico has no self-control over the dangerous side of him.The car parks and I look up. "We are at the company, ma'am," Richard informs me. He steps down from the car and opens my side of the door for me. I give a nod. I was too preoccupied in my thoughts to even notice that we had long arrived back at the company.I s
NICO'S POV I watch her stumble back in shock, her eyes widening. She seems really surprised to see me.“What are you doing here?” she mutters, her voice shaking.I don’t give a direct answer but instead step inside the room and scan my eyes around the forum. Someone is there, sitting in the living room. I recognize his features immediately.The fucker, Chad, is here. But what the hell is he doing in the hallway? And why did she let him in?My eyes turn back to fall on Jasmine. There is a sense of fear in the air. I can guess that an argument has taken place here.“What are you doing here?” I speak directly to Chad.Chad stands up from the seat and stares back at me, his eyes defiant.“Well, I’m sure that I have my own freedom of speech and movement, Nico Ferrari,” he speaks, his voice full of malice.Like a glare, I glance through the corner of my eyes and see the way Jasmine is trembling. I’m sure that this motherfucker said something to her, and I don’t like him. His mere presence
Jasmine's POV The black sedan car was parked in front of my house, just a few feet away from the man who brings back unnecessary memories. I would want to tell the driver to slow down and say, "Look at it closely," praying against hope that it wasn't what it seemed to be.Finally, we stepped past it and came to park in the garage. I stepped out of the car immediately and searched around, however, to find this man leaning against the door of the house walls—none other than Chad himself.Hell no, why does he keep on appearing? I wonder to myself and walk up to him cautiously. I know that I have to be careful. I don't know what he wants.Frankly speaking, I've not been able to tell if he's appearing or not appearing at unpredictable timings. And not to talk of the way he behaved towards Nico—almost like he knew something I didn't.I shook my head. I'm not going to doubt Nico. Not now that I finally seem to be getting along and agreeing on something. He just has to step out of the way.P
Jasmine's POV Nico smiles lightly, but he doesn't tell you because he's going to disclose the information any moment soon. He stands up and kisses me lightly on the cheek. "I know, but you don't have to worry about it. I'm going to sort this all out in a couple of days." I know and understand that this is something that he has to do himself.In the meantime, I say equally, "That's enough. Since I'm already in the company, I might as well get to work."Nico looks like he is about to object, but I raise a hand, telling him, "I'm not going to just sit around and let you treat me like a princess."He smiles. "Are you sure you don't want that?"I roll my eyes and shake my head. "No, I would like to actually be useful and earn my position here."Nico sighs, knowing that he won't be able to convince me otherwise, since I have a pretty strong gut when it comes to finding my place. "I'll call you if I need anything."I nod and wave at him as I step out of the office. I appreciate the fact th
Nico's POV I look up and see my manager step into the office. He briefly graces us, me and Jasmine. His poker face faults us for a while, but he quickly masks it with another professional one. If he has his own reservations or questions, he doesn't ask any of them, but instead stands patiently by the door, waiting for me to acknowledge him. I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering what he wants with me now. I just barely stepped foot into the company, and personally speaking, I had hoped to spend some time with Jasmine in private. There's still a lot of things that she is yet to understand, and I want to make her do so to the best of my ability. However, of course, coming to the company, I could only have imagined that there would be work waiting for me. It's not like my manager could be here to see me go idle for more than half an hour. "I'll be right back," I whisper to Jasmine, and carefully remove my hand from hers. That also leaves me holding her in a tense grip. I regret it; ho
Jasmine's POVHe stares back at me without a change in expression. Suddenly, those deep green eyes that seem to read even my soul jump into the line of one beat. I find it hard to believe that I can ever do the case. I take it is worth trying to think of what to do. No one is ever prepared for this kind of situation, and what proves to come is what proves to remain.Finally, I take a deep breath. Even though I pretend that I don't know what's happening, and I'm entirely shocked by the way things are progressing, deep down, I seem to already know all the answers. I tend to question if I already decided to give him a chance, and don't want to go, then what's wrong with right now? That's the question that I ask myself."Well, he's your son," I point out quietly. "Of course you can't take care of him." He pulls me into a hug immediately. "Thank you," he breaks down on my shoulder. And only then do I realize that he has been holding his breath. It kind of makes me smile as well. Touching t
JASMINE'S POVIt's late in the night when I finally arrived back in Los Angeles. After bidding Nico goodbye and taking Michael with me to the apartment, I feel like I'm finally done for the day. It has been a very long one. First, I had to get Isabella and Michael ready for the information exercise. I still did not go here before, but all in all, I would say that they are much better than I thought. I feel a bit of relief now, even though I'm back in the enemy's lair. But for some reason, I do feel like Michael is actually here to take care of me this time. I feel if all they want is a second chance, then I might as well give it to him. After all, there's no harm in trying, right? Also, I thought I'm still on my guard, though.I think as I enter in the combination lock and turn back, watching as the bright red Ferrari zooms out of the compound, I try not to think too much about him as I push open the door. Isabella carries an already sleeping Michael inside the house. The house feels