Nico ran a hand through his tousled hair, his lips twitching into a lazy smirk as he turned away from the door. Then he bent slightly, peeking under the bed.
"You can come out now, Softie," he said in that low, teasing voice. "Scared head."
There was silence for a second.
Then, slowly, Kyan shuffled out from under the bed, hair messy, cheeks flushed, lips slightly parted.
His knees wobbled a little as he stood, legs barely holding up. He held onto the edge of the bed for support, blinking up at Nico with a dazed expression.
Nico looked him over, cocking a brow. "Tch. Look at you. Can't even walk properly," he said, voice smooth, amused.
Kyan didn't say a word—just looked away, lips pressed tight, still breathless.
Nico took a step closer, leaned down, and whispered near his ear, "Next time, don't act so cute if you don't want trouble."
Nico stood by the mirror, buttoning his shirt one lazy snap at a time. The fabric clung to his still-warm skin, and the sound of each button clicking into place felt like gunshots in Kyan's head.
Kyan stood there, frozen, still clutching the bedpost for balance. His thoughts were a mess. A whole mess.
What the hell just happened...?
I hate him... right? He killed them. He laughed while doing it. He's the enemy.
His hands curled into fists. His chest ached. His throat burned.
So what the hell did I just do with him? What the fuck did I do with the enemy?
Tears stung his eyes, but he blinked fast, refusing to let them fall.
"I feel like killing him," he whispered to himself. "I swear to God, I feel like killing him…"
Nico washed his face in the basin, wiped it casually, then turned and walked past Kyan like nothing had happened. No glance. No smirk. Not even a damn word.
Just silence.
Like the last four hours didn't even matter.
Kyan stumbled his way to the balcony, his legs barely holding him up. The cold night breeze hit his face, but it did nothing to numb the ache in his chest.
"Wow…" he whispered, voice cracking. "He used me…"
His lips trembled as tears finally spilled down his cheeks. "He fucking used me…"
He clutched the rail, but before he could steady himself—
SMACK!
A sharp fist landed clean on his face.
Kyan gasped, stumbling back.
"S-Santi?!"
Santi's manicured hand trembled with rage. "How dare you?! What the fuck did you do to him, huh?! You drugged him, didn't you? You little snake—!"
"I didn't! I swear I didn't!" Kyan cried out, holding his throbbing cheek. "I didn't drug him, I swear on my life! I was just told to give him the drink, I didn't know what was inside!"
Santi froze.
His eyes searched Kyan's, breathing ragged. He wanted to call bullshit—but the panic in Kyan's voice, the shakiness, the wide eyes…
It didn't look like a lie.
"You… you didn't know?" Santi asked slowly, still fuming.
Kyan shook his head, voice small. "I didn't know anything…"
Santi's jaw clenched. His eyes darkened as he stepped closer to Kyan, voice low and accusing.
"Then who the hell was he fucking in that room?"
Kyan looked away, swallowing hard. "I… I don't know."
Santi's stare pierced through him, searching for a crack in the lie. But Kyan didn't flinch—his face was unreadable.
"Tch," Santi scoffed, stepping back and dragging a hand through his hair. His thoughts spun wildly, but one clear thing calmed his rage.
Thank God it wasn't you, Kyan…
If it was you… I swear, I'd have killed you right here, right now.
He turned his back to him, chest rising and falling.
Behind him, Kyan bit his lip, keeping in the scream inside.
Back downstairs, the hall was buzzing again. Music picked up, and the tension from Nico's absence slowly melted away—thanks to the smooth, confident lie he'd dropped the second he walked in.
"I apologize for the delay," Nico said into the mic, his voice sharp and controlled. "Had to handle a private matter—something that couldn't wait."
Everyone clapped. Don Roco nodded in approval. The mafia families raised their glasses, some already a bit too drunk to care.
But behind that calm face? Nico's mind was chaos.
Kyan, shirtless.
Calling him "Daddy" in that sweet, ruined voice.
Kneeling, looking up at him like he was the only thing in the world.
Nico cleared his throat and gave a perfect, powerful speech. Spoke about legacy, strength, family.
But he barely remembered a word he said.
Across the room, Raven sat in silence, swirling her wine.
Her lips were pressed into a tight smile. Her nails dug into the cushion.
He didn't show up because of a "private matter?"
Yeah, right.
She watched him, seething.Raven barely had time to sip her wine again.
One second, she was glaring at Nico from her seat—her head spinning with rage and plans—
And the next?
A strong hand gripped her arm from behind.
"What the—?!"
Before she could finish the sentence, another man was already at her side.
"Let go of me!" she hissed, twisting, but they were too fast. Too strong.
One of them whispered low near her ear, "Don's orders."
She froze for a second. "What Don—"
But it was too late.
Her chair scraped back roughly, and her heels barely touched the floor as they dragged her through the hallway, out of the gold-lit ballroom.
She fought harder. "Are you out of your damn minds?! I am Raven Latino ! You can't—"
The double doors burst open, cold night air hitting her like a slap.
A black van was already waiting.
Before she could scream again, they threw the door open and shoved her inside.
The door slammed shut.
The van sped through the night, tires screeching as they turned sharply onto a lonely dirt road.
Raven's heart pounded. Her wrists were sore from trying to break free. She glared at the two men in front of her. "You'll regret this—you hear me? My father will kill you!"
They said nothing.
Just silence.
And then… brakes.
The van came to a hard stop in the middle of nowhere—no lights, no sounds, just cold air and shadows.
One of the men opened the door and grabbed her by the arm. "Out."
"What the hell is this place?!" she spat, heels digging into the ground, but they didn't care.
They dragged her out and threw her onto the rough, dry ground.
She winced, landing on her side.
The taller one leaned down, his voice cold. "Wait for your fate."