Chapter 15 - Nico
“Nico Romanov.”
I looked up just as I entered my office and immediately regretted it. Adrian Petrov stood in the middle like he belonged there, even though I had made him wait almost an hour already. The man seemed rather invested despite that, clearly wanting to have this conversation.
For a second, I genuinely considered shooting him.
Not threatening him or intimidating him, but straight up shooting him in the forehead. That was how much I hated the man. The urge arrived so suddenly and so completely that it almost made me laugh.
Across the room, Viktor shifted slightly as if he could read my mind and was signaling me not to do it here.
Adrian either did not notice our eye contact or did not care.
Neither possibility improved my opinion of him.
I completely ignored his greeting and walked behind my desk, sinking down and leaning back in my chair.
I motioned towards the chairs in front of the desk as I finally looked at him properly.
“Sit.” He wasn’t ugly or old. If someone looked at him from a neutral point of view, they might even consider him handsome.
He was tall with a good muscular build, and his black hair reached his shoulders.
His face was clean, and his black eyes seemed sharp.
Despite that, to me he would always be ugly.
I couldn’t help but hate him.
He stepped forward and sat down right across from me, appearing completely at ease.
However, the tick of his jaw betrayed his true emotions.
I could see he was on edge about something, and if I was right, this was about none other than Vera.
The woman I had been fucking not one hour ago.
The woman I loved. The woman who loved me.
And in this equation, Adrian was the outsider.
“You’re either very brave or very stupid.”
His jaw tightened at my assessment, but he remained levelheaded. “You know why I am here, Nico.”
“I truly have no idea,” I replied, feigning innocence. That was the best thing I could do.
“I came here for Vera.”
Of course he did. I folded my hands together and studied him closely. I could see he looked fairly exhausted and definitely angry. There was a hint of desperation somewhere in his posture, alongside dark circles beneath his eyes and tension pulling at his shoulders.
Good.
At least someone else was miserable too.
“I wasn’t aware she belonged to you.”
His face darkened. “Stop acting dumb, Romanov. You are damned well aware she was supposed to marry me a couple of months ago, but she disappeared from our wedding day.”
The words coming out of his mouth made me want to slap him. For a brief moment, all I could see was Vera standing in a white dress on the altar beside him. Vera waiting to become someone else’s wife, and the familiar fury returned immediately.
“That sounds like a personal problem, Petrov. I am still not sure why you are here and how I am linked to the whole thing.”
His nostrils flared. “We both know you are lying right now, Romanov. You know perfectly well where she is because I know she’s with you. You either kidnapped her or she ran away with you willingly. But whatever the situation here, I want my bride back.”
The room went silent. Interesting. Very interesting.
I had expected accusations and suspicions.
I had expected him to be making guesses about Vera’s whereabouts.
But I had certainly not expected this level of confidence coming from him.
My expression remained neutral. Inside, however, every instinct sharpened.
“Do you?”
“Stop playing games, Romanov. Hand over the girl, and we’ll be good.”
“I enjoy games.” That was a lie, but I didn’t care. I simply needed to get rid of him and return home. I had no desire to deal with all this and that too soon.
“I’m serious, Romanov.”
“So am I, Petrov.”
The silence stretched, and Adrian stepped closer. It was a mistake. A very big mistake. And Viktor shifted again, this time much less subtly. The movement caught Adrian’s attention. Good. Maybe he would finally remember where he was and who he was sitting with.
“I know you took her. You can continue lying to my face, but that won’t change the truth.”
I stared at him. “Alright, for one second, just to humor you, let’s pretend that’s true. Now what?”
His eyes narrowed. “It’s true.”
“Wonderful.” His expression flickered, since clearly that was not the response he had expected.
Most people became defensive when accused of kidnapping or hosting and keeping a runaway bride, but I wasn’t most people.
“What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here by barging into my office? You and I are not friends, Petrov, and we will never be friends. I owe you nothing.”
His jaw clenched. “You owe me, my fiancée. I want her returned right now, Romanov, or else this would mean nothing but war.”
The possessiveness in his voice made my skin crawl. He wanted her returned like she was property. Like she belonged to him. I wondered if Vera knew he spoke about her that way. Something told me she did know, and she hated him for it, but just didn’t care enough to react to it.
“You should have brought flowers.”
“What?”
“You came into my office making demands. It feels rude not to bring flowers.”
His face reddened, and Viktor coughed suspiciously behind him. I suspected he was hiding amusement. Adrian pointed at me.
“If Vera isn’t back within twenty-four hours—”
I laughed. Actually laughed. The sound cut him off completely, and the look on his face was priceless. “Do you seriously think you’re threatening me?”
“I am threatening you, Romanov. Loud and clear.”
“No. You are too small to be able to threaten me.”
I stood up, and the room immediately changed.
Adrian noticed it as well because people always did notice.
When sitting down, I was simply another man, but the moment I stood up, I became something else.
Something dangerous. I walked slowly around the desk, watching how his confidence weakened with every step.
Good.
At least he possessed some survival instinct. When I stopped in front of him, he had to tilt his head slightly to maintain eye contact.
“You walked into my building,” I spoke quietly. The quietness always frightened people more.
“You came into my office.” I took another step.
His pulse visibly jumped in his throat.
“You interrupted my day.”
Another. Now there was less than a foot between us.
“And somehow you’ve convinced yourself that you’re the one in control of this conversation.”
The color drained from his face. Finally. A sensible reaction.
“If Vera—”
“We are not discussing Vera.” My voice cut through, sharp enough to draw blood, and his expression hardened in response.
“We absolutely are.”
I smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.
“Alright, then let’s discuss her.”
For the first time, uncertainty appeared in his eyes, and I leaned slightly closer.
“Tell me something.”
“What?”
“How long did it take you to realize she didn’t want to marry you?”
His face went white, which was very satisfying because people only reacted like that when they hit something close to the truth. I saw it immediately. The hesitation, discomfort and anger beneath it all. He felt humiliated, which had been my intention. Now we were getting somewhere.
“Careful,” he said.
I laughed again. “Or what?”
His jaw clenched. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
That one genuinely amused me. I looked toward Viktor with a glint in my eye. Viktor was smiling too, as if Adrian Petrov had just delivered the best joke of the day.
“Did you hear that, Viktor?”
“I did,” Viktor nodded, standing at ease.
“I’m terrified,” I mocked, turning back to look at Adrian, who was turning red with anger.
“You should be,” Adrian replied, banging his hand on the chair.
“Oh, we are.” Viktor nodded seriously. “Absolutely shaking.”
Adrian looked seconds away from exploding, and it felt as if my day had improved significantly. Then his expression changed. He did not look angry but confident instead, and that interested me far more. Because confidence implied information.
“You think this is funny.” He continued, but I said nothing. “You think you’re untouchable because you underestimate people. Everyone knows that you kidnapped a woman. How long do you think that will remain a secret? I can ruin your carefully constructed image within seconds if I wish.”
“You are forgetting the part where you have no proof.”
“Everyone knows.”
That got my attention because the operation had been clean and controlled, with no witnesses and minimal exposure. There was no way anyone could know anything, which only meant Adrian was bluffing, but I had never been dumb enough to underestimate my enemy. I needed to find out more.
“You should return her.” His voice grew stronger. “Before this gets any worse for you.”
I stared at him, wondering who might have pointed him in my direction.
If he knew that meant Manny Stavros knew as well, and this could very well be a joint thing, but my only question was how they had found out.
How had they known? That was what worried me, and I needed answers.
But I was not going to ask Adrian about it.
I stepped back, and the movement visibly relieved him.
“Is that all?”
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Your little speech. Are you done?”
He blinked. “You’re not denying it?”
“No.”
Confusion flashed across his face, and I smiled. He had been bluffing indeed, but even that needed some basis to stand on.
“If you think Vera is here, then go call the police.”
The confidence vanished instantly. “Excuse me?”
“Go call them. Bring them here so they can help you get her back. Attacking Romanov warehouses won’t get you Vera.”
He stared, and I continued.
“Tell them Nico Romanov kidnapped your fiancée. Tell them where you think she is. Tell them everything.”
His face tightened because we both knew he couldn’t. Not without inviting scrutiny into his own life and into Manny’s life. Into everything they had built. The realization hit him slowly, and he watched it happen, the sight beautiful.
“Now if you’re finished,” I said, “leave.”
For several seconds, he remained motionless.
“You will suffer because of this, Nico Romanov. Just wait.”
“Do your worst.”
Then he turned and walked away, right out of my office.
He had not been victorious, but I could see he hadn’t accepted defeat either.
I had managed to unsettle him, but that only meant he was planning his next step already.
Which somehow bothered me more. Because the confidence he arrived with had come from somewhere. And I intended to find out where.
The office door closed behind him, and silence lingered. Viktor was the first to speak.
“I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
“How did he and Manny find out?”
“It could just be a guess.”
I looked toward the city beyond the windows and a familiar feeling settled in my chest. The feeling that came right before everything went wrong.
“Let’s see what he does next.”
I left my office, needing to return home at once.
The drive back was quiet, and by the time I reached the house, my mood had darkened considerably.
Questions kept circling in my mind that made me want to find out how they found out.
Something wasn’t adding up. As if Vera hadn’t told me the complete truth.
The moment I walked inside, I felt Vera’s presence.
I always did.
I found her in the living room, curled into her favorite position on one corner of the sofa. She was reading or pretending to read. The second she looked up, she knew something was wrong. Her expression changed immediately.
“What happened? Why was he there?”
I loosened my tie. “No particular reason.”
“Nico.”
I sighed. Of course she wasn’t going to let it go.
“He came to threaten me and asked me to return you to him.”
She stared. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“The audacity of that asshole.” I chuckled at her innocent slang and the anger on her face. It somehow made her look even more desirable.
“Asshole indeed.”
There was silence between us, but then she laughed, and things settled at once. She wasn’t laughing because it was funny, but because it was absurd. “Oh, my God.”
“Exactly.”
She stood. “What did he say?”
“He demanded I return you to him at once and that he knows I have you.”
The disbelief on her face would have been amusing under different circumstances.
“I don’t even like him and never wanted to marry him.”
“I’m aware, and he knows that too.” My gaze was trained on her. “The only question for me is: how does he know that you are with me?”
“Nico, there’s something—”
The explosion hit before she could finish, shaking the entire house. Glass shattered all around us, and the floor jumped beneath our feet. For one split second, neither of us understood what had happened, and then instinct took over. I moved first.
“Down!”
The second blast was louder. Much louder. And suddenly chaos arrived. I should have known Adrian was not going to rest easy.