Chapter 123: I like you
Carmen
We talked a bit more after that, though most of it was me eating while Nico mostly just stared at me.
Not casually either.
It was the kind of stare that made it feel like he was trying to memorize every outline of my face so he would never forget it. The longer it went on, the more aware of him I became, and I hated it.
I focused on my food instead.
Even after finishing nearly everything on the platter, my mind still circled back to the same problem that had been bothering me from the beginning.
I took a sip of my drink before bringing it up again.
"Without government contracts, we’ll never get close enough to benefit from the mivite," I sighed, thinking deeply about it.
Of course, most of the profits would ultimately go to the government since they were the ones granting excavation rights. It was their land, after all.
But that wasn’t the real issue.
The company chosen to excavate would benefit the most in the long run. They would control the resources directly, oversee transportation, distribution, and supply.
And if a few shipments happened to disappear along the way, it wasn’t like anyone would notice immediately.
Government supervisors could always be handled.
"What do you think we should do?" I asked him before correcting myself. "No... what can we do?"
Even while speaking, I was already trying to think several steps ahead.
"If they’re rejecting us this blatantly, then it means they already plan to hand the contract to someone else," I muttered.
"It could be Vito, but we own enough shares that taking the company down from the inside wouldn’t exactly be difficult."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"It can’t be Gotti either. Not with the authorities actively looking into him. They clearly have something on him already, and any company tied to him would immediately be shunned."
I narrowed my eyes slightly while thinking through the possibilities.
"That leaves both of us and—"
"Bianca."
Nico finished the sentence before I could.
His voice was low and deep as he stared directly at me, hands folded neatly in his lap.
He looked good.
Annoyingly good.
It was something I hated admitting even to myself.
Nico always carried himself with an effortless kind of confidence, calm and composed no matter the situation. Sitting across from me, he gave off the impression that no matter what happened, he would handle it.
Nothing rattled him.
Nothing scared him.
Even now, I’d caught several women around the restaurant staring at him, silently begging for his attention.
And the sex—
The sex was even worse.
Amazing in ways I refused to ever admit aloud, especially not to his arrogant face.
Still, the truth remained.
I was attracted to him.
And I didn’t want whatever this was between us to end.
What frightened me more, however, was something else entirely.
I was slowly beginning to trust him.
Trust that he wouldn’t hurt me.
And that was dangerous considering deep down, I still wasn’t completely certain he had nothing to do with my father’s death.
It also didn’t help that lately I’d started seeing my father differently.
Not as someone worthy of admiration, but as a man who had thrown me aside like I meant nothing. A man who had chosen Kade as his heir no matter how long or how desperately I’d fought for his approval.
"Carmen."
Nico’s voice cut sharply through my thoughts.
The fierceness in his tone pulled me back to reality instantly.
"Am I boring you?" he asked, and there was an almost violent undertone beneath the question.
His gaze remained fixed on me intensely.
"No," I answered immediately, forcing my expression blank. "I was thinking about the situation. And the solution."
I avoided meeting his eyes fully because Nico had this irritating way of looking at me like he could see through every thought in my head.
"The solution isn’t the problem," he said calmly.
"If it comes down to it, we’ll simply stay back and watch the government award the contract to whoever they choose. We’ll even wait for them to begin constructing the excavation sites."
The moment he said it, I already knew where the conversation was heading.
"You’ll sabotage it."
I said it like a fact because with Nico, it usually was.
He met my gaze steadily, the corner of his lips lifting into a faint smile.
"Sabotage is such a strong word," he sighed dramatically, though the sly look in his eyes ruined any innocence in his tone.
"I don’t think adapting depending on the situation is a good idea," I told him carefully.
He shook his head slightly.
"We’re in the dark about our enemies," he admitted. "And as much as I hate saying it, they might be far more powerful than we think."
For once, he sounded genuinely serious.
"I’ve been trying to find information on who arranged the first excavation contract for Vito’s company," he continued, "but even with all my resources, it’s been difficult."
I listened quietly.
"We won’t have the advantage of planning ahead this time."
"Which is why you want a war," I said immediately.
For the briefest second, surprise flickered across his face.
It was small.
Almost invisible.
But it was enough to confirm I was right.
"You think I want a war in the city?" he asked with amusement dancing near his lips. "The authorities would get involved. Hell, the government might even bring in the army."
His gaze never left mine.
"Do you think I can take on the military, Carmen?" he asked softly. "Do you think I’m insane enough to try?"
I studied every inch of his expression.
He looked entertained.
"I think you’re mad enough to try," I answered honestly.
He didn’t even bother denying it.
Instead, he leaned forward slightly over the now-cleared table, smiling wider.
"But you like me like that, don’t you?"
The question landed directly in my chest, my heartbeat suddenly loud enough to irritate me.
Still, I kept my expression blank.
"In your dreams," I replied coolly, despite the heat creeping beneath my skin under the intensity of his gaze.
"Would you believe me if I said I like you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, I immediately stood up from my chair.
Making it very clear the conversation was over.
I glared at him, hating the amused look on his face as he slowly stood as well. Apparently, he had already paid the bill while we were eating.
"If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, then we might as well leave," I told him directly.
Because no matter what happened between us, Nico and I could never become real lovers.
Not in this life.
That simply wasn’t the kind of man he was.
And it would be stupidity on my part to pretend otherwise.
