Chapter 27: Rumors
"Are you sure he is..." but Nico didn’t let me finish.
"...am I sure that the man in charge of your father’s security has something to do with his death? Yes. Either knowingly or unknowingly," he said, and as much as I hesitated, Nico was right.
If he had done a good and thorough job, Father would still be alive.
Nico continued to sip his coffee, and I glared at him as I glanced at mine, which was out of reach. "Can I at least get my coffee?" I asked, only for him to offer some of his, which I had no intention of drinking.
Instead of taking offense, he simply shrugged his shoulders with a laidback expression before speaking again. "We both know you can do whatever you want as long as you come back to sit on my lap," he said, and I stared at him, acknowledging something I already knew.
Taking a deep sigh, I was tempted to outright declare to his face that I indeed had no intentions of sleeping with him ever. He was the flame they warned babies about—the kind that was only going to end up burning me.
Releasing the breath I held, I decided I would simply allow him to do whatever he wanted, as long as he derived some pleasure from it. I turned my gaze to the road, only to go completely still.
It was morning, and more people were already filling the street. Worse was the fact that we were in an outdoor café, and I was sitting on the lap of a well-known CEO. Instantly, I fixed my glare at him, wondering what his plans were, only to see a small smirk on his lips as he pulled me closer, close enough for a kiss.
"You’re wondering what my plan is, but isn’t it obvious? I’m showing everyone that you belong to me," he whispered, a soft smile on his face. I immediately pulled back.
It wasn’t until I got back to my small cubicle at the office and noticed the stares on me that I realized I should have pulled away from him much faster than I did—especially since the pictures that flooded the internet had nothing to do with me sitting on his lap and more to do with the kiss that never happened.
It was all over the internet.
"Daughter of recently departed Nevarro Castillo found in a passionate embrace with billionaire Nico Romano."
"Billionaire Nico Romano sighted with a woman—could this be the beginning of love?"
"Billionaire Nico Romano passionately seen kissing Carmen Castillo. The romance of a century."
The headlines were outrageous, but even worse were the looks I got—the ones that refused to go away, almost like by staring at me, they could glean the truth. Still, it wasn’t like anyone would believe that I hadn’t actually kissed him when the pictures said otherwise.
It was the way I seemed to lean in and the way he held my waist and legs. It looked like we were about to get into it and only held ourselves back because of where we sat.
Slamming my phone face down, I did my best to ignore the stares fixed on me, even if they refused to ignore me. But it wasn’t until one of Nico’s other secretaries saw a need to speak to me that I felt compelled to respond.
"Aren’t you step-siblings? Family? That’s practically incest, right?" she asked, coming to stand behind me loud enough for everyone to hear. Usually, I would have denied it, but the fact that she felt she could talk to me like that grated on my nerves.
"...we’re adults, and if we want to fuck like dogs in his office, we will. It’s not my fault you’re too ugly to catch his attention," I responded while fake typing on my computer. I could hear her seething behind me as I waited for her to do something. I was prepared for it.
Only for Nico to walk out of his office the next moment, his bodyguards beside him. Without speaking, he waited in front of his door, and I got up. It was the end of the workday, and according to the plan, he was going to speak to the woman who had planted the bomb, and I wanted to be there.
Without packing anything else, I picked up my bag and made my way toward him, but not before I heard her harshly whisper as I passed by: "You’re one of many." I didn’t doubt it.
At the same time, I didn’t care. There was nothing between Nico and me, and I intended that nothing would change.
Walking beside him as we made our way toward the underground parking lot, he didn’t speak until I entered the car. "...do you want her fired?" he asked, and I simply scoffed.
"Why? For something you orchestrated?" I asked, not surprised to see a smug look on his face as he continued speaking. "...we are partners, so we should show a united front," he said, but I merely rolled my eyes, shifting away from him in the backseat, only for him to shift much closer than before.
His legs touched mine even as I felt my heart race—the familiar feelings rushing back as I did my best to bury them—but Nico clearly had other intentions as the car began to move.
"You want this too," he said, intensity in his gaze as he turned to look at me, while I fixed my eyes on the back of the driver’s head. "I can’t be the only one who wants to take off your pants, part your legs, and push my tongue—"
I shoved him hard, but he simply chuckled as I glared at him with all the emotions I could summon. "You might as well shut up if you’re going to say nonsense," I spat, but we could both hear how heavy my breathing had gotten as I turned my gaze back to the window, swearing to put some distance between us going forward.
