Chapter 86: It hurts
Carmen
Mivite was a new form of geothermal energy that had been discovered all over the world. Not only was it rare, but it was incredibly valuable because of the immense energy it contained.
I myself had only heard rumors about it, with there being only one company in the entire world that had been able to harness it successfully.
Gorinth was a new country, and there was no way the top five nations—China, Russia, America, Israel, and South Africa—would allow such a thing to go unchecked.
My brows furrowed deeper in annoyance and unease as I stared at Nico, who still had his back to me, his gaze fixed on the endless stretch of the horizon where the sea met the sky.
Yet I kept staring at him when I felt every part of my body suddenly go numb as I forced myself to walk toward him, stopping only when I was back by his side, close enough to hear the quiet rhythm of his breathing over the soft crash of waves.
"You knew, didn’t you? When you allowed me to be sold—you knew!" I said, my voice tight, watching him turn slightly and nod his head without hesitation, not even trying to deny it as he gave a careless shrug.
"I knew that something big had to be going down. If someone simply wanted a territory, they would have killed Gotti and Vito first—but Castilo?"
"Moreover, his security detail had to have been compromised, something you know he has always been paranoid about. For it to happen—and succeed—meant bigger players were involved," Nico responded calmly, as I tried not to grit my teeth and let the boiling anger in my chest cloud my vision.
"What about me? You bought me because you thought I would be useful? You knew they wanted the Northern Territory specifically. I mean, it is closer to the shore," I pressed, my voice sharper now.
"I didn’t lie to you, Carmen!" he snapped, a hint of frustration breaking through his usual composure as he met my gaze directly.
"Why do you think we’re having this conversation?"
"I wanted you, but yes—I also thought you might be useful," he admitted plainly, and when I searched his eyes, I found nothing but blunt, unapologetic truth staring back at me.
I nodded slowly, because I hadn’t expected anything more. Nico didn’t owe me anything. Moreover, the sex had been just that...sex.
"Is that all?" I asked, even though I knew there was more—he was simply keeping his cards close to his chest, as always.
Silence settled between us, heavy and suffocating, though I could clearly hear the loud, uneven thumping of my heart echoing in my ears as I waited.
His shoulders shifted, muscles flexing beneath his shirt as he rolled them slightly before finally opening his mouth again.
"I had his will doctored," Nico said.
It was all I could do not to gasp as I stared at him as though he were something unreal—something monstrous.
What exactly had I expected? Decency from a man like him? Realizing now that it had been a mistake to sleep with him only made my chest tighten. I had been a fool to let myself get that close.
Clenching my hand tightly against the yacht’s polished railing, I swallowed hard, hating that he had already turned his gaze back to the horizon, as though the vast ocean held something far more interesting than this conversation.
"You divided it? You left fifty percent open so you could take it for yourself!" I said with certainty, convinced that Nico had, from the very beginning, ensured he would walk away with the largest share.
What did I expect—that he was doing something good out of the depths of his black, rotten heart?
And yet, painfully, I realized that some small part of me had expected him to treat me better—simply because he had been sleeping with me.
I barely finished speaking before he scoffed, straightening to his full height and pushing himself away from the railing as he turned to face me fully.
"No. Your darling father did not give you anything. I couldn’t have that, could I, since you were my new partner," he said, his tone cutting.
I was already shaking my head.
My eyes burned with anger as a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Now you decide to lie?" I asked, but it was the slight curve of his lips—the almost pitying look he gave me—that made my heart pound harder, dread creeping in.
"Why would I, when the truth is more than enough?" Nico sighed.
"...He gave thirty percent to me, and seventy percent to Kade—to be handled by me until he was old enough. There were a couple of contingencies to ensure it was done properly, and a few benefits to me. Of course, he left a hefty yearly allowance for you—and some businesses for you to manage," Nico continued.
With every word, I felt my heart pound harder, my breath catching painfully in my throat.
I didn’t want to believe it—but the more he spoke, the harder it became to deny.
"...Castilo was a traditional man at heart. He might have cherished you in his own twisted way, but there was no way he would have allowed you to lead," Nico added.
I could only stand there, frozen, listening as the sound of my own heartbeat roared in my ears.
"...To him, there was no way you could carry on his legacy once you got married—and all the other expectations that came with it," he continued.
I finally took a few unsteady steps back, drawing in shallow breaths. My hands clenched so tightly that my nails bit into my palms, grounding me in the sharp sting.
I turned my gaze back to the horizon, because it was easier—far easier—than looking at Nico.
If what he said was true—and it could be, knowing my father—then it meant that everything I had done, everything I had sacrificed to be seen as worthy...had meant nothing.
My vision hardened as I stared blankly ahead, memories surfacing uninvited—Vito and Gotti’s expressions when they had first heard that Father had supposedly left everything to me.
They hadn’t believed it.
I had.
Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed when Nico moved closer, stepping beside me. I could smell him—clean, sharp—and he stood just behind me, close enough for his presence to feel suffocating.
Close enough for his voice to brush against my ear as he murmured,
"It doesn’t matter. As far as everyone knows, the North belongs to you."
It took everything in me not to break.
I wasn’t a child.
But what hurt more than the money, more than the territories, was the realization that the man I had spent my life trying to impress...had never truly seen me as worthy of anything at all.
