I didn’t flinch.
Not even a little.
Because this was nothing new.
We always got attacked when we met. Every damn year, without fail, someone betrayed someone. A new alliance went sour, a silent grudge came roaring to life, or an old enemy decided they were finally strong enough to try and take us down.
This wasn’t fear, it was routine.
“Get them out,” I said coldly to one of my guards, nodding toward the panicking guests, my voice a sharp contrast to the chaos erupting around us. “And lock down the entrances.”
“Yes, sir.”
I rose from my seat, smoothing the front of my tailored suit, and took one final sip of the bitter espresso someone had placed in front of me half an hour ago. The taste was sharp and unpleasant, but familiar, like most things in my life.
A lesser man might’ve ducked for cover, called for backup, or hidden behind his guards. But not me.
“Please go back to our car and ask Paul to immediately drive you home.” Mr. Jones, a small man the same age as his wife with a bald head and a little overweight, told her in a serious tone. She instantly drank the last bit of wine that was left in her glass, before running to the exit.
And she wasn’t the only one to do so. Many people were either panicking, running away or even taking out their gun.
“Okay, the meeting is over now,” I said decisively.
“Everybody in the cars, we will head home immediately!”
I didn’t want to lie, but I was more relieved to finally leave this place, than scared about whatever was currently happening.
Relieved because the only thing I cared about right
now… was
getting back to him.
To Nikolai.
The drive home felt endless.
But when the gates to the estate came into view, something inside me coiled tighter.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
0
Even the guards outside looked unusually tense standing stiffer than usual as the cars pulled up the long drive. I stepped out before the engine fully stopped, ignoring the men calling after me as I strode toward the entrance.
Doors swung open the second I touched them. My footsteps echoed through the grand halls as my eyes scanned everything. The staircase. The halls. The corners where shadows lingered.
Empty.
I moved faster. Up the stairs, towards his bedroom, my heart pounding with a rhythm I rarely allowed myself to feel. I hated not knowing. I hated this helpless, clawing thing curling inside me. His door was closed. That was enough to make my heart stop
Chapter 132
But then
The door to my bedroom was cracked open.
A faint sliver of warm light spilled out onto the floor. I approached slowly, silently, until I could see inside.
And there he was.
Nikolai.
Lying on the bed my bed sprawled on top of the comforter, fast asleep.
His dark hair was a mess, falling into his eyes. One arm was draped over his chest, the other tucked under his cheek like he’d collapsed there and never moved again. His boots were still on. His phone lay dead on the nightstand beside him.
Relief hit me so hard, I had to grip the doorframe for a second just to breathe.
He was safe.
He was here.
My body moved before my brain caught up. I walked in, quiet, shutting the door behind me with a soft click. As if the world outside couldn’t reach us here. Not now.
I sat beside him on the bed and reached out, brushing
a lock of hair off his forehead. His skin was warm. His breath soft and steady.
Still mine.
Still breathing.
