Page 9 of Ruthless King

“What happened?” I whisper to her.

She only shakes her head.

The short man nods at me, and Nico nods in return. “Aurora, this way,” Nico says, motioning me to follow him. This is my chance to impress him. I’ll be alone with him. Can I just do the deed here?

But as I walk with Nico into a smaller room—an office—one of the guards comes with.

“That’s Enzo,” Nico explains. Enzo stands in front of the door, giving me no way to escape if I have to, which means I can’t kill Nico here. I probably wouldn’t even get close enough to do any damage.

Besides, I don’t even have a weapon.

I’m utterly defenseless.

Nico sits in a chair and nods at me to take the chair next to him. We’re so close his knees brush against mine. “So, why are you here?”

I’m here to convince you to marry me so I can kill you.

I lick my lips. “I’m here for a husband.”

Nico smiles faintly. “To the point. I like that. The other women I talked to tried flattery, but are you like them, Aurora?”

There is a part of me that hoped he wouldn’t remember my name. The way he says my name like a caress makes feel … strange.

“I’m too shy for flattery, sir,” I respond.

“Sir?” He raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize things were so formal.”

“Oh, uh … did you not want it to be? This entire situation seems very formal.”

“You have me there.”

I blurt out my next question. “Why did those two other women look upset when they finished speaking with you?”

“Because they weren’t prepared for my questions. But are you prepared, Aurora?”

Once again with my name.

“Why do you want a wife?” I ask him before he gets the chance to ask me a question that rattles me, too.

Nico is silent for a long time, keeping his eyes on me. The room is so quiet, I can hear Enzo’s every breath. Every shift of his feet on the hardwood floor.

“I want a wife,” Nico finally says, “because I want one.”

“But if you want one of us to be your wife, then you need to give me a better answer than that.”

“I thought you said you were shy.”

I flush. Beatrice taught me to ask Nico questions first. To disarm him. I would never be speaking to him this way otherwise. “You didn’t answer my question.”

He tilts his head, looking me over. “All right, Aurora. You’re right. I didn’t. The reason I want a wife—the real reason—is because this is a large mansion. It’s easy to get lonely. I have my work, which I love. I have my guards. Hell, I even have my second in command, Andrew.”

The short man, I realize.

When he leans in closer to me, I hold perfectly still. “But what I don’t have is a beautiful woman to share my success with. You see, I don’t have time for romance. I’m a busy man.”

“And yet you still want a wife.”

“Yes.”

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