Page 20 of Ruthless King

I need to get into Nico’s office and look around. He might have something in there linking him to my father.

But Enzo doesn’t give me any space.

Finally, I snap and spin around to face him. “Can I not get any privacy?”

“My instructions were to watch you and make sure you’re safe.”

“This entire mansion is guarded. I doubt anyone is getting in here to hurt me. I would like a chance to be alone for a little bit.”

“You can go to the bedroom.”

“But you’ll just be outside, and I’ll know that.”

“It’s my job, Mrs. Mancini.”

Mrs. Mancini. I completely forgot I’m no longer Aurora Costa. Granted, Beatrice forged my identity documents so am I even legally married to Nico? I can’t ask him that for obvious reasons.

“Just give me a few minutes alone. No one’s going to hurt me. I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

His eyes narrow. “Why would you say that?”

“Because you clearly don’t trust me. I’m just a woman, Enzo. I’m twenty. I’ve never even had a drink because I always follow the rules. Please, just give me some space.”

After a moment, he sighs and backs up a step. “All right. I’ll be over there.” He walks to a corner of the living room and just stands there. Does he even sleep? It doesn’t seem like it.

I use that opportunity to hurry down the hallway to the bedroom, but instead of going in there, I turn to Nico’s office. The door opens right up. Nico has no reason to distrust anyone in his inner circle, so there’s no reason to lock the door.

I tiptoe into the room and go straight for his desk. It’s clean, devoid of papers. I check the drawers but only find financial statements. None of this is tied to my father.

I check the dates on the statements, but they have no meaning to me. I don’t know when my father was working with Nico. I don’t know enough for any of this to make sense.

I slip the papers back into the desk and leave the room, disappointment clawing its way through my chest at the lack of evidence.

“What were you doing in there?”

I stop short. It’s Andrew, Nico’s second. “Uh …”

“Why were you in Nico’s office?”

“I’m his wife. I wanted to look around. Why are you here?”

“Because I work with Nico, and he asked me to come here and collect some papers.” Andrew eyes me suspiciously before heading into the office. I didn’t do anything wrong.

Andrew comes back out, looking a little less tense. He knows I didn’t take anything. “This”—he points at the office— “isn’t a place for you.”

“Then where is my place?”

“The kitchen?” Without a backward glance, he walks away.

I practically run into the bedroom and shut the door. Thankfully, there’s a lock on the door, and I push it down. This one space is for me. I can’t stand the judgmental gazes of Enzo and Andrew following me everywhere.

They’re rightfully suspicious of me, but these men are not good. They’ve partaken in murder and who knows what else. I would be doing the world a favor by killing a man like Nico, who’s probably done some terrible things.

But did he kill my father?

And am I capable of murder? That’s the question I ask myself for the rest of the day until Nico returns and we have dinner together.

Nico isn’t talkative over dinner—at least with me. He’s on his phone the whole time, just as he was during breakfast. I pick at my Brussel sprouts; the sight of them makes my stomach roll. I have to seduce Nico tonight. I’m still not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.

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