Page 83 of Forbidden Deception

A buzz sounds through the night, and the gates slide open. I glance at my brothers, then we all walk through. The butleropens the grand front door and guides us through the house to a living room.

Khyros leans back against the wall, while Eiran slowly wanders around the room, possibly checking for cameras.

Mikko and I stand in the middle of the room, awaiting Mr Ricco’s arrival.

“No visible cameras,” Eiran says quietly after a few minutes, but we don’t relax or chat.

We all stand with our shoulders tight, hands at our sides, and watching the entrance.

Few minutes later, the Ricco men walk in. One by one.

Theodore Ricco. Erik Ricco. Alister Ricco.

Samuel Ricco’s father and brothers.

Theodore steps forward, letting his walking stick take his weight, then stretches a hand towards me. I grasp it and give it a firm shake. Erik follows with a nod, as does Alister.

“Mr Gustav, what brings you here so late?” Theodore asks, wheezing.

I look away from him and fix my gaze on his eldest son. He frowns and looks at Alister, who doesn’t look away from Mikko and me.

Slowly, a smile spreads across my face.

These are the men who are trying to push Venezia to madness, trying to get her to twist and bend to their will. Don’t they understand how much worse their own ending will be?

Everything Venezia told me had me on the edge, wanting to barge into their home and behead them, but it wouldn’t be good for my reputation, so I need to keep calm while I slowly destroy everything they own.

“Million dollar question, isn’t it?” I grin, looking at each of them in their eyes.

Mikko crosses his arms, which catches Theodore’s eyes.

“If you can tell me why you are here, maybe I can be of some help,” he presses, and, interestingly, the rasp in his voice is absent.

“Do you often terrorise women?”

“What kind of question is that?” Erik grits out.

“How dare you ask us something like that in our own house?” Alister demands, his narrowed eyes darting between each of us.

We don’t move.

“Sir, Mr Cainn is here,” the butler who ushered us in says as he rushes into the room.

Remo steps in right behind the butler, then stops. His cold, dark gaze scans each person in the room and eventually lands on me. A tic in his jaw forces me to hold in a smile.

“Oh, you have business with Remo Cainn, too? How…interesting. How about we all sit down together and talk over tea?” Mikko says pleasantly.

Someone snorts, and everyone’s attention snaps to Eiran, who turns to look out the window.

“Mr Gustav, nice to see you… here,” Remo says in his deep, emotionless voice. He approaches me, then turns to face the Riccos. I never would have imagined this scenario.

“What is the meaning of this? Was this planned?” Theodore demands, his face growing red.

“Actually, I was here to ask you how long it would take you to evacuate if you knew you had about”—Remo looks at his watch—“five minutes to make it outside before fire consumed your mansion.”

All three Ricco men’s eyes widen. I, too, am surprised by this information, but I keep my expression neutral.

“I think it might take them longer than that. They probably havemanyimportant belongings and documents to gather.,” I comment, and Remo nods.

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