"Sir! Your mom is here… with a lady," A guard said, standing stiff like he expected to get shot for saying it.
Nico's eyes snapped open. "A lady?" His voice dropped cold, sharp like broken glass. "Who is she, and why?"
The guard shrugged helplessly. "I thought she was coming alone."
Nico scoffed and waved a hand. "Get out." Then he looked at Kyan without a single trace of warmth. "You. Out. Now."
Kyan didn't argue. He grabbed the ointment and rushed out, heart thumping as the tension in the room followed him like a shadow.
Nico stood, grabbing a clean shirt and pulling it on fast. He already knew what this was.
Another setup.
His mom never gave up. Always showing up with some desperate, overdone woman in heels too high and lips too red.
She had dreams of weddings and babies, of Nico smiling in family photos with a bride he couldn't stand.
"Nico, you're twenty-eight, can't you at least settle down?" she'd always say, her voice tight with frustration. "I want grandkids. I'm not getting any younger!"
But what his mother didn't understand was… he had no space left in him for love. No softness. Not anymore.
He loved once.
Once was enough.
Her name was Sera. Beautiful and wild, with a laugh that could melt steel. She made him feel human. Made him believe that even someone like him could be saved.
Then she betrayed him.
Sold him out to their enemies. Smiled in his face while stabbing him in the back—almost got his best friend killed. Almost got him killed.
She said it was just business. He learned the hard way: love, in this world, was always just business. Just a price. Just another game.
Now?
He didn't do love. He didn't do relationships. Women were temporary. Like alcohol. A high to pass the time. Nothing more.
So no, he didn't care who his mom brought this time.
She was wasting her breath.
Nico adjusted his cuffs, his face stone cold as he walked toward the living room. Another woman, another lecture, another rejection.
He was used to it.
He was Nico Luciano—the Mafia King.
And his heart had been buried a long time ago.
The front door opened with a soft click, and there she was—Nico's mother, looking all elegant in her silk blouse and signature pearls, strutting in like she owned the whole island.
But it wasn't just her.
Right beside her was a girl. A very pretty girl. Slender waist, long legs, and a red dress that screamed desperate to impress. Her perfume reached the room before she did.
"I thought I'd drop her by," his mother began with a sly smile. "She's the daughter of my old friend, Marina. Isn't she just stunning?"
The girl giggled softly, pushing her hair behind her ear and stretching out a hand toward Nico. "I've heard so much about you, Mr. Luciano."
Nico didn't take her hand.
Didn't even blink.
His cold stare was enough to turn champagne into ice.
His mother gave him a warning look. "Behave well, Nico. And don't be too rough this time."
Then she gave the girl a quick smile and exited, leaving them alone.
Nico barely sighed before Kyan walked in, holding two glasses of wine. He froze the second he saw the girl, glancing nervously between the two.
"Wine?" he offered quietly.
But before the glass could reach the table—Nico grabbed him.
"What—" Kyan started, but Nico had already pushed him down onto the velvet couch.
And then it happened.
The kiss.
Firm. Confident and no hesitation.
Kyan's eyes widened in pure shock. What the hell was happening?
The pretty girl stood frozen. "Oh. My. God." Her jaw dropped. "I knew the rumors were true. You're... gay?" She spun on her heels, scoffing. "This is disgusting," she muttered, storming out of the room like her heels were on fire.
The door slammed behind her.
Silence.
Nico slowly pulled back from Kyan, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "That should scare her off for life," he said with a lazy smirk, settling back into his chair like nothing had happened.
Kyan was still frozen, wine glass trembling in his hand.
He had just been kissed.
By his boss.
His cold, rude, emotionally-unavailable boss.
And somehow, he was still trying to process whether it was real... or just the start of something even crazier.
Kyan was still glued to the couch, eyes wide, lips parted, heart doing a full-on marathon in his chest.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
Nico didn't even look at him. He Just grabbed the wine glass Kyan was still holding and took a sip like nothing had just happened. Like he hadn't just kissed the life out of him in front of a girl.
"It was nothing," Nico said coldly, still not meeting his gaze. "Don't overthink it."
Kyan opened his mouth, trying to say something, anything—but nothing came out.
Nico stood, brushing off invisible dust from his dark shirt. His voice dropped lower, sharp as glass. "Now stop standing there like a damn idiot and go do your job."
He walked past him, shoulders squared like he wasn't bothered one bit, leaving Kyan alone with his spinning head and burning cheeks.
And maybe… just maybe… the faint taste of danger still lingering on his lips.
"This is crazy…" Kyan muttered to himself, pacing slowly. "Is he actually gay? Or just pretending? What the hell was that kiss even about?"
His fingers brushed over his lips again, his face still hot. Everything about Nico was confusing—cold one second, bold the next. He didn't know whether to scream, blush, or run.
Just then, a loud noise echoed from outside.
Bang!
Followed by heavy footsteps and sharp commands.
Kyan froze. His heart thudded in his chest as he turned toward the door.
One of the bodyguards rushed in, out of breath, eyes wild. "Sir! We just captured a Massimo!"
The name hit Kyan like a slap.
A Massimo?
His blood ran cold.
He stood there stiff, his stomach twisting in fear.
Please don't let it be someone I know, he thought.
Please…