— Oh Boy —
"Where are we?"
It'd taken an hour to leave her thing in boxes with the help of the two men, whom Nikolas threatened into helping. Now, all that was left was to have them transferred once she found a new place.
Nikolas glanced at her. "This is my brother's place."
Viviana stared at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Your brother's place? Wait, you have a brother?"
"Yes." He nodded. "We're twins actually."
"Twins?"
"Mhm. Although, I don't think we look much alike. Not identical." He chuckled. "He's a minute older."
"It seems he's rather well off," Viviana muttered.
He sighed. "Very well off indeed. I'm the unfortunate one, as you can see."
"That must feel awful."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, being the only one who's not so well off. But I suppose your family must be nice."
His expression fell.
Lying like this, it felt so stressful. What he would give to be able to tell her the truth right here and now. But this woman didn't want a rich man, she had enough of them for reasons personal to her. Who knows what she might do if she knew he was one of them?
His finger subconsciously pressed into the doorbell.
Would she cancel this thing between them?
But if she did, he'd never be able to figure out why a human like her made him feel this way. Why he could never seem to get her off his mind twenty-four seven, as if she was something he couldn't describe to him.
The door pulled open, and coming into view was Francesca.
Her pupils dilated slowly, her gaze shifting to Viviana.
"Nikolas."
"Yes, Francesca?"
"Hello." Viviana painted the biggest smiles she'd ever held.
Francesca offered back a smile and gestured into the house. "Please come in."
Viviana moved in with her bag, and Nikolas proceeded to follow suit. Francesca, however, grabbed his arm, gritting out, "You have a big explanation to give."
"I know. And I'm sorry." Nikolas gave an apologetic crooked smile as he made his way into the house.
"Uncle Niko!!!"
A six-year-old girl in an adorable brown shirt and shorts raced down the spiral staircase toward him.
Nikolas opened his arms, scooping her up to twirl her around. "Lucia."
The little girl, Lucia, giggled. "What do you think of my hair, Uncle Niko? Papa did it for me yesterday."
His eyes scanned over the singular smooth braids of her hair, with colorful clips over them.
"Do you think they're pretty?" she asked.
Nikolas booped her nose. "Absolutely. It makes you so adorable."
Her giggles grew louder, but then she suddenly went quiet, blinking her big blue eyes at Viviana.
"Hi, you're so pretty," she blurted as Nikolas put her down on her feet.
Viviana fluttered her eyes, the tip of her nose flushing as her lips tried stifling her smile. "O-oh. Why, thank you."
Lucia walked over to stand in front of her. She craned her neck back to stare at her, lips puffed dramatically with a pondering look on her face. She would tilt her head from side to side before suddenly blurting again, "Are you Uncle Niko's girlfriend?"
Nikolas stared at her in shock.
"Who taught you that?" He eyed Francesca. "And no—" He cleared his throat. "—She's my wife."
"Ooooo." Lucia giggled, lifting both little thumbs. "She pretty."
Viviana shyly tucked her hair behind her ear, resisting the urge to smile wider than she'd already done. The little girl was far too cute, and she'd never really been around kids.
"Viviana." Nikolas grabbed her attention, introducing, "This is Francesca. She's my brother's wife. And this is Lucia, my niece."
Lucia waved more than happily to her. "Hi!"
"Hi." Viviana waved back.
"It's very nice to meet you." Francesca offered a handshake.
Viviana took it, saying, "I'm sorry for imposing on you."
"Don't worry about it." Francesca smiled, shaking her head. She turned to Nikolas. "Shall we have a word?"
Nikolas glanced at Viviana before leaving the room with her. They walked into the kitchen, where Francesca stopped, turning with arms folded. "What is going on, Nikolas?"
"I know what it seems like—" Nikolas started. "—But I had a good reason."
"Which is?"
"I had no idea she had an apartment in my penthouse," he said.
Francesca furrowed her brows. "She did?"
"On the ninetieth floor. I only just found out last night."
"And is that why you're here so abruptly?"
"No." Nikolas pocketed his hands. "Her father apparently is the one who paid for the apartment."
"Don't tell me he kicked her out."
"Exactly that."
"Why?"
"Listen." He steepled his fingers. "Viviana doesn't know what I really am, not even the fact that I'm Nikolas Batiani, who owns Bratva."
She blinked at him. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I couldn't tell her."
"What the…" Francesca pinched between her brows. "Nikolas, I don't understand how you can be this entangled with a woman you met just a single night."
Nikolas's brow shot up. "Weren't you smitten with my brother the very first day I introduced him to you?"
"That was different!" She glared at him. "It was love at first sight, alright? And we went on a proper date. By the way, that reminds me. He and I haven't really gone on those dates for a while now. Ugh, I miss my husband so much…" She trailed off with a dreamy look on her face.
"Francesca!"
She snapped out of it. "What?"
"You've got to help me."
"With?"
"Just a few days. Let us stay here. I'm going to have a place ready."
Francesca sighed. "Niko, I don't have a problem with that. You're welcome to stay whenever you please and however long you want. If I'm worried about anything, it's this entire thing you have going on."
"Francesca."
"Nikolas, all this is going to go wrong when she finds out what you are. It's going to hurt, especially from the way you seem so—"
"I'm not in love with her. It isn't like that."
"No?" She raised a brow.
"C'mon, there is no way I'm falling in love with a woman I met a night ago."
"Then what is it?" Francesca asked. "Why are you acting like you would lose your mind if you didn't stay close to this human? For heaven's sake, I've never seen you like this over a woman. A human at that."
"That's the thing."
Nikolas began to pace the kitchen.
"I don't understand it either. There's just something about her that picks at me. Every piece of me wants to keep her close. And if it means giving myself to her, I'm more than glad to do it as long as it gives me the chance to figure out why she affects me in this way. I want to know what she is to me. I could be forgetting something."
Francesca scratched at her temple, sighing. "I hope you don't end up hurting yourself, Nikolas."
Nikolas's gaze grew appreciative as he turned, leaving the kitchen. She followed him out into the living room, where Lucia was now seated across from Viviana, legs crossed in a bow style.
"Would you like to have a tea party with me, aunty?"
"Ah, yes. But… I have to go to work this afternoon."
Lucia's face fell in disappointment.
Viviana quickly added, "B-but I can spare you a bit of my time when I get back tonight."
"You will?" Lucia blinked her pair of doe eyes, slipping out a finger. "Let's pinky promise then."
"Pardon?"
Viviana was lost.
"What's a pinky promise?"
That earned bubbles of laughter from the little girl. She grabbed her hand, locking their pinkies together. "This is a pinky promise, aunty, and it cannot be broken. If you break it, you will be cursed."
"I will?" Viviana's pupils dilated.
Nikolas, who was still by the door, swallowed his amusement, not wanting to be noticed.
Francesca glanced at the smile he couldn't hide and then at Viviana. She shook her head pitifully.
"Oh boy," she muttered under her breath.
"…This is not going to end well."