CHAPTER 3
MELANIE
He knows! Nico Armani knows! But that's impossible, even my father doesn't know. My brothers don't know either and somehow they know everything.
I take a deep breath,trying not to make it visible. My smile doesn't falter. He might have meant something else. It's better to pretend like nothing is amiss.
He caresses my hand with his thumb and I pull my hands back and his eyes avert to his empty hand.
"Mr. Armani please have a seat." Reina stretches her hands towards the seat opposite mine.
Although she seemed composed,I could still see her trembling fingertips. It is obvious that she is scared. That's the reaction that he sparks in everyone. Fear.
I don't feel it. I never have. Maybe because I'm surrounded by men like him or maybe I'm too busy controlling the reaction my body has anytime he is near me to actually fear him.
From the corner of my eyes, I see people leaving the restaurant and then I decide to take in my surroundings. La Forte is a membership five star restaurant mostly frequented by people involved in my father and Nico's type of business. Their rules of non-violence is probably what makes it more civil when mafia dealings are being made here. I'm not sure that rule applies to Nico Armani. He rules this side of town.
As an enemy,I shouldn't be on his territory but I'm here for business. Mafia dealings do not interfere with business dealings even though it's the said business that covers the illegal activities of the mafia.
To my right,people are still rushing out of the restaurant. No one wants to be near Nico Armani except when necessary. To my left, the waiters and waitresses along with two men dressed in suit,probably the restaurant's mangers stand in a line. Most likely to welcome 'His royal Magesty'.
By tomorrow, the black net will surely be filled with gossip about how the major New York mafia families that have been enemies for decades met up yesterday and then my father would have my head for it.
"Welcome, Mr. Armani." The staff's chorused greetings resounds around us.
Nico walks toward his seat, unbuttons his suit and sits down. Nico Armani in a suit. Lord help me.
I take my seat opposite him and stretch out my hand towards Reina. She drops the file into my hand and moves to stand behind me.
"Leave us." He moves his index and middle finger backwards, signaling the staffs . All while staring at me like I'm the eighth wonder of the world.
When Reina doesn't move, he tilts his head in her direction and I signal for her to leave. She hesitates but then turns to leave the restaurant.
With only the two of us in the restaurant, my smile drops and I relax into my chair.
"For someone who's in a territory that she should not be in, you sure seem relaxed." His eyes roam all over me finally settling on the little cleavage showing from the second button of my shirt which I had unbuttoned and then back to my face.
"I believe that Mr. Armani knows not to mix business with personal feelings. I'm not here as the Bratva Princess of the Petrovs but as the CEO of Edilves Conglomerate." I tip my chin up and stare right back into those stupidly gorgeous brown eyes. They're cold and empty but at least I don't see a murderous intent in them. That's a plus.
If he wants to put our decades of blood feud before business, then I don't mind. I won't go down without a fight either. Besides this meeting was supposed to be between the COO and I.
He doesn't reply. I open the file in front of me and push it towards him.
" Starlight Limited has recently acquired a land that I have my eyes on. As you know Eldives has recently entered into the Real Estate industry and we are still trying to gain a foothold. I need this land to be able to win a bid next year." I take a pause. There's a smirk on his face and a look in his eyes I can't place. Is he impressed?
"So you are demanding that I give you the land that I spent so much money on acquiring?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Demand is a strong word,don't you think Mr. Armani?" I retort.
"It fits the situation, don't you think Miss Petrov?"
I take a deep breath. "We can discuss on the terms of compensation and how much it will cost for us to acquire that land."
He drops his smirk. "I don't want your money."
"Well neither do I have the time to deal with you but here we are anyways." I retorted. I lean towards the table and he raises a brow. "Here's what we are going to do. You are going to separate our blood feud from business and you'll sign the contract in front of you." I take a pause. My migraine is back.
He goes to say something but I lift an index finger and I could see his eyes dilate. I wouldn't even notice if I wasn't looking. "You will sign this deal. If you don't I still have other ways to get what I want. You may rule the underworld but when it comes to business I'm in charge and let's not make this a competition because I will win." The corner of my lip curls up. "I always do."
A corner of his lips lifts up and then the other one until he's full on smiling. "Are you threatening me?" He takes his index finger and rubs the bridge of his nose. "È stato caldo." He sounds breathless.
'That was hot'
I lean back on my chair. He just spoke in Italian. I'm not sure that was meant for my ears with the way he mumbled it but I did and I understood it and now I'm all hot and bothered. He think I'm hot. I feel like blowing my face with hand but I resist.
"Lo è?" I reply back trying to sound unbothered.
He chuckles and it sounds like a dream. It doesn't sound like something that could come out of someone like him and that's what makes it sound all the more dreamy and fucking sexy.
'Is it?'
"You speak Italian." He sounds like he just made a discovery.
"What made you think that I didn't?"
"We could work on your accent tho." He sounds like he's…
The shrill sound of my ringtone cuts through the air. I open my bag and take my phone out all while staring right back at him. I swipe the answer button without looking at who's calling. It would normally be rude to answer a call at a meeting but I'm Melanie Petrov. I can do whatever I want to do when I want to do it and I also want to piss him off.
I put the phone to my ear and my brother's voice rings through my ear. "Sestra where the hell are you?!" I pull the phone away from my ear to check the caller ID and I sit up immediately.
' sister'
"Brat, how about I call you back later? I'm at a meeting right now." He must have heard. I know he must have heard.
'Brother'
"If you dare hang up on me-." I hang up on him before he could finish his threat. I'll deal with him later.
"So you do have a Russian accent."
I ignore him.
"Are you signing the deal?" I ask. If I don't leave here soon,my brothers would rain hell here.
"I will." He takes a pause. "But I don't want your money. I want something else."
"Which is?"
"You." He says while tapping his index finger on the table.
"Mi scusi?!" My voice raises an octave higher while glaring at him.
'Excuse me?'
NB: Words written in Italics are the translations of the Italian or Russian words spoken by the characters.