HIS BY MISTAKE

Chapter 4

KAIA’S POV

Why was the car turning into this road… could it be what I was thinking?

My heart had no reaction left. I was so weak, like I could literally give up in minutes. I was tired.

My thoughts were confirmed when the car slowed in front of the huge, ancient metallic gates.

All my stress just to come back to this?

So this man worked for the cathedral, and all those threats were probably just to scare me off so I wouldn’t try to run again. I felt a wave of disappointment settle in my chest.

But it was better than being killed.

Coming back to the life I was used to was far better than some unknown evil befalling me.

The car parked beside a black luxury sedan. The man in the front passenger seat got down and came to open the door for me.

I stepped out and looked around at my overfamiliar environment.

We started toward an illuminated walkway, the soft lights lining the path casting long shadows across the ground. The further we walked, the quieter it became.

We moved toward the back.

I hadn’t really been here before. This area was out of bounds. The only time I had ever come close was when I was much younger, wandering too far while playing, before being dragged back.

A high-security gate stood ahead. One of the men accessed it, and it opened with a quiet mechanical sound.

We stepped into a long hallway. Our footsteps echoed faintly as we walked, the sound stretching unnaturally along the walls. The air felt colder here.

We stopped in front of a door and it was opened, one of the men gesturing his hand for me to step inside. I stepped inside and they followed.

My kidnapper was seated in one of the chairs and opposite him sat a man who looked to be in his early sixties.

He didn’t look fragile. If anything, he looked… composed.

His features were sharp, and he had olive-toned skin. His dark hair was brushed back neatly, streaked faintly with grey at the temples. His eyes stood out most.

Everything about him felt intentional.

The office itself reflected the same.

There was a large polished dark wooden desk, and two large chairs sat in front of it, with a small table between them. Bookshelves also lined the wall. The room was brightly lit.

I looked at the man again and he looked familiar. I had seen him before. He was one of the senior figures here. He had spoken to me twice in the past.

“Come and sit, Kaia,” the man said with a thick Italian accent, a small smile forming as he gestured to the space beside him.

I hesitated for a second before moving.

One of the men stepped inside and handed a file to my kidnapper. Without a word, the men turned and left, closing the door behind them.

The sound echoed softly.

And suddenly, it was just the three of us.

Strangely… I felt more uneasy with this man than with my kidnapper.

My kidnapper slid the file across the table toward him. The older man hesitated before picking it up, glancing briefly at me, then at my kidnapper before opening it.

I didn’t understand what was happening. But somehow… I wasn’t as weak as I had been before. I just wanted this to be over.

I needed to know what my fate was.

What was in the file?

Was he reporting me?

“I didn’t know what that place was,” I said. “I wasn’t looking for anything.” I added, not knowing why I was explaining.

The older man looked at me.

“Calm down, my dear,” he said gently. “You don’t have to worry. This will be sorted out.”

His voice was calm and almost fatherly. But something about it didn’t sit right with me. It didn’t feel real.

After checking through the file he turned to my kidnapper.

“So… what do you want?” he asked, dropping the file on the table.

My kidnapper let out a small smile before leaning forward slightly. His gaze shifted to me and he held it for a second or two.

Though it was long enough to make my chest tighten.

“Her.”

My brows pulled together, turning slightly, instinctively looking behind me. But there was no one else.

The older man’s expression changed but it was just slightly.

“Do you know what you’re asking for?”

“I know,” he replied, his tone was calm and unbothered.

“This is no child’s play,” the older man said.

For a moment, I felt something loosen in my chest. It was obvious they weren’t talking about me. They couldn’t be.

“James,” my kidnapper said calmly, his expression unchanged, “did you just refer to me as a child?” there was no anger in his voice.

“I apologize,” the older man said immediately.

Silence stretched for a moment. The older man leaned back slightly in his chair.

“You don’t make requests like this,” he said slowly. “Not here.”

My eyes flickered between them watching the drama.

“I just did,” my kidnapper replied.

James let out a quiet breath through his nose, his fingers tapping once against the edge of the file before going still again.

“And what exactly do you think you’re gaining from this?” he asked.

My kidnapper’s gaze shifted back to me again. He gave that same look like I was something to be figured out.

“More than you think,” he said finally.

“Less than you’re willing to lose,” James countered.

At this point, I was getting impatient. I just wanted them to settle my situation before their whatever-talk I didn’t care to know about. Maybe they’d even forgotten I was the reason they were here in the first place.

“I’m not negotiating,” my kidnapper said.

“You’re standing inside my ground,” James said quietly. “You don’t get to decide the terms here.”

My kidnapper leaned back slightly now, his posture relaxed but his eyes didn’t move.

“I didn’t come here to ask,” he said,his eyes going to the file.

James cleared his throat, a subtle sign of discomfort showing,

I didn’t understand anything anymore. A few minutes ago, I thought I was being returned.

Now—

I wasn’t even sure if I was the center of discussion.

“You’re involving yourself in something bigger than your operations,” James said.

“I decide my reach,” he replied calmly.

James looked at me before glancing back at my kidnapper.

“You take her,” he said.

My head snapped slightly toward him.

Wait—What? Was this whole discussion about me?

“Where are you taking me to?” I asked my voice shaking, but I got no reply.

My kidnapper turned slightly toward me.

“Get up.” There was no force or raised voice, but my body reacted instantly

I stood up unsteadily. My kidnapper got beside me just before I could fall back, he caught me. His hand steadied me as he looked into my eyes with quiet seriousness.

“You are mine now,” he said.