His Forbidden Mafia Princess

Chapter - fifteen

Aleena–POV

This asshole is the reason my business is on the edge of collapse. No one gets to take the hard-earned effort I poured into this company, the years I worked alongside Brian to grow it to scale in just three years.

He regarded me with amused eyes and a mocking smile. He dares to test me like this.

"You… did this to my company," I said, my voice barely under control. "How?"

He didn't answer.

"I suppose we should leave," he said instead.

My hands clenched into fists. I walked up to him, my body thrumming with anger. Every single day and night I worked to build this f*****g business to make money, to protect myself and Elanor, and to hide what was mine from my father's reach. This asshole took everything from me.

I raised my fist to punch him in the jaw. Brian stepped in front of me, his large hand catching my fist mid-swing before it connected with that smug face.

"Don't resort to violence," Brian whispered. I met his hazel eyes, a steady reminder not to lose control.

"Who are you?" Nico asked. "Oh, right? You're the CEO of Black Vault Security."

"Yes. I am," Brian said coldly, pulling me close to his frame like a shield.

Nico looked at him with an icy detachment that I recognized as ‌the same look he had in the basement, the one where his green eyes went so cold it was like every trace of humanity had drained out of them.

"If you're done talking to Alee, you can leave," Brian said. His voice carried a chilling calm I had never heard from him in the three years I'd known him.

I didn't want Brian dragged into this. He was my best friend, the one who had been there for me in the hardest moments. He couldn't get pulled into this mess.

"Brian. I'm okay." I said, pulling his attention back to me. He gave a curt nod.

"We are leaving. Right now, Aleena." Nico's voice landed like a command, and it pissed me off instantly. Brian's eyes snapped to him.

"Who are you to tell her to leave, like you own her?" Brian hissed.

"She is my wife." Nico's voice cut through the air. His hand closed around mine, and he pulled me away from Brian. I caught Brian's expression, wide-eyed, blindsided.

"What! You married this guy?" he asked, stunned.

"I'll explain later. Can you go handle the crisis?" I asked.

"Not going to work," Nico mocked.

I wiggle free from his hold and shove off from his side, pressing a thumb drive into Brian's hand. "Go. Now." I warn. Nico yanks me back, my spine pressed against his chest.

"What did you give him?" he asked.

"Something to get my business back up and running," I said.

"Not happening. I hired the best people to destroy you." The words made my skin crawl. His grip tightened around my wrist until it hurt.

"You don't know me," I said.

"I know you well enough. Better than you know yourself." His voice carried something that felt like hate burned into every syllable.

"After all, you're just a blank page with no recollection of the past. You don't even know what you are."

"Let's go back to your prison," he said, pulling me away, his other hand already texting someone.

I'm worried about whether Brian can fix this in time. I left my code on the drive; it should help counterattack the malware, but only if he gets out fast enough.

Nico pushed me into his black Ferrari and got behind the wheel, pulling out without a word. I stared out the window, mind churning.

I made sure there was no digital footprint. No way to track me. So how did he find me?

"You're going to tell me how you found me," I said, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

He smirked. "Like I'd ever tell you."

I frowned. Yeah. What was I even expecting?

My mind was spiraling. Too much had happened too fast. I needed to think; I needed to dig into my past, the one this asshole kept weaponizing against me like I was the villain of his story. Maybe he was lying. Maybe all of it was a lie. My fist clenched at the thought of what he'd done to my company.

"Your whole reason for marrying me is to destroy me," I said, not looking at him, eyes fixed on the window.

He didn't answer. I already knew, though. He hadn't saved me from Rayne Morris out of anything close to mercy; he'd wanted me close. Wanted to watch me fall apart when he took everything I cared about. Elanor. Her face flashed into my mind. She could be next. Or Brian; he's the only one still in my corner. What if Nico goes after my current project? What if he hurts me physically?

Dread crawled up my spine. I could feel his eyes on me, checking my face every few seconds, gauging my reaction. It was getting harder to hold the panic in. My head was pounding.

"Stop the car," I said.

I grabbed ‌the wheel. The car fishtailed before he wrestled it back under control, shoving my hand away from the wheel.

"What is wrong with you?" he hissed.

"Stop the car. I'm not going anywhere with you." I pulled the gun and leveled it at him.

He didn't flinch. Didn't even blink, as if the barrel pointed at his head were an inconvenience.

"Put the gun down, Aleena." His voice was calm. Commanding.

"I am not going back to that place so you can—" The words broke apart in my throat. My head was ringing. Sweat prickled at my skin and the memories rushed up uninvited: men's voices, hands on me, the suffocating disgust I had buried so deep I thought it was gone.

"I won't let you—" I couldn't finish.

His hand closed over the gun and stripped it from my grip. He hit the brakes. My body lurched forward, the seatbelt snapping me back before I could hit the dash. My heart slams against my ribs.

"Are you f*****g crazy?" He was glaring at me, eyes ice-cold, a reminder that this was a man I had just threatened, a man who could kill me without losing sleep over it.

He got out of the car, came around to my side, unbuckled my seatbelt, and pulled me out. The fresh air hit my skin. He stood a few feet away, hand raking over his hair.

"We could have died," he said, his voice low and tight. Something had shifted in him. The icy edge was still there, but it had cracked just slightly. He looked away from me.