Forbidden Deception (Deception)

16

“D id you not bring your assistant with you?”

I rub my temples while Mikko smirks across from me. This isn’t a dinner topic. Surely, he doesn’t think I would actually bring my assistant to a family dinner. A woman who makes me go crazy.

“Assistant?” Liya frowns from next to him, taking a bite of the steak Dad prepared.

“Yeah, Venezia. I told him to bring her because I thought she would be great for Eiran, but he showed up alone. Just because you want to die alone doesn’t mean everyone else does too,” Mikko continues, plating food for his six-year-old daughter, Jasmine.

“Papa, I want juice.” She points at the jug next to me.

Mikko grabs it, pours it into a cup, and gives it to her.

She grins at him over the rim of the glass.

“I have to see the woman. It’s not often you boys talk about someone for Eiran,” Dad cuts in, raising a curious brow.

“She’s not just up for grabs, you fuckers. What if she has a boyfriend? A husband, even?” The thought of her being with Eiran or even having someone else burns something inside of me for some reason. It makes me absolutely pissed to even think about it.

“Don’t bother Rafael too much. Maybe he is still trying to find the one for himself. It doesn’t mean he will fall for his assistant, the only one who’s made it this long.”

My head snaps up, and I narrow my eyes at Liya, who tries to hide her smirk.

“Can we not talk about her? This isn’t what I came here for.” I sigh. It’s a losing battle, and the brother who actually does support me isn’t even here. He’s in London for the time being, to help me with the case against Remo Cainn.

“How did it go with Archer Madden?”

A smile plays at my lips at the name. The brother of the pharmaceutical tycoon loves to play around and piss people off. He didn’t think before provoking me.

“It went down as it always does. He slipped up and admitted to adding harmful chemicals to the new headache medicine. Then I had him down on his knees. I even have the video with me.” I pull out my phone and show it to the table.

Mikko covers his daughter’s eyes, and I turn the volume off to avoid her hearing anything.

Eyes around the table intensely watch as I demand for him to sell his shares to Madden pharmaceutical to me to avoid the press getting hold of it, all while he begs at my feet, asking me not to post the video of him having sex with the woman I sent to him, then his pillow confession.

“I never promise that I delete the videos, just that I let go of them. For now…” I shrug, putting away my phone.

“You need to keep your security top-notch, son. You never know what kind of people are around you,” Dad says.

I shake my head. “No one can touch me, Dad, and you know it. I will be there with a gun to their forehead before they can even lay a finger on me.”

Eiran shakes his head. “Does that mean you have dirt on everyone who even slightly poses a threat to you? Will you always do this?” Eiran asks, watching me carefully.

Eiran, being the clean guy of the family at twenty-four, doesn’t want anything to do with this. He likes to live his life freely without worrying about enemies. He doesn’t know I take care of his protection down to the smallest detail.

“Only those stronger than me can bring me down, and I will never let anyone win.”

“You know, I kind of want Venezia to come over,” Liya says, bringing the conversation back to my assistant.

Why is everyone so fixated on her?

If she steps inside my personal circle, within my family, and they love her like I expect they will, it will be over for me.

They will realise just how much she is like me; how instead of being the polar opposite, she understands my needs and wants. It’s been months now. She sees my eating habits, my silent threats, and stands right beside me during my meetings.

Venezia is a force that drives me forward rather than pulling me back.