Unpierceable Love

Chapter 36

Gino placed the folder containing reports that needed to be assessed and signed on the top pile, along with Valerio's schedule for tomorrow. Looking at his watch, Gino got up and tidied his desk before heading towards the lift that would take him to ground level.

As he was near the lift area, Gino was greeted by his colleagues, who wished him a good night before entering the lift. Gino pressed the button for the ground level where he would take a taxi home; Valerio had informed him earlier that he had been held up along with Xander in dealing with the current situation spiralling out of control with rouge dragons.

Gino had wanted to be there with Valerio to comfort the man. Still, Gino knew that being there would only make Valerio worry even more, so, like any good partner, Gino could only tell him to be careful.

Stepping into the lobby, people were scattered around, busying themselves with their work while getting ready to close for the day. Walking past the dragon fountain towards the sliding door, Gino nodded at the security guard before stepping out into the evening breeze that lightly blew into his face and hair.

Just as Gino turns to leave the building, a voice calls for him from inside the building, stopping Gino from taking another step.

"Nick, what's wrong."

Stopping in front of Gino, Nick smiled before answering in his usual goofy voice; the only person Nick can see this side of him is Gino himself.

"Boss asked me to escort you home."

"He did?" Answered Gino, feeling touched at the thought of Valerio worrying about his safety despite being held up by his current situation.

"Yes, I was making my way to my car, getting ready to go home, when he called me unexpectedly asking me to escort you home, something about him and Xander having their hand-tied and couldn't be here to take you home."

"OK, Lead the way."

"Wonderful. Finally, after years of working for the boss, I have never seen where the man lives," said Nick, voice full of mischief

Gino could not hold his smile as he let out a small laugh while following Nick back inside the building, going towards the elevator that would take them down to the underground parking.Entering the elevator, Gino waited for Nick to enter first before getting in; Nick stood back while Gino had his back facing Nick standing in front. Once the elevator doors closed, Gino got out his phone, wanting to let Valerio know that he had met up with Nick.

Not paying attention to anything around him, Gino was shocked when large hands grabbed him from behind while the other held a cloth towards his mouth, making him inhale a good amount of fume. Gino struggled out of the firm grip but was futile as the stench slowly worked its way into his body, making him go limb unconscious to the world.

Gino slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Gino tried to sit up only to realise his hands were bound together by a rope, limiting his movements. Scanning the room, Gino could not make out where he was. Besides the dirty mattress he was currently occupying, the room had no other furniture.

Getting up from the mattress, Gino walked towards the door, turning the handle only to find it locked from the outside; sighing, Gino made his way back towards the bed, curling himself up into a ball, wishing for Valerio to be able to see, him one last time.

Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, the door to the room opened; two people entered. One was holding a tray while the other moved to turn the lights on, instantly illuminating the once-dark room.

Gino's eyes blinked a few times again to adjust to the light; once his vision became clear, Gino looked toward the people that had entered; the confusion was the only thing running through his mind. Gino opened his mouth but was stopped when the person who had turned on the lights spoke from where they stood.

"I'm glad you're awake; we can now proceed with the plan, right Nick?" said Cherry, walking beside her mate.

Gino watched as Cherry linked her arms around Nick, both looking down at him, showing their evil smiles, making Gino shiver in fear.

Getting up from his position, Gino adjusted himself to a sitting position while a million questions ran through his mind. Valerio once mentioned that Cherry had a mate, but it was unclear who this mate was.

If Nick is Cherry's mate, then Nick also would know what Valerio is.

"You.. what do you plan to do with me?"Cherry let out a loud laugh before answering.

"Capturing you was as easy as peeling a banana. I would never have thought that Valerio would leave his most precious item unattended, giving me an easy swoop. However, with all those rouge dragons running around killing each other, Valerio would have to leave at some point, giving me the perfect opportunity to capture you. I, however, wouldn't be able to go near that building without raising any suspicion; that is why I had Nick lure you into the parking lot before capturing you."

"I am happy to be of service, my queen, " said Nick, grabbing and kissing Cherry's hand.

"Nick, how could you betray Valerio? He is nothing but kind to you; how could you..."

"How could I? It is precisely that he is nice to me that I need to return the favour and pay him twice as much; of course, he also took my most precious person away from me; it is only natural I take his most precious thing away from him. Don't you agree?"

"What are you going to do to him? Cherry, how could you let him hurt Valerio? Don't you also love him?" asks Gino.

Cherry unlinked her arm from Nick and walked towards Gino; lifting her hands, she slapped him across the face before speaking.

"You are why Valerio has turned away from me; if you never came, I would still be by his side, making me his queen."

"It is me that took away your happiness, not Valerio," answered Gino

Slap

Gino groaned as he tried to sit; Cherry's slaps were not that of an average woman, which made Gino fall back down on the mattress from the impact. Once seated, Gino lost consciousness, making his body go limb again.