His Wicked Temptation

Chapter Eighteen

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dies luctus
(m.) day of mourning

ROSABELLE

"Here's your order, miss," the cashier guy handed me my drink with a slight smile, and I smiled in return. "Thank you."

I paid him the bill before taking the cup from his hand. Then I turned around to leave, his voice following me from behind.

"Have a great day! Come again."

I was met with the night sky when I got out, the stars twinkling like diamonds above.

I walked on the side-road and took sips from the drink through a straw.

After walking for a while, I nearly reached my home until a sudden idea popped in my mind. I chuckled at the way of my thinking but obliged to my decisions anyway.

Emi had called me in the morning today, and we walked for a while. Then he suddenly said that he had to go somewhere, and we wouldn't be able to meet today.

After that, I didn't have any contact with him, but he said that he might return home before night.

Should I just go to his house?

There's a tiny probability that he had returned home, and maybe I could pay him a visit to surprise him.

That wouldn't cross the boundaries, would it?

I've already gone to Emi's house twice, the first time when he decided to kidnap me, and the second time was rather random. He'd told me to stay over the night that day, and I refused, not because I didn't want to, but because I was too shy.

Also, there were chances that my dad would find out about this immediately. So, I didn't dare to take the risk.

Then again, I assume Rafe has already had some presumption about whatever is going on in my life. And even if he does, he would never let me know. He'd either take the information to the grave or blackmail me someday with it.

I believe he wouldn't choose the latter one. Because if my brother had one piece of blackmail information about me, I had thousands about him. I caused trouble once, and he causes it here and there.

So, I got the upper hand here.

Anyways.

I came to the conclusion that going to Emi's place wouldn't cause any discomfort because that man paid uninvited visits to my place many times. And I didn't mind at all.

I hope he doesn't mind either, and he said that I was welcome in his place anytime as well.

. . .

God, I felt shy.

Instead of dwelling on my thoughts, I just decided to retrieve my phone from my purse and call Nino. After a few rings, he picked up the phone as his voice rang from the other end. "Hello?"

"I'll be sending my location to you, Nino. You need to drop me somewhere." His reply was immediate, not even questioning where I needed him to drop. "Yes, miss."

I cut the call afterward and sent him my exact location.

I waited for ten minutes before my car pulled up on my way. Nino's figure appeared in my view after he left the car and opened the door for me.

I shot a slight smile his way before getting inside and made myself comfortable under the heater.

I wasn't going to lie; the weather was freezing today.

"Where are we going, miss?"

I told him of Emi's location, and he nodded in understanding before starting the engine again. With that, we drove away.

✈︎

"What?" I asked the nearly six-foot-five-inch tall man before me, confusion written over my face. "Yes, miss. Boss said that he vill be visiting that club today." The man said in broken English, his words taking me a while to understand.

"But he told me that he had some work today and he'll be going somewhere." The man rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness, as if failing to anticipate what he needs to say. "I do not know then, miss. I've told you vhat I know," he said. "Vill you like to come in and vait-"

"No," I cut his suggestion off, "No need for that. I think I'll just leave." I cleared my throat to not appear hurt and then gave him a curt smile before turning around and heading toward my car.

The moment I hopped in, Nino seemed to catch on my gloomy expression, but didn't say anything about it. He decided to drive us away.

Don't get me wrong. It's not like I was angry at Emi for not meeting me today. He does have a life beside giving his all attention to me.

But I was a little hurt that he didn't tell me he was going to a club. I'd never have trailed behind him at all.

Why'd he lie?

I had only four days to stay here, and I didn't want to leave with some bad memories.

Anyway.

Maybe he just had some work in the club. He is the owner of a few clubs after all.

"We're here, miss." My attention was turned to Nino as his words rang in my ear. I looked up to find him looking at me through the rearview mirror.

But when I gazed outside, I was met with a rather unfamiliar place. Right when I was about to ask Nino what was wrong, he'd answered himself. "We're at the club."

"I didn't tell you to drive us here, Nino," he smiled at my words. "Yes. But I felt that you wanted to meet... your friend." His response didn't leave me in any doubt that he was well aware of what was going on in my head.

After a moment of silence, I couldn't suppress the thankful smile that crossed my face.

With a nod, I got out of the car and headed to the destination of the person my heart was eagerly wanting to see.

I hope I wasn't being a pushover.

It didn't take me long to find Emi's figure seated on a couch near the club, his back turned to me.

Neither did it take long for him to shatter my heart into thousands of pieces.

A girl straddled on his lap.

And he grabbed her the same way he used to grab me. I couldn't see his expression, neither did I find the courage to see.

I didn't stand there for long. Picking up the broken pieces of my heart and a stone in my chest, I left the place.

The scene replayed in my mind again and again, and I finally broke down when I got inside my car.

"Let's go, Nino. We're going home tonight."

I had no one here to live for anyway.

Don't fall for a Russian man.

This man is a womanizer at heart, and the sweet smiles he gave you have already been shown to half of the female population of Moscow.

Dad was right. Tatiana was right.

I shouldn't have fallen for a Russian man.

I was wrong.

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