❝The only kind of love I want is one where even if it is just for a short moment, it feels like I have lived a lifetime in that moment with that person. ❞ - Jhanvi Raichand.
**You CANNOT read this as standalone. Read Dare to Be before reading this...
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2.55 How It Starts
I must be out of my mind sitting in front of the escaped head of the Italian mafia, but for the sake of my love, here I am. "Annie is not going anywhere with you." I keep a straight face as I make the announcement clearly to him.
In my peripheral, I can see Vikas standing rigid. In attention. Ready to reach for his handgun should he feel the need to. He doesn't trust Nicolás and I don't blame him. Before coming to his hotel room, Vikas had employed every tactic in his book except for tying me up and locking me in my room to keep me from having a face to face with Annie's father. I do understand his concerns, and as much as I still appreciate his loyalty and dedication for not leaving me to come here by myself when I didn't listen to him, I had to come for Annie. I'd just got her. No way, no how, was I letting her be taken away from me and my family.
Nicolás leans back in his chair, not a single frown on his forehead to indicate he is bothered by my words. "I don't think you got the memo, kid. This is not your decision to make."
I hate that he calls me kid. I get the distinct impression that he doesn't think much of me. And while I hate that, the other part of me tells me that his opinion of me doesn't matter. He has just now barged into Annie's life. What matters is what Annie thinks of me. What my family thinks of me. And I know just how they feel about me.
Nicolás does not matter.
"You are right," I calmly agree. And that, that crosses his brows. "This is Annie's decision, and I am relaying it to you. Now it's on you whether or not you respect that decision."
He might try hard to hide it, but even I have learnt my lessons from Arnav Singh Raizada. I know in my gut that he is raging even if his face remains neutral. He hates that I turned this on him, putting him on the pedestal to show what kind of a person he is - if he cares enough to rise above himself and respect his daughter's choices.
He stands from his chair, clenching his jaw. "You might think you are protecting her from me, boy, when you have no idea who you really need to protect her from. And your men?" He nods at Vikas and surely knows of the guys outside in the car, "They won't be able to do shit when it comes down to it. By the time they even reach for their weapons, they'll be long dead."
Now that riles me up. He has no right to comment on mine or Vikas's ability to keep my family safe. I stand as well, meeting his eye to eye. "You underestimate them."
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair, "This is getting nowhere! Look, I am here to take Annie back with me where she will be safe and I am not leaving till that happens."
"The only way she leaves with you is if you put a gun to her head. And from all your talks of wanting to protect her, I highly doubt you want her to think you are a monster to do that to her." I pause, gauging his expression and the pinch of softness at the corner of his eye is my proof. "But, you are welcome to prove me wrong."
