CHAPTER 568: +CHAPTER 568+

Nikolai drove around for a bit, it didn’t take him long to find a cafe. He found a parking spot and got out, trying to remember Angelo’s preferences.

He only knew that the assassin didn’t like pancakes; it made Nikolai frown. He knew too little about Angelo, he needed to fix that.

A sonorous bell rang out when he opened the door, drawing attention to him. It was afternoon on a weekday day but there were quite a number of customers in the cafe, which meant that nearly everyone froze up at his appearance.

Davian’s men were aware of the new changes, but the civilians living on his turf were none the wiser.

Nikolai pretended not to notice the stares at him, walking up to the counter. There were pastries behind glass cases, which was beneficial to Nikolai who couldn’t tell shortbread from fudge.

A green roll caught his eye, it reminded him of Angelo’s eyes. "What is that?" He had to ask, pointing at the pastry with curious eyes.

The cashier behind the counter blinked up at him with barely banked terror. "A matcha cake roll." She mumbled, somehow managing to provide an answer without stumbling over her words.

"Does it taste nice?" Nikolai kept up the questions, a serious look on his face.

The cashier looked around for help, not quite sure how to deal with a dangerous Mafia King asking her for pastry suggestions.

"It’s earthy, sweet, and rich. It’s not for everyone, but everyone should give it a try at least once." The cashier kicked into customer service mode, reciting from a script.

That was enough to convince Nikolai, however, to buy a slice of strawberry cake and a slice of an apple tart as well. He left afterward, glancing up at the sky to see dark clouds rolling in.

He headed to his car with his haul, it was strange to not have any engagements. Even when he had slow days, he usually just spent it at his casino.

Despite the darkening sky, it didn’t rain, the weather not getting any better even when he got to the mansion.

Nikolai walked right to Angelo’s room, paper bag of treats in hand. He stopped in front of the assassin’s room, contemplating whether he should go in. Angelo did say he wanted to take a nap, and he didn’t want to interrupt his sleep.

After a moment of consideration, he decided to stop at his room first to get into comfortable clothes, because if Angelo was asleep, he intended to join him.

Nikolai stepped back and went into his room instead, pausing as soon as he did. The open curtains caught his attention first, then he glimpsed a mass of black hair splayed out on his bed.

He gently closed the door behind him and placed the bag of pastries on a dresser, right next to an antique vase.

Angelo was curled up on the edge of the bed, his hair partly hanging off the side of the bed; it was like he hadn’t planned to fall asleep.

Nikolai was pleased regardless, weak sunlight breaking through the overcast clouds outside. It was rather nice coming back to this.

He shrugged off his trench coat, changing out of his clothes into a nightrobe despite it being early in the afternoon. When he got on the bed beside Angelo, it was easier to pull him from the edge and get him more comfortable, the Omega rolling right into his arms.

Nikolai had slept through the night, but the now familiar dark floral scent and sweet black cherries were rather soothing.

He tucked them both in and sank into the bed with a quiet sigh. Angelo’s hair was everywhere just as he liked it, even though he knew the assassin wasn’t a fan of it because he always woke up with hair in his mouth.

The weather outside was pleasant; it bordered on about-to-rain but gentle sunlight kept shining, the scent of rain blown in through the open windows on wafts of cool breezes.

Just as Nikolai was about to doze off, there was a careful knock on the door. He reluctantly got out of bed to answer it, having a guess of who it could be.

Rosie’s bright red hair filled his vision when he opened the door, wariness slipping into her pale eyes. "Davian is about to get started on lunch. Are you fine with seafood?"

Nikolai backed up a bit, pulling the lapels of his robe close. "There’s no need to bother about us, we’ll sleep through the afternoon."

Rosie’s brows furrowed slightly at his use of plural terms, trying to look past him into the room. How was the Mafia King so sure about Angelo if the quiet Omega wasn’t in his room?

Nikolai noticed her nosiness but didn’t make any move to cover up Angelo, he wanted to show off the Omega in his bed anyway.

"I’m sure there’ll be leftovers," Rosie said with an easy smile after catching a glimpse of dark hair. "We’re having dinner at Caspian’s again." She made sure to tag on.

Nikolai cocked a brow at that, he was unaware that having dinner together was such a common thing between them.

Rosie patted her hair, sheepish; aware that she also had a hand in the frequent dinners. "Caspian is the only one that can say no to Lake, or he’ll eat nothing but fudge for days."

Amusement sparkled in Nikolai’s eyes as he thought about it, "That’s fine."

Rosie didn’t linger after relaying all the information she had for him, wandering off.

Nikolai closed the door and turned around to find Angelo half-sitting on the bed, his slanted eyes squinting as he looked around, seeing nothing.

"Niko..." The rest of his name was mumbled, "You’re back already?"

"Yes, go back to sleep." Nikolai said softly, stopping by the bed without getting on.

Angelo laid back down while still struggling against sleep to keep his eyes open. "You need to sleep too."

Nikolai did plan to do that, "Scoot over."

Angelo immediately rolled over, so fast that Nikolai had to hastily reach out to stop him from going over the edge of the bed. By the time he settled them both in the bed, Angelo was already fast asleep again.

The assassin’s slender fingers grasped his robe, holding on tight even as he slept deeply, his sleeping face tucked against his bare chest.

Nikolai fell asleep quicker this time, a hand buried in the silken depths of Angelo’s hair. It was warm under the blankets which was a perfect contrast to the cold air blowing in.