CHAPTER 569: +CHAPTER 569+

Angelo woke up first, instantly hit with a sense of deja vu when he found himself laying against Nikolai’s chest.

He leaned back slightly to peer up at the Alpha’s sleeping face. He looked completely relaxed, the shadows cast on his face making it look sunken and paler.

Angelo’s lips turned down; he was yet to find out the full story, but he could easily picture all the trouble that Nikolai had to deal with while he was lying in bed, pining and eating treats.

He carefully extricated himself from Nikolai’s hold, getting Nikolai’s hand out of his hair the trickiest part. It brought a smile to his face, nothing had changed, and he was free now.

Angelo got off the bed, his attention drawn to the curtains he had opened just a few hours ago; he really hadn’t planned to fall asleep in Nikolai’s bed.

The overcast sky was starting to rain, the nostalgic scent of rain blowing in through the open windows. On his way over to close the windows and draw the curtains, the bag on the dresser caught his eye.

He immediately changed his trajectory and went for it, the familiar design of the bag and the scent of cream filling and strawberry pulling him in. Waking up to pleasant weather with a bag of pastries waiting for him was rather nice.

The rain was insistent, however, so he only managed to peek into the bag before he had to go deal with the windows. He turned on some low lights and then took the delicately designed paper bag to a sofa at the far end of the room.

The matcha cake roll was something he had never tried before, but it was really pleasant, and in no time, he made quick work of the cakes and tart, getting to his feet to throw the now-empty bag in the trash and grab some water.

The kitchen was empty, but the scent of spices hung in the air, colorful aprons and towels hung on a wall. For its size, it was surprisingly homely.

Angelo washed the cream off his hands at the sink and then got himself a drink of water, his curiosity about what was made for lunch taking him to the fridge.

He didn’t have to look too far because right in the front center were two neatly packed portions in microwaveable bowls. He had just eaten dessert, but it was far from filling, and the seafood looked delicious, so he took out a pack and tossed it in the microwave.

Angelo had barely gotten started on the meal before Nikolai found him. He lifted watery eyes to the door, his nose red from the spice.

"How did you know where I was?" He asked in between sniffs, the food was so tasty but so spicy; he hadn’t been expecting it.

"Made a guess," Nikolai muttered, coming over. "We’re having dinner at Caspian’s soon," He informed the other, "So you might want to leave some space for that."

Angelo looked up at Nikolai, uncaring that the Mafia King went right to undoing the braid he had done while waiting for his food to heat up. "Even if we weren’t, I’d have a hard time finishing it."

Nikolai took in his teary eyes and red face, biting back a smile as he buried a hand in Angelo’s hair. "Need my help?"

Angelo pushed the entire bowl away from himself without hesitation. "Yes, please."

He focused on bringing down the temperature of his tongue while Nikolai scarfed down the food like it was a bowl of bland oats. It no longer surprised him, he just helped to clean up the table after the bowl was all empty.

"I want to go see Silvia tomorrow," Angelo mentioned as they made their way back to their rooms. He didn’t expect Nikolai to tag along, he just wanted to tell the other.

"And I’ll have to make an appearance for my men tomorrow," Nikolai muttered, not sounding too excited about it.

"Do I need to be there for that?" Angelo asked, his words stilted.

Nikolai’s expression brightened a fraction; he knew how Angelo felt about Mafia Houses, especially his own. "You don’t, but you’re welcome if you do."

It was just going to be him sitting at the bar and personally taking reports again. The casino might be out of the picture, but there was still a lot going on behind the curtains.

Angelo walked right to his room when they got to the hallway where their rooms were. There was nothing wrong with the clothes he wore, but they were sleep rumpled, and he wanted to take a quick shower.

Even before he killed off Luis Caddel with Nikolai’s help, Angelo had already instinctively counted himself as a part of Nikolai’s Mafia House... He put a hand in his hair, the subtle scent of sandalwood clinging to him, he almost didn’t want to take a shower anymore.

A short while later, he was dressed in fresh clothes and stepping out of his room to find Nikolai leaning against the wall right next to his door. It seemed like the Alpha had been waiting for some time.

"Are we late?" Angelo had to ask.

Nikolai pushed away from the wall, he wasn’t dressed casually like when they went to the hospital the day before, dark blue trench coat buttoned up. "No. I don’t like my room."

"You could have waited in mine," Angelo offered without much thought.

He peered into the drizzling rain when they got to the front doors, wondering if they would just have to make a dash for it to the car when Davian’s men showed up with umbrellas.

Angelo didn’t notice Nikolai’s unnatural silence even after they got to the car, the Mafia King getting in the driver’s seat. The windows were wound up, but his attention was still outside, the sliding droplets distorting the lights passing by.

Nikolai started the car, driving out of the gates. Angelo’s hair was in a braid and the assassin’s attention was turned away from him, his guard completely down.

He didn’t take the treat offered on a golden platter to him, focusing on the drive.