Chapter 313: Lift

CHAPTER 314

KATYA POV

Every step toward the black sedan felt heavier than the last.

The police sirens continued to scream behind us, bouncing off the surrounding buildings until they blended into one endless, haunting wail. People hurried in every direction around us, some wrapped in blankets, others speaking frantically into borrowed phones. Officers shouted instructions over the growing crowd while flashing blue and red lights painted the street in restless waves.

None of it seemed real anymore.

It felt as though Chiara and I were walking through a completely different world.

Neither of us spoke. What was there to say?

If Romeo refused… I didn’t know what we would do.

Chiara kept her chin lifted, but I noticed the way she kept swallowing. The confidence she’d worn so naturally most of the night had finally cracked.

She was nervous.

Good. At least I wasn’t the only one. The sleek black sedan sat quietly beneath one of the streetlights, almost detached from the chaos surrounding it.

The engine hummed softly. The headlights remained on. Its glossy black paint reflected the flashing police lights like restless streaks of blue and crimson.

It looked… Untouchable. Like it belonged to a completely different reality than the burning club only a short distance away.

I couldn’t see Romeo clearly through the tinted window. Only the outline of his shoulders. He sat perfectly still, as if he was waiting for something or rather someone.

We stopped beside the driver’s side windshield. For the first time since deciding this was our only option…

Neither of us moved. Chiara glanced at me. I glanced back. She forced a smile. It looked painfully fake.

Taking a quiet breath, she lifted her hand.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Her knuckles landed softly against the dark glass. The sound was almost swallowed by the distant sirens.

Nothing happened.

For one long second… Nothing. The faint mechanical hum of the window lowering broke the silence.

The tinted glass slid down slowly. Painfully slowly. My heartbeat sped up.

The first thing I saw wasn’t the expensive leather interior. Or the steering wheel. It was him.

Romeo. His head turned slightly toward us.

Toward me. Those cold grey eyes settled on my face with unnerving precision.

Sharp. Steady. Unmoving.

It was almost frightening how completely they ignored everything else. The police. The flashing lights.

The crowd. Even Chiara standing inches from me. None of it seemed to exist.

Only me. I should have looked away. Every sensible part of me knew I should.

Instead…

I looked back. Straight into his eyes. I refused to be the first one to break the stare. The silence stretched.

Long enough that I became aware of my own breathing again. Long enough that the cold night air stung the inside of my lungs. Romeo’s expression didn’t change.

Not even slightly. The black mask still covered the upper half of his face, leaving only the lower half visible beneath the streetlight.

His jaw remained relaxed. His posture almost lazy.

Yet somehow… He still looked dangerous. Beside me, Chiara cleared her throat.

“Don Romeo…”

Nothing. Not even the smallest glance in her direction. His eyes remained fixed on mine.

Chiara tried again.

“We’re… um…” She laughed awkwardly.

It sounded nothing like her usual laugh.

“I know this is a really strange thing to ask.”

Silence.

“We kind of…” She glanced toward me before looking back at him.

“…need help.”

Still nothing.

I could almost hear her confidence evaporating. She shifted from one foot to the other.

“Our bags are inside the club.” Another pause.

“Our phones too.”

Nothing.

“My car keys are in Michael’s office.” The corner of Romeo’s mouth moved.

Barely.

Not enough to call it a smile. Not yet. Chiara hurried on before she lost whatever courage she had left.

“We don’t have any money.”

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

“And…” Another awkward laugh.

“We were wondering…”

She hesitated.

“If you could maybe…” Her voice became noticeably smaller.

“…give us a lift home?”

Silence.

Neither Romeo nor I moved.

His gaze never left mine. Not once. It was strangely unsettling. As though Chiara’s words weren’t the thing he was listening to.

As though he was waiting for something else entirely. Chiara hurried to fill the silence.

“We’ll pay you back.” That finally earned a reaction.

Not from his eyes. From his mouth.

A slow… Almost amused smirk appeared.

Small. Controlled. Gone almost as quickly as it had come. Heat rushed unexpectedly into my face. I couldn’t even explain why.

Maybe because the expression somehow felt worse than if he’d laughed. Chiara blinked.

“…We will.” She sounded determined now.

“I mean it.” Nothing.

“We’ll repay you.” Silence settled over us once more. The seconds dragged.

One. Two. Three. I could practically feel Chiara preparing herself for rejection.

Honestly…

So was I. He was going to say no. Of course he was.

Why wouldn’t he?

“Okay.”

One word. Deep. Completely emotionless. I genuinely wondered if I’d imagined hearing it.

Chiara stared.

“…What?” Romeo didn’t repeat himself.He simply reached across the center console.

A soft click echoed through the car.

The rear passenger doors unlocked. That was his answer.

Chiara looked at me. I looked at her. Her mouth had actually fallen open.

She recovered first.

“Oh.”

Another blink.

“Oh.” She seemed completely unprepared for success.

“So…” She cleared her throat.

“Thank you.”

No response.

She hurried around the car before he could change his mind. I remained where I was for another heartbeat. Still looking at him through the open window.

His eyes finally left mine. Only to return to the road ahead. As though the conversation had already ended. As though he’d never been interested in having one in the first place.

I slowly walked around to the opposite rear door. My fingers hesitated on the handle. This suddenly felt like a terrible idea.

Too late now. The door opened smoothly. Warm air drifted out immediately, carrying the faint scent of expensive leather and something else.

His cologne. Unmistakably him. Chiara was already inside, sitting unusually quietly on the opposite side of the back seat.

I had never seen her this silent. I climbed in beside her. The leather seat was softer than I expected. The moment I closed the door behind me, the noise outside became distant.