He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128

(DeLuca’s POV)

The door handle snapped off in my hand.

Metal cracked sharply before falling to the hallway floor with a dull clatter.

Silence followed.

I stared at the broken handle for exactly one second, then dropped it and continued walking.

Behind me, the apartment door remained half-open.

Inside- Daisy.

Her voice still echoed in my head.

I don’t want you to leave.

Then right after that….

There’s nothing between us.

“Contract.”

The word sat there in my chest now. Like something sharp lodged beneath my ribs.

I kept walking.

One of the neighbors opened their door slightly, saw my face, then immediately closed it again.

Smart.

By the time I reached the parking lot, my jaw was tight enough to hurt.

I unlocked the car, got inside, and started the engine immediately.

But I didn’t move.

Not yet.

My hands remained on the steering wheel while I forced my breathing back under control.

That irritated me most.

The fact that I needed to calm down at all.

I tilted my head back briefly against the seat and shut my eyes for half a second, then I looked up.

Toward the apartment building. Toward her window.

The curtains were partly drawn and there was no movement.

My chest tightened anyway.

And then I turned away, thinking of the one thing I’d avoided addressing or thinking about all this while.

“You’ve asked for trouble, Father,” I muttered.

Then I drove.

The estate gates opened before I fully stopped the car. And as I got in, nobody here delayed me intentionally.

Not unless they wanted consequences attached to their names permanently.

The mansion stood ahead exactly as it always had.

Still. Massive. Untouchable.

Home.

Or the closest thing to it.

I parked badly enough that two guards immediately started toward the car before realizing who had stepped out.

They stopped at once.

“Boss.”

I walked past them without responding while the estate remained active around me.

Vehicles moved through the lower courtyard. Security rotations changed near the east wing. Men spoke in low voices through earpieces while monitoring the grounds.

Routine.

Everything here operated like machinery.

Precise. Controlled. And efficient.

I moved through the mansion quickly, ignoring every greeting thrown my way.

Servants lowered their heads. Servants stepped aside. Nobody attempted conversation.

Good.

I wasn’t in the mood for human interaction.

By the time I reached the east wing, the atmosphere had already shifted.

More guards.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify