He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 193

Chapter 193

(Daisy’s POV)

For several seconds after Nico spoke, nobody moved.

The courtyard had been busy moments ago. Men had been walking around, conversations had been happening in the distance, and Fritzo had been issuing instructions to someone over a phone. Now all of that seemed to fade into the background as though the estate itself

had paused to hear what would happen next.

Because you’re looking at him.

The sentence lingered between them, and I found myself looking from Nico to DeLuca and then back to Nico again because the entire thing felt absurd.

Nico?

Out of every possible person in the world, Nico?

DeLuca appeared equally unconvinced. He stared at his friend for several long seconds before finally speaking.

“Explain.”

The single word was calm, but I had spent enough time around DeLuca to know that calm did not necessarily mean relaxed. Sometimes it

meant the exact opposite.

Nico, however, seemed completely unaffected. He slipped both hands into his pockets and shrugged as though they were discussing a scheduling conflict instead of the ownership of a criminal empire.

“The empire needed an anchor. The son who was supposed to be that anchor decided he preferred football fields, university classes, and pretending to be normal, so your father found someone available. Someone willing.”

He pointed casually at himself.

“He found me.”

The disbelief on DeLuca’s face lasted only a second before it disappeared behind a harder expression.

“This has to be some sort of game.”

“No games.”

Nico’s answer came immediately, and his tone remained conversational, casual, almost friendly.

“This is reality.”

He glanced around the estate before returning his gaze to DeLuca.

“My reality and your reality.”

For the first time since arriving, I saw something flicker across DeLuca’s expression. It wasn’t anger yet. It looked more like frustration.

“Where is my father?”

Nico laughed softly.

“Not here.”

The answer itself did not seem to surprise DeLuca. What came next clearly did.

“But the good news is that somebody is available.”

The smile that accompanied the statement was easy and natural, completely at odds with the tension steadily building around us. My stomach tightened.

DeLuca stared at him.

“So you really expect me to believe this?”

Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Believe what?”

“That you chose this.”

The words came out sharper this time.

“That you chose this over our friendship. Over our brotherhood.”

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