ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond-Chapter 196: Distraction

Chapter 196

ROMEO POV

Marco’s smile widened, slow and deliberate, like he was enjoying the question far more than he should.

"Why would I?" he said lightly. "This is neutral ground, Don Salvatore."

He spread his hands slightly, palms up, the picture of reason. "Bringing men into a room like this would suggest distrust. And distrust," he added, tilting his head, "is rarely good for negotiations."

I held his gaze, unmoved.

Neutral ground.

A convenient phrase. One people liked to hide behind when they wanted to feel brave—or when they wanted the other man to blink first.

Antonio shifted beside me, just enough to signal awareness, not threat.

Marco leaned back in his chair, clearly mistaking my silence for consideration. "Besides," he continued, voice smooth, "you came with your consigliere. I came alone. That seems... balanced."

Balanced.

I almost smiled. "You assume neutrality protects you," I said calmly. "It doesn’t."

His eyes flickered, just for a fraction of a second. There it was. "I assume," Marco replied carefully, "that if I couldn’t trust you to respect neutral ground, I wouldn’t be sitting here at all."

Interesting. I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice—not threatening, not raised. Controlled. "What is this meeting for, Marco."

Marco’s lips parted, then closed again. "Don’t test my patience." I said, studying him. The scar. The stillness. The confidence that came from believing he’d planned ten steps ahead.

Marco’s smile didn’t fade. If anything, it deepened, amused.

"I have nothing of importance," he said lightly. "I just felt like having a conversation. A rare opportunity to sit across from the great Don Salvatore without intermediaries."

I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. There wasn’t one. "You dragged me out here," I said slowly, "to chat?"

He shrugged, relaxed, almost bored. "Is that so strange? Powerful men rarely get spoken to without an agenda. I thought you might enjoy something... different."

My jaw tightened. "Cut the shit."

Antonio stiffened beside me, his attention snapping fully to Marco now.

Marco laughed softly, raising both brows. "First time someone’s wanted to talk to you without asking for territory, money, or blood?"

That was it.

The chair scraped back as I stood abruptly, the sound sharp in the quiet room. In one smooth motion, my hand went to my jacket and came back with my gun raised.

The air changed instantly.

Antonio was on his feet in a heartbeat, positioning himself slightly behind me, eyes scanning the room, the corners, the door.

Marco didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t even look surprised. That was the problem.

"You’re wasting my time," I said coldly. "And I don’t tolerate that."

His gaze flicked briefly to the weapon, then back to my face, calm as ever. "You’re angry," he observed. "That suggests something else is already bothering you."

My grip tightened.

Adelasia. The timing. The emptiness of this room. A meeting with no purpose.

Pieces that didn’t fit.

"You don’t get to analyze me," I said. "You get one chance to explain why I’m here."

Marco leaned back slightly, finally placing his glass down. The smile was still there but now it was careful.

Marco’s gaze slid past the gun like it was nothing more than an inconvenience. "How much do you trust your men?" he asked mildly.

The question landed wrong. Not because it was bold but because it was calculated.

His eyes flicked, deliberately, to Antonio behind me. Just a glance. Just enough. Then back to me, unbothered.

"Or even your family," he added. Silence thickened the room.

Antonio didn’t move, didn’t react. He didn’t need to. He’d stood beside me long enough to know better than to answer provocation that wasn’t meant for him.

My thoughts, however, were already moving.

What is this? This wasn’t negotiation. This wasn’t posturing. This was a test or a distraction. And I didn’t like either.

"Careful," I said quietly, the gun steady in my hand. "You’re treading on ground that gets people buried."

Marco smiled again, slow and knowing. "You see? That’s exactly my point."

I frowned slightly. Not confusion but annoyance. "You came here already wound tight," he continued, voice calm, conversational.

"Ready to pull a trigger over a conversation. That tells me something’s already off-balance in your world."

I took a step closer to the table. "You don’t know a damn thing about my world."

"No," he agreed easily. "But I know power. And I know when a man starts questioning the people closest to him."

My jaw clenched. This fucking mind game.

"Say what you’re trying to say," I snapped. "Or this ends now."

Marco finally leaned forward, elbows resting lightly on the table, fingers interlaced. Still no fear. Still too comfortable.

"I’m saying," he replied, measured, "that enemies don’t always come through the front door. Sometimes they’re already inside the house."

I laughed out, sharp and humorless. "You summoned me here to psychoanalyze me?"

"No," Marco said. "I summoned you to see how quickly you’d reach for a weapon when your sense of control was questioned."

My finger tightened slightly on the trigger guard.

"And?" I asked.

"And now just know your home is well" he paused, standing slowly, deliberately keeping his hands visible, "that tonight you were fooled."

The room felt smaller. Fooled? I stared at him for a long second, searching for the trap I still couldn’t see.

I closed the distance between us in two long strides, the muzzle of my gun coming level with his chest.

"What the fuck are you on about?" I snapped. "Start making sense. Now."

Marco didn’t retreat. Didn’t raise his hands higher than necessary. He simply looked at me with something close to pity.

"You’re already doing it," he said calmly. "Reacting instead of thinking." Antonio shifted, ready to move if I gave the signal, but I didn’t look away from Marco.

"You dragged me out here," I said through clenched teeth, "wasted my time, poked at my family, my men—so speak. Or you don’t walk out of this room."

Marco exhaled slowly, like a man relieved a conversation was finally getting to the point.

"Go check your home," he said.

The words hit harder than a threat. I didn’t move. Didn’t blink.

"What did you say?"

"I said go check your home," Marco repeated, unbothered. "That’s why you’re here. To not be there."

My jaw tightened. Every nerve in my body lit up at once. Fuck, this wasn’t a meeting, it was a distraction.

††

Happy new year, first new year with y’all.

Had a nice day, I’m having a very busy day lol.