Hope Emily Nightingale

"It's your brother."

Nino immediately tensed up, likely because he knew the call was about the parcel. He remained leaning against the counter, his gaze fixed on me. Unsure whether it was appropriate to answer with Nino present, I hesitated, but ultimately decided to take the call and put it on speaker.

"Hi there! It's Hope speaking. What can I assist you with?" I chimed in with an overly cheerful tone. I had saved Remo's number after our video call; I figured he might call for something related to Fina.

"Listen to me woman! If you harm my brother in any way, I will hunt you down and tear you apart." he growled menacingly, his voice dripping with anger and threat.

"Ah, so this concerns Nino. I was wondering when you would receive the parcel. Nino will be safe here, as safe as a captive can be, that is. I'll personally take good care of him. Release Fina, and Nino will be released immediately. Until then, don't bother calling me. Have a nice day." I then hung up.

I slowly raised my gaze to meet Nino's, who watched me with a mix of awe and amusement. "You do realize that once this all blows over, Remo will want your head, right?" Nino warned. "Provoking him isn't the wisest choice."

"I'm aware." I reply confidently. "But he can try, and he won't succeed. Besides, there's a strange satisfaction in getting under his skin."

Nino chuckled as he walked towards me, cornering me. He leaned down, his mouth right next to my ear. "So, you'll personally take good care of me, huh? I'm looking forward to it." He then glided his lips over my ear before straightening up and leaving for his room.

I stood there frozen, trying to process what had just happened. I could still feel his warm breath near my ears. It took me a good two to three minutes to untangle my thoughts and walk back to my office to work.

I buried myself in work to try to stop thinking about the incident in the kitchen. I needed to jot it down in my diary so I could slowly get over what just happened. "He's just a captive, Hope. Don't get attached." I kept reminding myself.

As I entered Nino's room with the lasagna, I noticed he was gazing out the window. Clearing my throat to grab his attention, I handed him his dinner. As I turned to leave, he finally spoke up.

"Would you mind joining me? I'm bored here. Nothing to do."

I turned around and glanced at him. He still wasn't wearing a shirt. Why couldn't he just put one on instead of distracting me with his body and other worldly tattoos?

"Of course. I'll just go get my dinner."

I walked out, grabbed my dinner, and let my brother know I'd be dining with Nino, to which he smirked. Ignoring him, I returned to Nino's room.

"You know, you don't have to stay in this room, right? There's a library right next to my office where you could read. It has a variety of books including fiction, medical books, and research papers. There's also a music room if you want to play something."

"I'm your captive aren't I?"

"True, but just because you're stuck here doesn't mean you have to waste your time. I highly doubt you'll get kidnapped again, so might as well make the most of the situation." I said sarcastically.

He chuckled, and I continued eating, trying to keep my eyes fixed on my food even though I could feel Nino's intense gaze on me.

After dinner, I asked Nino to follow me. I planned to show him around so he wouldn't keep himself cooped up in his room. I would've done this for any of my captors. Right?