Rejected By The Don, I Crowned Myself Chapter 05
Nico spent the month away with Tatiana. He didn’t set foot in the office once.
“Tomorrow marks a month, Nico. Are you really going to just drop me after tomorrow?”
He went still. His arms tightened around her, but something behind his eyes clouded over.
“Yeah. I made her a promise. I can’t break it again.”
Tatiana barely reacted. She wasn’t worried. The wedding was a spectacle, and she knew it.
Whenever she wanted him back, he’d come.
Still, she let her eyes turn glassy, playing the part.
“Okay.”
“It doesn’t matter what happens with Evelyn. I’ll be right here, Nico. I’ll always be right here.”
Something in his chest caved. He pulled her closer.
But underneath that, something gnawed at him. Every call he’d made to Evelyn this past month had gone unanswered. Every text had been ignored. The silence sat in his chest like a weight he couldn’t explain.
He’d taken Tatiana out of Oakhaven on purpose, trying to give Evelyn space. Her father’s death was on both him and Tatiana. He knew that.
The month apart was supposed to give her time to breathe. It was also supposed to give him time to build a wedding that would make up for everything.
He released Tatiana and pulled out his phone. The sunset had turned Mount Rainier golden. He snapped a photo and sent it to Evelyn.
[Mount Rainier at sunset. I promised you I’d bring you here for the honeymoon. I meant it.]
[You’re the only one, Evelyn.]
He kept the chat open and waited.
A minute passed. Nothing. His jaw set, and the crease between his brows deepened.
Evelyn used to reply within seconds. Always. The silence felt like something slipping out from under his feet.
But he talked himself down. Evelyn loved him. She was angry. That was all. She’d come around. She always did.
[Wedding’s tomorrow night, eight sharp. I’ll meet you at the venue. Your dress is already at the suite.]
Evelyn didn’t reply.
Nico shrugged it off. The wedding was tomorrow. Whatever she was feeling, he’d fix it then.
He pulled Tatiana back into his arms and let the quiet settle over them.
They flew back to Oakhaven the next morning. Nico called the underground fixer handling the venue before they’d even left the tarmac.
The fixer’s voice caught slightly. “Everything’s in order, Don Caruso. All set. Nothing to worry about.”
Nico exhaled and headed straight to the Syndicate office.
He was walking past Evelyn’s desk when he stopped dead. It was empty.
“Where’s Evelyn? She didn’t come in?”
The other secretaries exchanged glances. “She hasn’t been in for a month, Mr. Caruso. We figured she was on leave.”
Right. He’d told her to take time. A month ago, standing over her father’s body, he’d told her to breathe. She must have taken leave.
It couldn’t be a resignation. Her security clearance was tied to his direct approval; she couldn’t just walk away.
The thought calmed him. He let his gaze linger on her empty chair a moment longer, then walked into his office.
He sat down and glanced through the one–way glass at the floor outside. He’d positioned Evelyn’s
desk himself, years ago, angled so that all he had to do was look up and she’d be there, head down, focused, effortlessly beautiful.
The chair was empty. The hollow feeling in his chest spread.
By evening, the preparations were complete. He’d spared no expense this time, booked the most exclusive estate in Oakhaven, had every rose flown in from Avalon Valley.
Her dress had been hand–sewn by the best ateliers in Cordova Hills, every stitch made to order.
He pictured her face when she saw it all, the way her eyes would shine, the way she’d throw her arms around him and whisper that she forgave him. The thought made his chest ache in a way that almost felt good.
[Tonight’s the night, Evelyn. I’m not going anywhere this time.]
Night fell. Inside the ballroom, the officiant stepped up to the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. I present to you the groom, Nico!”
The doors swung open. The room was packed, every seat taken, every face fixed in a polished smile, as if the disaster a month ago had never happened.
Nico drew a breath and scanned the room. His chest tightened. Not a single face from Evelyn’s side. No family. No friends. No one.
Before the thought could fully form, the officiant’s voice rang out again. “And now, the bride. Evelyn Romano!”
The doors opened. Every head turned. The doorway was empty.
Every bit of unease he’d been choking down for a month hit him at once. His blood ran cold. She wasn’t there.
The officiant faltered, eyes darting to Nico.
Then the massive screen behind the altar crackled to life. Two documents filled the display.
The room erupted.
Nico’s entire body locked. He turned around slowly, and every thought in his head blanked white.