Nikolai shot to his feet after Asher, he could tell there was more to the question. Heat inducers were unfamiliar to him, why would anyone want to induce heats when they came naturally?
"But I could keep an ear out," He kept pace with the other Mafia King, "Why? Do you need some?" He pried in his usual nosy way.
Asher didn’t slow down, heading right for the private room. "I’ll tell you if you find some information," He said vaguely, having no intention of doing that.
Caspian had been fine ever since his induced heat, he had been closely monitored by an in-house doctor as well as Doctor Perez coming over occasionally. Despite all that, it was only a matter of time before he went into heat and Asher was no closer to finding out who had given his mate inducers.
Nikolai gritted his teeth, in his quest to find out more, he ended up in front of the door to a private lounge with Asher. The Mafia King hadn’t tried to chase him off, so he guessed it was just a casual acquaintance.
He lingered at the open door when Asher strode in, still trying to figure out the deal with the inducers.
The sweet scent of red wine hit him making him focus on the occupants of the private room. Silvia making an appearance felt like a strange coincidence after the conversation they just had but he barely spared her a glance, his eyes drawn to the person beside her.
Nikolai was sure he hadn’t seen him before but why did he look so familiar? Despite his fit body, he had a delicate face and hair for days-
The door slammed in his face then, interrupting his thoughts. Nikolai glared at the closed door but didn’t retaliate, turning around to leave.
Instead of heading out of the club, his feet carried him to the bar, a furrow between his brows. It wasn’t until a menu was pushed in front of him that it clicked - the look in those eyes reminded him of someone he had bumped into less than a day ago.
He had only studied Silvia’s company for a few seconds but was struck by this odd thought. It was strange, he doubted they even had similar eye colors, why was he reminded of the black-clad stranger who had glared at him?
Forgetting about the inducers that he had been chasing to get more answers about, he ordered the first drink on the menu, distracted by his thoughts.
He had few dealings with Silvia but he could probably walk into her private room and have a casual conversation with her without any skirmishes...
Nikolai caught himself in time - what the fuck was he doing? He had more enemies than allies, what did it matter if one more person despised him?
Rising to his feet, he ditched his untouched drink, the ice in the shot of martini bobbing slightly. He didn’t make any more stops, heading right for his car in the parking lot.
"Where to boss?" His driver said in a low tone when he got in.
Nikolai didn’t answer at first, his dark gaze fixed on the entrance to the club. His cigar was nothing but a stub now, the fat tip a dark red.
He could still smell the sweet red wine, the lighting in the room had been dim so he hadn’t gotten a detailed look but despite how blurry his features were, it seemed branded in Nikolai’s thoughts.
"To the apartment. I’m calling it an early day." He said shortly, leaning back.
As the car drove out of the parking lot, faint white smoke was left behind, Nikolai lighting up another cigar.
Mafia King Asher didn’t stay for too long, leaving without saying a single word to Angelo. The Beta didn’t mind, he wasn’t interested in a conversation.
He had drank enough wine to have his senses muddled but he had sobered up fast when Mafia King Asher showed up, and it had nothing to do with the Mafia King.
Angelo felt pinned under Mafia King Nikolai’s stare, the slamming door sparing him from those cold eyes. He had drank more after that brief encounter, not because he was shaken by the Mafia King’s presence but because he was worried that Nikolai had seen him with Silvia.
If he attempted the job and failed, his boss might bear some consequences for her connection with him.
"Nikolai’s not going to touch me," Silvia said into the silent room, reading his thoughts clear as day.
Angelo nodded and emptied half of another glass of wine, thinking about ways he could potentially keep how he looked a secret from Mafia King Nikolai.
Cutting his hair would be the easiest and most efficient but Angelo didn’t want to cut his hair. He would just have to make sure that he completed the job so that his boss wouldn’t face the backlash.
Silvia’s expression dimmed, she had kept a perfect facade while speaking to Asher but now that it was just her and Angelo, she swayed lightly, clearly more inebriated than she let on.
She had wanted to go out drinking to cheer Angelo and herself up, and keep his mind off his problems even for a few hours but here they were, drinking like two heartbroken teenagers.
"Boss, you shouldn’t drink anymore," Angelo’s quiet voice interrupted her sad thoughts. "You have to work in the morning."
"You don’t." Silvia countered.
"I could." Angelo said calmly, the room spinning slightly in his vision. He had also had too much to drink.
Silvia didn’t say more, even after saying they shouldn’t talk about Angelo’s final job, they ended up doing just that. Mafia King Nikolai had even shown up in person, this entire night out was a bust.
"Come with me, I’ll drive you to your hotel." She said when they got to the parking lot.
Angelo shook his head, "I’ll take a cab. Tonight was nice, thank you, Silvia."
Silvia watched Angelo walk off, his slender body disappearing into the sea of cars. Angelo rarely ever called her by her name, it made her spin around on the tip of her heels and return to the club.