Prisioner In Your Arms

Nicole came downstairs later. Sara had already fed Bruno and Leandro. In fact, she came down because she thought they had already left.

“It’s good that you’re coming down. I was waiting for you to say goodbye. I’ll be in the city for a while, and I hope we can go out again before I return to Italy,” Leandro said.

“Of course, Leandro. And thank you for the roses,” Nicole replied.

Leandro just smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and left. Bruno watched the scene attentively, sitting on a couch in the living room. When Leandro left, he approached Nicole.

“I imagine it’s difficult for you to go from being a couple for so many years to seeing each other as siblings,” he said in a sarcastic tone that Nicole found offensive.

“That’s something you shouldn’t concern yourself with. But to satisfy your great curiosity, I’ll tell you. There was nothing between Leandro and me that we need to regret. I won’t deny that I was starting to fall in love with him, that I could imagine a lifetime together. He made me happy, my son was happy. He’s a loving and thoughtful man, which you never were. That’s why I didn’t hesitate when he asked me to be his wife after divorcing you,” Nicole explained.

“A real Prince Charming, isn’t he?” Bruno remarked, sensing a deep sadness in her eyes.

“Even if you don’t believe it, he is. The woman who becomes his wife will be truly lucky,” Bruno said. Nicole felt hurt seeing him defend Leandro.

“Although you idealize him as the perfect man, he’s not,” Bruno continued, adding to her pain.

“Why should I care?” Nicole asked, annoyed.

“I didn’t understand why you brought up his sister and that woman,” Bruno said.

“Just listen to what I have to say without interrupting. I know you’ll be interested to know,” he said.

“Go ahead, say what you have to say, and then leave,” Nicole replied, pointing to the door. She was tired and didn’t want to see him anymore.

“Sondra was telling Shelsy that it was Leandro who asked her to take you to his room that night,” Bruno revealed.

“He told me that. Sondra tricked him into thinking that I had agreed to be with him,” Nicole said.

“She lied to him. He gave her a large sum of money. He wanted to have you at any cost. That night, he would have forced you to be with him, and Sondra would have brought the reporters the next day. The reporters were paid by Leandro,” Bruno explained. Nicole listened in silence, her face turning pale.

“You’re lying. Leandro told me what really happened. He wouldn’t lie to me,” she said.

“I thought Bruno was capable of anything to discredit Leandro. He was jealous, and that’s why he made up all those things,” Bruno said.

“You’ve idealized him as the perfect man when he’s not,” he added, defending Leandro, which hurt Nicole even more.

“Please, just leave,” she pleaded. She didn’t have the strength to argue anymore.

Bruno left, regretting what he had said. He couldn’t believe that he was still hurting her even after promising not to. He wanted her to love him, but instead, because of his foolishness, he was fueling her hatred.

He called Brando and Dante. He needed to drink, to forget. They met at a well-known bar and sat at the counter. They ordered a bottle of whisky and started drinking. Bruno took one shot after another.

“Hey brother, calm down, what’s going on?”

“I messed up again, over and over I keep doing it.”

“What have you ruined this time?” Dante had no idea what was happening.

“Nicole now hates me even more.”

“What did you do now?” Dante asked, getting a little annoyed. He loved his brother, but he didn’t like how he treated his sister-in-law.

“I can’t stand how she puts Leandro on a pedestal, how she sees him as so perfect. It fills me with rage to see the way they look at each other, how they interact, it just makes me furious. Even my son prefers him over me.”

“You know it will take time for them to adjust to your presence. Leandro was Nicole’s partner and a father figure to your son. They are not to blame for what happened, but you are responsible for how you treated them.”

“I know all that perfectly, but it’s really hard for me to accept it. I couldn’t keep quiet; for a moment, I wanted her to hate him as much as she hates me. I told her what really happened that night, that it was him who paid Sondra to take her to his room and to bring the reporters. I wanted her to see that he’s not so perfect.”

“You messed up again. If she had heard it from someone else, she might have taken it differently. But coming from you, she knows you didn’t say it with good intentions.”

“I’m a complete idiot.”

“I fully support you on that.” Dante said, smiling.

Shortly after, Brando, who had stepped away for a moment, returned accompanied by some beautiful girls. Dante shivered at the thought of Sophie finding out, so he rejected the girl who approached him politely. Bruno pulled a brunette towards him, who smiled at him.

She was beautiful, sensual, and had a well-proportioned body. Bruno kissed her passionately, trying to forget about Nicole. The girl pulled him by the arm and led him to a private area, pushed him to sit down, and then sat on his lap. As she positioned herself, her short dress rose, revealing a bit more of her legs.

Bruno ran his hands over her legs, caressing them, while the brunette kissed him eagerly. He kept his eyes closed, but Nicole’s image briefly flashed in his mind. He opened his eyes and pushed the girl away.

“What’s wrong with you? You stupid man!”

She exclaimed, both upset and surprised.

“Get lost.” He told her authoritatively.

“If you don’t like women, you should have said so. You wasted my time that I could have spent with a better client.” No one had ever rejected her before, and it was a pity that a man like him didn’t like women.

Bruno threw a good stack of bills at her to make her shut up. The girl picked them up, still smirking.

“There, it’s different now. Don’t worry; nobody will know that you don’t like women. I’ll tell them being with you was the best thing that ever happened to me.” She laughed sarcastically.

The girl left, while Bruno, angry, destroyed everything within his reach. Dante, concerned, watched as Bruno did that.

“Brother, you’re just tightening the noose around your neck.”

He fell asleep, and when they arrived at his mansion, Dante now had a big problem: how was he going to get a man of that size and stature down by himself?

“Hey brother, calm down, what’s going on?”

“I messed up again, over and over I keep doing it.”

“What have you ruined this time?” Dante had no idea what was happening.”

“Nicole now hates me even more.”

“What did you do now?” Dante asked, getting a little annoyed. He loved his brother, but he didn’t like how he treated his sister-in-law.

“I can’t stand how she puts Leandro on a pedestal, how she sees him as so perfect. It fills me with rage to see the way they look at each other, how they interact, it just makes me furious. Even my son prefers him over me.”

“You know it will take time for them to adjust to your presence. Leandro was Nicole’s partner and a father figure to your son. They are not to blame for what happened, but you are responsible for how you treated them.”

“I know all that perfectly, but it’s really hard for me to accept it. I couldn’t keep quiet; for a moment, I wanted her to hate him as much as she hates me. I told her what really happened that night, that it was him who paid Sondra to take her to his room and to bring the reporters. I wanted her to see that he’s not so perfect.”

“You messed up again. If she had heard it from someone else, she might have taken it differently. But coming from you, she knows you didn’t say it with good intentions.”

“I’m a complete idiot.”

“I fully support you on that.” Dante said, smiling.

Shortly after, Brando, who had stepped away for a moment, returned accompanied by some beautiful girls.

Dante shivered at the thought of Sophie finding out, so he rejected the girl who approached him politely. Bruno pulled a brunette towards him, who smiled at him. She was beautiful, sensual, and had a well-proportioned body. Bruno kissed her passionately, trying to forget about Nicole.

The girl pulled him by the arm and led him to a private area, pushed him to sit down, and then sat on his lap. As she positioned herself, her short dress rose, revealing a bit more of her legs.

Bruno ran his hands over her legs, caressing them, while the brunette kissed him eagerly. He kept his eyes closed, but Nicole’s image briefly flashed in his mind. He opened his eyes and pushed the girl away.

“What’s wrong with you? You stupid man!”

She exclaimed, both upset and surprised.

“Get lost.” He told her authoritatively.

“If you don’t like women, you should have said so. You wasted my time that I could have spent with a better client.” No one had ever rejected her before, and it was a pity that a man like him didn’t like women.

Bruno threw a good stack of bills at her to make her shut up. The girl picked them up, still smirking.

“There, it’s different now. Don’t worry; nobody will know that you don’t like women. I’ll tell them being with you was the best thing that ever happened to me.” She laughed sarcastically.

The girl left, while Bruno, angry, destroyed everything within his reach. Dante, concerned, watched as Bruno did that.

“Brother, you’re just tightening the noose around your neck.”

He fell asleep, and when they arrived at his mansion, Dante now had a big problem: how was he going to get a man of that size and stature down by himself?

“He’s safe inside the car, sitting down, so if he vomits, he won’t choke. The car is comfortable, and it’s in the garage. It’s better for him to stay here.”

After searching for reasons to quiet his conscience, Dante grabbed the keys to Bruno’s favorite car, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhhlenhaut Coupe, which he had acquired at an auction for 135 million euros.

“I know this will hurt you more than anything, little brother, so I’ll take my car and leave you with yours.” He laughed at the thought of Bruno’s reaction when he realized his car was gone.

The butler tried to stop him but couldn’t.

“Tell my brother that when he returns my car, I’ll give him his back. I want it clean and without any smell of alcohol.” He left with a smile, knowing that Bruno would be furious when he found out.

The next morning, Bruno woke up completely disoriented. His body ached from the position he was in. After a while, he realized he was inside Dante’s car. He got out, feeling like his head was about to explode.

He immediately noticed that his favorite car was missing. He entered the mansion, calling out to the butler.

“Niles, what happened to my Mercedes? You know that car is an invaluable piece in my collection.”

“I’m sorry, sir. Young Dante took it. I couldn’t stop him. He said that when you return his car completely clean and without any smell of alcohol, he’ll give yours back to you.”

“Ahhh, Dante, Dante.” He exclaimed angrily.

He had to go to the office; he was already late. He would settle the score with his brother later. He ordered Niles to wash the car immediately to return it.

He went up to his room, took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed to the office in another one of his cars. He instructed his butler to bring Dante’s car to the office later.