Sweet Hatred
Chapter 146: Drive

Chapter 146: Drive

Kael’s hand brushed mine, subtle and silent, and I felt the message in that brief contact. Stay close. Don’t flinch.

The Don’s booming voice reached us, completely unaware. "Kael! Come now, you didn’t tell me your father and brother would be here tonight!"

"I didn’t know they’d be attending," Kael said smoothly, face unreadable. "How... thoughtful of them."

Ewan stepped forward, smile warm enough to melt butter. "We couldn’t resist, son. Not when there’s such a fine gathering to support our empire’s expansion."

Kael’s jaw flexed, but he nodded. "Of course. You always show up when it benefits you."

The Don laughed, oblivious. "It’s good to see family together. I always say—blood knows best."

I wanted to shrink into the floor. Kael radiated tension, but he still played along, offering a handshake to the chairman, who gripped his wrist like he owned it.

And then, that polished, poisonous gaze turned to me.

"Well," Mr. Ewan said slowly, eyes flicking down my frame with all the subtlety of a dagger, "Ms. Aria. What a pleasant surprise to see you again."

I smiled—tight, professional. "Likewise, Mr. Roman."

Kael turned to me, eyebrows barely twitching. He hadn’t known. I could feel the question burning inside him—When did you meet my father?

I didn’t dare look at him. Not yet.

Mr. Ewan’s smile thinned. "Didn’t expect you to be here, though. These events are quite... elite."

My stomach knotted. But I held my smile steady. "I’m only here at the request of my employer, Mr. Roman."

Kael stepped in before his father could speak. "And if you have an issue with her presence," he said, voice velvet-covered steel, "you’ll have to take it up with her employer directly."

The air went ice cold.

Mr. Ewan’s smile barely moved, but I caught the twitch in his brow. "Of course," he said finally. "I wouldn’t dream of interfering with company matters."

Then Andrew stepped forward with the easy grace of a man used to cameras and applause. "Andrew Roman," he said, offering his hand with a smirk that looked carved from the same stone as the devil’s cheekbone. "It’s a pleasure, Ms. Aria. I’ve seen your face here and there. Pictures don’t do you justice."

Here and there? PICTURES?

His voice dripped with false charm, his hazel eyes glinting like broken glass. So this was him. The golden son. The Roman heir. The man the world expected to lead XE. I reached out cautiously, but before our hands could touch—

Kael cut in.

"We were just leaving."

The Don frowned. "Already?"

Kael offered a polite shrug. "Something came up. Urgent call from HQ. I’m afraid I’ll have to pull rank."

Ewan stepped forward again, trying to wedge himself back in. "Nonsense. You can stay another hour. We can catch up properly."

Kael smiled, cold and smooth. "You catch up. You’ve got Andrew for company. Enjoy the night to the fullest, Father."

He didn’t wait for another protest.

His hand slipped around my waist, not for show anymore—but for control. He led me out, cool and confident, while I fumbled for breath and balance beside him.

Only once we passed the grand double doors did I finally let myself speak.

"They’ll know," I whispered. "Kael... they’ll know something’s going on."

"They already do," he muttered. "But now they’re not sure what. That’s exactly how I want it."

My heart raced, still shaken from the Roman stare-down.

And yet...

When I glanced up at Kael, his eyes burned with something feral. Not shaken. Not fearful. Ready.

Like war had come early—and he’d already chosen which weapon he’d use first.

Me.

The moment we stepped out into the night air, Kael’s presence shifted. Harder. Heavier. Not visibly—but I felt it in the way he stood beside me, like gravity was bending tighter around him.

The guards were already at attention, drivers holding open car doors for the returning entourage. Kael didn’t speak at first. He simply walked toward one of the sleek black sedans lined at the curb, extended his hand to the driver, and said with unblinking authority:

"Keys."

The driver hesitated only a second before obeying, head bowed. "Sir."

Kael took the keys and turned toward the others. "You all go back to the castle."

There were murmurs of confusion—questions—but no one challenged him.

He didn’t wait for me to catch up. He just opened the passenger door for me, looked at me once—blank, unreadable—and I slid in without a word. My heart thudded a little too fast.

The door shut behind me.

Then he climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove.

I watched the grand lights of the venue fade behind us in the side mirror, the hush inside the car wrapping itself around us like thick velvet. Kael’s jaw was clenched, his eyes fixed straight ahead, one hand resting on the wheel while the other drummed lightly on his thigh, too calmly, too rhythmically, like he was faking being calm.

He wasn’t okay. I could feel it.

But I didn’t speak.

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to.

Rome blurred past us in pools of gold and midnight: tall buildings glowing like a spine of history, the Colosseum lit in honeyed amber, looming like a ghost of war. We turned past the Pantheon, its columns drenched in shadows, and I caught a glimpse of Piazza Navona with its fountains glittering in the distance like shattered moonlight.

I couldn’t help it—I glanced at him.

His profile was cold, beautiful, deadly. But something in his eyes... it wasn’t anger. It was worse. A silence that was too loud.

Then his voice finally cut through the quiet, low and direct:

"When did you meet my father?"

I swallowed.

Of course.

I stared ahead, fingers curling slightly against my dress. "At the office. A few weeks ago while you were away."

He didn’t say anything. So I added, "He showed up unannounced. Said he wanted to talk about my... conduct at work. He didn’t exactly threaten me, but..."

"But he did," Kael finished for me, voice like black ice.

I nodded, slowly. "Yeah."

Another beat of silence.

"I didn’t tell you," I said, more quietly now, "because I figured it wasn’t... important. Or maybe I was scared. I didn’t know what to do or what you’d do."

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