The CEO's Secret Affair-Chapter 29: An Ultimatum

~Riccardo’s POV~

I was tempted to slam down on the brakes, completely stop for a second, and then ask her to repeat what she had just said. But I couldn’t do that in the middle of traffic, not without risking both our lives. So I just stared at her from the rear view mirror, trying to hold her gaze and understand if I had heard correctly.

"What?" I finally broke the silence after a few seconds. "What did you just say?"

Anne tore her eyes away from mine and turned to watch the traffic from the window. I know she heard me, she just didn’t want to reply.

"I’m asking what you just said?" I asked once again, my tone rising beyond normal, while my grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Please just take me home..." she repeated, only this time she had tears streaming down from her cheek. I had no idea what exactly was going on, but one thing was for sure, and that was the fact that I wasn’t taking her to her apartment, not until she was properly cared for, and had explained what she had just said to me right now.

"Take me home!" She screamed at me from the back when she realized that I wasn’t listening to her. "Riccardo, turn the car around right now!"

I didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at her. My foot pressed harder on the accelerator instead, speeding through the streets and towards the road that led to my penthouse.

"Riccardo!" she yelled again, louder this time, her hand slamming against the dashboard. "You’re not listening! Take me home! You don’t understand, you’re only making everything worse!"

"Then make me understand," I shot back. "Because right now, all I’m hearing is you trying to run away after someone put their hands on you. I’m not dropping you at your apartment like nothing happened. So talk, Anne. Or I’m not listening to another word about ’home.’"

She let out a frustrated, broken scream, twisting in her seat to face me fully. Tears streaked her swollen cheeks, her hands shaking in her lap.

"Stop the car and take me home, or I swear I’ll call the police the second we stop!"

I glanced at her then, just long enough for her to see I wasn’t bluffing.

"Go right ahead," I said coldly. "Call them. Tell them your boss kidnapped you after you’d already been abducted once today. See how that goes. But I’m not taking you to that apartment, Anne. Not tonight. Not until I know what the hell is going on."

The silence that followed was thick and almost deafening. I could hear her breathing loudly at the back, her face contorted with rage. I feared she might try something stupid, but I trusted Anne to be reasonable especially at times like this.

After what seemed like a minute, and after she realised that I wasn’t stopping anytime soon, she finally exploded.

"They threatened to kill me!" she shouted and I felt my body go still for a second. Did she just say they threatened to kill her? Or had I heard incorrectly. I didn’t interfere, it was clear she still had a lot to say, and I didn’t plan on interrupting her at all.

"They threatened to kill my family if I don’t leave the city! Tonight! They know where my family stays, they know everything! They said they’d check tomorrow, and if I’m still here, if I don’t disappear, they’ll slaughter everyone I love!"

The car swerved slightly as my hands tightened on the wheel. I could feel my entire body shaking with rage, and it was taking more than a lot to keep me stable at the moment. In fact, if I hadn’t been the one behind the wheel, I likely would have done something reckless.

"Who?" I demanded after I had managed to calm myself down a little. "Who threatened you?"

Anne took a deep breath, steadied herself and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "I don’t know!" She replied, fighting back more tears. "Some old man that smoked the whole time. He had men with him. I don’t know who they are, but they meant it. Every word."

"You saw his face?" I inquired, a bit ecstatic at the recent discovery.

"Yes..." Anne replied in-between sniffles.

"Great," I exclaimed, almost smiling. "you’re going to describe everything you remember about his face to Marco, every single detail, understood—"

"Riccardo please just take me home—"

"You’re not leaving the city," I said with finality in my tone. "And you’re sure as hell not going back to your apartment. From now on, you’re staying with me. At my place. Under my protection. Full security detail, twenty-four seven. I’m going to find out who did this, and I’m going to end them. But until then, you don’t take a step without me knowing. Do you understand?"

She stared at me, eyes wide and terrified, tears still falling.

"Riccardo—"

"No arguments," I cut in, voice softer now but no less resolute. I reached over and took her trembling hand in mine, squeezing it hard. "I almost lost you tonight. I’m not risking that again. You’re going to be fine with me, your family too, I promise. Nothing’s going to happen to any of you, trust me."

Anne didn’t argue, she just stared at me with uncertainty in her eyes. I could tell that if she could, she would still pick the option of leaving the city, if not for her own sake, she would do it for her family, that was just the type of person Anne Allistair was.

She was a nice woman, yet they’d hurt her. Aside from the bastards that had harmed her physically, I still needed to figure out who had hired them. They wouldn’t have given her such an ultimatum if someone didn’t want her gone, at least from the city.

Someone clearly had something against her, and while I had a few names already popping up in my head, I chose not to jump to conclusions just yet. I would find out in due time. And when I did, I was going to make sure they experienced hell on earth.