HIS SWEET OBSESSION

CHAPTER NINE

He realized that knowing who this man was wasn't that important.

"Who sent you?" Simeon questioned, but the man turned his head away. Simeon realized that this man wasn't going to answer, and he had no time to waste.

He pointed the gun towards the other man's knee and shot. A scream echoed throughout the place.

Simeon aimed at the man's forehead. The man on the floor realized that Simeon wasn't joking anymore. "I was just hired," he said.

"Who hired you?" Simeon asked. He hadn't intended to kill the man, but he needed this reaction.

"I don't know the person. I just received an order to kill you and the girl," he added.

"Is it an old man, Roberto Cavelli?" Simeon squatted down as the man shook his head.

"I wasn't the one in contact with him. I just do the job and get paid, but I heard that it's a young man like you."

Simeon nodded and stood up. He didn't do anything else but walk away.

But he was curious. If it wasn't his father, then who dared to attack him today?

Simeon was a significant figure in the mafia world, and if he could take down his father, he would be at the pinnacle of power.

Simeon wondered who dared to attack him; that person truly yearned for death. He went down the stairs, noting that the gunfire had stopped a while ago.

Without the assassin, his men were able to control the situation. He saw a group of men on the floor, held down by his men.

Simeon noticed his other men looking around, seemingly searching for him. Their panic-stricken faces revealed a hint of fear.

He also noticed that Tessa was out of the car, standing by the wall next to the door. She leaned against it with her arms wrapped around her chest.

She appeared calmer than his men. She raised her face, and her red eyes locked onto his.

"Can we leave now?" she spoke up, her voice small and faint. Before he could respond, she walked toward the car.

She opened the door and got in. Tessa watched as he said something to his men before walking over to the other side of the car and getting in.

She turned her head and looked out the window, unsure of what to do or say.

Simeon ignited the engine, glancing at her before focusing on the road as he started to drive away.

Tessa could feel his gaze, but she was still in shock from what had happened earlier; she had never felt so helpless. She remembered the way bullets had been flying their way and shuddered at the thought of Simeon.

"Take me to my apartment," she whispered softly. She knew she didn't need to give Simeon directions to her place; he had an entire file on her.

She silently looked out the window. Even though she felt safe with him, Tessa was sure that she didn't want to be part of his life.

She didn't want to be scared that any minute from now, she would be dead. She thought of cutting all ties with him but held back.

He had protected her two times in a row; she would help him after gaining back everything, just to pay him back for the favor.

She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, her eyes fixed on the outside of the window.

Simeon frowned silently, his gaze turning icy. Every single emotion he had on his face disappeared instantly.

"Do you think I will let you live like that?" Simeon questioned, his tone changing instantly.

Tessa didn't bother looking at him; she knew that her words would anger him because men like him loved to hold girls like her captive and control their lives.

But Tessa truly didn't want to stay unless she was dead. "Are you going to try to hold me back?"

Simeon turned his head and looked at the girl; she looked like a weathered flower. Her red eyes appeared lifeless.

Simeon noticed that she hadn't looked at him ever since they got in the car, so he turned to look at the road.

He was planning to drive to his mansion in the suburbs but decided against it. He turned the car and headed to the city, not bothering to try to change her mind.

When Simeon looked at her, he noticed that she wasn't like him. He was used to living on the verge of death every day; neither blood nor bullets scared him, but she wasn't.

This was all new to her. He parked outside an apartment building, looked at it, and sighed.

He watched her let her feet down. Simeon stepped out of the car at the same time as she did. He walked over to her side and watched as she closed the car door. Simeon buried his hands deep in his pockets. She turned her head, and finally, her eyes locked with his, which were more gray than she had ever seen them.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he nodded. Simeon lowered his head for a minute and noticed that her bare feet were standing on the cold floor, which seemed uncomfortable.

He moved forward and pulled her into his arms bridal style. Tessa gasped in shock and confusion. She was about to ask what was happening until she saw his gaze on her feet.

Tessa's gaze was strained on the man who was holding her delicately, as if she were made of glass. Her arms were wrapped around his neck; she had never felt so touched and cared for.

He strode into the building without a single care for who was looking their way; he just looked forward.

Tessa couldn't bear to look away. She watched the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Something tightened in her chest, and her heart drummed so hard that she could feel it.

Why couldn't she just try to look away from him, with his sharp jaw and short stubble? He was truly a handsome man; she knew that women seeing him now might be drooling.

Tessa felt sad. He just had to come from a world she didn't want to get involved in. As the elevator moved up to her floor, she remembered something she hadn't really thought of from the beginning.

"What's your name?" Tessa asked, her cheeks turning pink as she hid her face in his chest. How could she not know the name of the man who had given her her first kiss?

Simeon looked down at the girl in his arms, his eyes shining with amusement when he saw her shy expression. He didn't know why his name would make a girl shy.

"Simeon."

Tessa looked up. Even though she had asked, she wasn't sure he would answer her.

The elevator arrived, and he put her down on her feet. Tessa looked up at him and then at the hallway that led to her apartment.

"Thank you," she whispered, her fingers playing with the bottom of his shirt that she had on.

Simeon looked at her, his hands buried deep in his slack pockets. He didn't know what to say now. He watched as she turned around and left; the elevator doors closed, and her tiny figure disappeared from his view.

He resumed his cold demeanor as he pulled out his phone. He didn't know who was after her and him, but one thing was for sure: he was going to make sure his men protected her from the shadows.

Simeon wondered if he was still doing this because he needed her or because of how he was starting to feel when she looked at him or when he held her in his arms

"Ma, do you think she's the one you always told me about?" Simeon asked with his eyes closed; he really missed his mother.