Chapter 140 The moment we collided

Chapter 140 The moment we collided
Carlino’s POV

After Ruciano ran away, my attention shifted back to the girls. It was the first time since their birth that I had stood this close to them, seeing them up close. I lowered myself onto the ground, kneeling, meeting their height as they stared back at me just as intently.

I studied them in silence, taking in every detail. Erla had my eyes—something I had always known, but never seen this clearly, this close. Even her nose mirrored mine. She looked like a smaller, softer version of me. A girl shaped from my reflection. Rotha, on the other hand, was unmistakably her mother’s child. Every feature belonged to Lina. The long dark hair, hazel eyes, skin tone. Everything.

Something stirred in my chest, something hot, buried, long restrained. Emotions I had kept locked away clawed their way back to the surface. Still, I forced a smile as I called them closer.

“You’re beautiful,” I said quietly, almost gently.

“Thank you,” Erla replied simply.

Rotha on the other hand said nothing. Not a word. She turned abruptly and ran inside, her sobs breaking through the air as she went. Erla moved as if to follow, but I caught her little hand before she could.

“Hey,” I said firmly, lowering my voice. “You won’t tell your mother about my features. About my eyes… or anything you noticed. Do you understand me?” I said gently.

Her small hands stayed trapped in mine, warm and fragile.

“I won’t,” she said.

“Promise?”

She hesitated for a moment, thinking it through. Then, softly, “Yes.”

“Where’s your mother?” I asked, my tone sharpening slightly. Lina would never have allowed them outside like this, not with Ruciano back in the picture.

“She—she said she was going to the station,” Erla replied.

I nodded once. “Okay.”

Without another word, she pulled free and ran after her sister. I stood up, standing there for a moment longer, staring at the space they had filled only seconds ago. Then it hit me—the shift. The return of control. Of awareness. Of everything I had been suppressing just to stand there peacefully.

I bent down, picked up my cap from the ground, and walked away. Lina shouldn't see me here. Not now, nor ever. She could return at any moment.

Even as I left, my chest remained heavy—unnaturally so. Thoughts tangled violently in my mind. I needed answers. I needed to know what Tesoro was doing about Ruciano.

By the time I reached the hotel, evening had already settled in. I went straight to Aiden’s door and knocked.

He opened it, immediately giving me that look. The one that said what do you want this time?

“I need you to do something for me,” I said, pulling off my cap and running a hand through my hair.

“And what is it?” he asked sluggishly.

“Find out about Ruciano’s case. How Lina is handling it. Whether it’s progressing or not. And I want answers before the day ends.”

Aiden groaned. “Carlino, come on, man.”

“Aiden…” I warned quietly. He knew what that tone meant. He was pushing it too far lately—too comfortable with the line between friendship and duty.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll do it.”

“Good.” I smirked faintly. “And tell the ladies on your bed I said hi.”

I turned and went into my room before he could respond. Inside, I showered immediately, scrubbing away the remnants of what had happened earlier. Ruciano’s blood still clung to my knuckles, a stubborn stain I didn’t want to carry anymore.

When I finished, I dressed in a short, without a shirt, and got food for dinner through room service.

I ate in silence, then tried to work—papers, files, anything to keep my mind occupied. But it was useless. My thoughts kept drifting back to Lina. No matter how hard I pushed them away, they returned.

Just as I was about to lie down, a knock came at the door. I exhaled sharply and opened it.

Aiden stood there.

“So…?” I asked, leaning against the frame. “Spit it out.”

“You won’t even invite me in?” he said dramatically.

“I don’t have time for your theatrics.”

He rolled his eyes. “She’s working on it. Ruciano’s case. The captain of that district police station is personally handling it. And he assigned three sergeants to guard her house, just in case he shows up.”

Relief washed over me, subtle but real. “Good,” I said.

“Alright, bye—” I started closing the door.

“I deserve a thank you, Carlino.”

“Your ladies are waiting for you,” I said flatly, shutting it.

I lay on the bed afterward, staring at the ceiling. It was routine. A habit carved into me over five years. I couldn’t sleep without pills—couldn’t silence my mind otherwise.

But tonight, I refused them. So I stayed awake. Hours passed. I worked instead, drowning myself in documents just to avoid thinking. At least it reduced the load. At least it kept me away from everything else. From Lina.

Eventually, exhaustion caught up with me. My eyes grew heavy, and I finally let sleep take me.

\~~~

Morning came through the curtains in soft gold, cascading down on my face. I turned away from the light, groaning as I opened my eyes slowly. I sat up, dragged myself to the bathroom, and got ready for the day.

The moment I finished dressing, a knock came in. I opened the door. Aiden stood there, breathless.

“Good morning,” he said quickly. “The land owner is back. We’re supposed to meet him at his office. Good thing you’re already ready.”

“I already drafted a letter of intent and sent it to you. That’s what we’ll use. Let me grab my phone, then we go.”

He nodded.

We left the hotel, heading your destination. But when we arrived, the receptionist informed us he wasn’t there.

“He went out,” she said casually.

Silence.

Then I turned slowly to Aiden. “You’re telling me you didn’t know he wouldn’t be here?”

“I wasn’t informed!” he snapped. “Don’t put that on me.”

I said nothing else. I simply turned and walked out. I wasn’t about to sit in a car with him. Not today. I walked instead, letting the irritation settle into something colder. Halfway back, my phone rang.

Niel.

I answered without slowing down. “Don’t tell me my acting CEO has already caused another mess. It’s not even been four days.”

“No,” Niel said quickly. “In fact, he just secured a hu—”

I didn’t hear the rest. Because I collided with someone. A female voice snapped out as she stumbled, but I caught her wrist before she fell. Dark hair spilled forward, covering her face. For a moment, she didn’t move. Neither did I.

Something in the contact… felt familiar. My grip on her tightened slightly without thought. No… it can’t be.

Slowly, she lifted her head. And the world stopped. Lina. My breath caught, my mind going completely still as if time had frozen around us.

Her eyes widened the same way mine must have inside my mind, “Carlino?” she whispered.