Claiming Carmella

Chapter 1

Iago shifted slightly on his bed, the ticking sound of his bedside clock reminded him of his need to wake up. He opened his eyes and blinked to adjust to the dimness of his apartment’s guest room. He stretched languidly and then felt the sleeping figure sprawled sexily beside him.

He sighed as if he was dead tired but mostly, it was an expression of regret at what had occurred after he had left his sister’s wedding reception. He carefully sat up and extracted himself off the bed, making sure not to disturb the sleeping woman in it.

Francesca Garcia was an unnecessary dalliance he wanted to avoid ever since they had formed a relationship years ago. It was a union made out of necessity to let off s****l steam without having to deal with commitment. The point is solely physical gratification which had sustained Iago’s carnal needs. However, recently, he felt bored at the redundancy of it all. Perhaps the initial fiery, physical attraction between them had fizzled out.

He was a bit taken by surprise when she showed up inside his SUV, pretending to hold him at gunpoint. The “weapon” turned out to be merely a toy gun she had procured to prank him. It was a good thing he saw her face before he made any sudden move or else he would be explaining to one of his business partners why his niece’s neck is broken.

Iago pulled his boxers on and walked silently out of the room. It was not a monumental task since he had trained in different forms of combat ever since he could remember and stealth has become of second nature to him when there is a need for it. 

He proceeded towards another room which was his home office and beelined towards the phone on the his desk. He picked it up and dialed the number which connected him directly to his top security personnel and most trusted friend.

“Ricardo, if you let Francesca into my car again without my permission, I will personally see to it that you suffer through the rest of your life” he grumbled into the receiver as soon as Ricardo picked up the call.

“I’m sorry, boss,” Ricardo automatically replied “I assumed that you two had an arrangement since I saw you talking to her at the wedding.”

“Should I expect the other single, hungry heiresses in my private vehicle in the future? I talked to a lot of them at the party. Do you want to provide me with a list so that I can plan for a long week of s****l favors?” Iago snapped back, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“I will avoid such actions in the future, sir,” Ricardo replied apologetically before adding “should I send a car to pick up miss Garcia in the morning?”

Iago sighed and decided he was too tired to rise to the bait as he could clearly hear a teasing lilt in his friend’s voice. He replied that the car should come as soon as Francesca woke up. He also noted that he did not want to see her before she left so it was up to Ricardo to deal with her.

Iago scanned his neat desk and spied a couple of folders stacked on the center. The clock on his desk told him it was one in the morning. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He decided that a shower is required if he was to tackle the files.

Half an hour later, Iago settled on his office chair wearing his comfortable sweat pants. He placed a small cup of espresso on his desk. He usually had a maid to do his meals and what-nots but since it was already past work hours, he had to make his own coffee to keep him up and about.

Taking a sip of the espresso, he began by opening the topmost folder and proceeded perusing the details that outlined information for the companies he was arbitrating tomorrow. The family had a good amount of investments and stocks in both businesses so he considered it of utmost importance to see that the merger go through without a hitch and would continue being profitable for the Castillos.

A few hours later, Iago managed to look up from his work and look out at the floor to ceiling window of his penthouse office. The sky was starting to turn light and he knew that he should take advantage of the remaining hours to get some sleep. He took a deep breath and leaned back into his office chair, his thoughts wandering towards his recently married sister and her husband. 

What if he did what Isabelle had done? What if he had run away when he was younger and eager to make his own stamp in the world without the shadow of his ancestral name? Would he be as successful and formidable as he was now? Would he be married and have kids of his own?

He knew that their family dealings were not in black and white. There are a couple of gray areas, shady enough that it flirted dangerously between what is legal and what is criminal. He had never harbored the illusion that they were entirely good otherwise, they would not be branded as one of the strongest mafia family in Spain.

It was one of the reasons why Isabelle wanted to run away because she could no longer deal with the shady side of the family. Iago understood her far more than their other sibling, Alberto, did. Still, it never dawned to Iago to skirt away from his responsibilities no matter how questionable they were. Did that make him a coward compared to his sister?

Iago smiled ruefully at himself. He was sure that Isabelle  did not set out to find love when she ran away from the family. She had done it for independence and meeting the love of her life was just the cherry on top. It did not matter to Isabelle if her plans took an unexpected twist because it was clear to everyone who knew her that she is the happiest woman on the planet.

Could it happen to him? Is there a possibility of finding love amidst the dangers and chaos of running an empire? His mother seemed to not have lost any hope as she was forever throwing every available, eligible rich bachelorette his way. Well, at 29 years of age, he did not consider himself ancient or old enough to think he is no longer of marriageable age.

Sleep, Iago. Getting enough shut-eye is more important at the moment that you trying to fill your head with nonsensical thoughts on love and romance. 

He shook his head as if to get rid of his quick sentimental mood and stood up to head upstairs to his bedroom. He did not even think of going back into the guest room to have s*x with Francesca. He is pretty sure that the dalliance is over between them. He did not bother thinking about her reaction once he informs her that they will no longer be lovers, her feelings and thoughts on the matter were irrelevant as far as Iago was concerned.

Yes, it was cold and callous but the people around him were used to this persona of his. He’s Iago Castillo and nobody dared to criticize or offend him.