Page 27 of Mafia King

The place is only half full: remote workers with headphones, a pair of lawyers speaking in low voices over oat-milk lattes, the steady hiss of the espresso machine behind the counter.

In truth, it could be any coffee shop across the city.

Theo sits at a corner table with a clear view of both the entrance and the street outside. His laptop is open in front of him, a half-finished black coffee cooling at his elbow.

The platinum bracelet is still on his nightstand at home; he told himself he would put it on after the shower and then simply… forgot.

Or chose not to remember.

He refreshes the encrypted inbox for the third time in ten minutes. The message arrives without fanfare…

TRACKER: Now we move deeper. I’m sending a file with specific requests for banking, offshore reserves, and crypto details. Bring me the details as requested and do not keep me waiting.

A second notification follows almost immediately: an encrypted file attachment, password-protected, waiting for the key he already knows how to generate.

Theo arches one eyebrow and leans closer to the screen.

The play is obvious once the pieces line up…

Whoever is paying Theo is not interested in photographs or leverage or quiet blackmail. They want the money itself… Nikolai’s banking structure, the offshore reserves, the crypto wallets that almost certainly sit behind layers of shell companies and false names.

This is not corporate espionage anymore. This is a direct attempt to empty a rich man’s accounts.

A cold thread of unease moves through Theo’s chest. He has taken jobs that ruined careers and marriages. He has never been asked to help empty a man’s fortune while sharing his bed and wearing his gift on his wrist.

The distinction sits heavier than he expected.

But before Theo can finish sorting the feeling, a hand settles on his shoulder.

Theo nearly jumps out of the chair. He forces his body to stay still and reaches for the laptop lid in one smooth motion, closing it with the kind of calm that looks ordinary if no one is watching too closely.

The screen goes dark just as Nikolai leans down and presses a brief, warm kiss to his cheek.

“Good morning,” Nikolai says, already pulling out the chair opposite Theo.

Theo’s heart is still hammering. He offers a small smile that feels too tight on his face.

“Hi. I didn’t expect to see you here,” Theo says, smiling as sweetly as he can.

“I was nearby. Call it a coincidence,” Nikolai sits, signals the barista with two fingers, and turns his full attention back to Theo. “Did you sleep well after the film?”

“I had a good night,” Theo says, fluttering his eyelashes as he does everything he can to stop Nikolai from asking about what was on his laptop screen.

They exchange a few easy sentences… how the late screening of Chinatown held up, whether the rooftop casino had surprised him as much as it seemed, the mild weather.

Just all the typical post-date BS Theo had heard a thousand times.

Nikolai’s coffee arrives black, no sugar. He wraps one hand around the cup and studies Theo across the small table.

Then his gaze drops to Theo’s bare left wrist, and a dark look comes over Nikolai’s eyes…

“Why aren’t you wearing my bracelet?”

The question is quiet, almost conversational, but the weight underneath it is unmistakable.

Theo keeps his voice light. “I forgot to put it on after my morning shower. It’s still on the nightstand.”

Nikolai’s eyes stay on Theo’s wrist for another beat. When he looks up again the warmth has cooled into something more deliberate.