"Are you doubting my sincerity, Mr. Alessandro?"

Kaiden's question filled the room with a heavy silence for a few moments before Domenic finally decided to answer.

"I'm not doubting your promise of never hurting Emilia. But that does not mean you and your family are not on the top of the list of our suspicion."

A smile made its way to Kaiden's lips as he swirled the wine in his glass as he asked, "So you are suspecting that I'm trying to use your sister to get a hold over you?"

Domenic was again silent for a few seconds as he sipped his wine, taking in the rich taste of years-old treasure.

"I have known you for quite some time. I know you better than most of your friends and enemies. Even though I believe that you will never stoop to a level of using Emily as a chess piece in your game, the recent incidents are putting you under the spotlight."

Domenic told him as he continued to enjoy his wine.

"I know what you are trying to say. Even though we know the reason behind Rylan's presence at the Star Xander Mall, there's still no information about the masked man."

Kaiden started counting down each incident.

"Even though I planned to make one of your brothers break a rule of the peace treaty, somehow all of that ended up in your sister's kidnapping. Even though I protected her that night and only made her cross the stream to save Rylan, we did not get to find out about the identity of the people who kidnapped her in the first place."

"As for today's incident. We once again lost the track of those men. I can see why you are not trusting me completely."

Domenic turned his attention to the young man who was around the same age as Mark and Crist.

"You are right. The first time that masked man disappeared the very exact moment Rylan stepped into the scene. The second time we were unable to find any clues because you killed all those men and today it was your men who lost the track of those men."

"In less than a week, Emily has been targeted three times and every time, someone from your side was present."

Domenic stated the facts as he refilled his glass with wine.

"You should increase the security around her. It's not safe for her to be left alone for even a second." Kaiden advised as he emptied the content of his glass before refilling it.

"I just don't want her to feel caged because of all these incidents. She has already lost most of her teenage years in sadness. I don't want to keep her from enjoying her life even now. She should have been living a carefree and happy life after returning."

Domenic Alessandro was known to be cold-hearted and indifferent, no matter what was the situation.

However, as Kaiden watched the man sulking his anger and guilt along with the wine, he realized exactly how much Emily meant to him.

"I will find those who are after all this. I promise." Kaiden whispered the promise as he refilled Domenic's glass which was again empty.

A small twitch appeared on the older man's lips as he turned his attention towards the young CEO.

"How come she ended up entangling with the two of you?" He asked curiously.

Kaiden just replied with a shrug. In reality, even he had no idea exactly why she was pushed into the messy life of his family.

He was silent for a few seconds before he replied with a soft smile, "I'm just happy that she did."

Domenic shook his head as he watched the sparkle that took over Kaiden's eyes as he talked about Emily.

"You should remember to keep your dirty claws away from her. She's still my baby sister. If you dared to do something inappropriate, I'll personally give you a tour through the eight levels of hell." Domenic told the young man.

This time Kaiden turned his entire attention towards the eldest Alessandro brother as he commented, "You almost sounds like her father. I'm definitely not looking forward to pleasing her six overprotective brothers."

His words made both him and Domenic to burst into chuckles as they pictured Kaiden's future.

They were silent for a few minutes before Kaiden dared to ask, "Are you happy with the fact that she's tied to us?"

Domenic was silent for a few minutes before a sigh left his lips. He took a deep breath as if he was contemplating about how to answer the question.

"I know that you are one of the most honest, sincere, hardworking, and successful people that I've come across in my life. You know how to keep your family and friends safe. You are devoted to those who are dear to you. In short, you have all the capabilities that my father would have looked for into his son-in-law."

"I can tell that one day Rylan will also become one of her closest friends."

Domenic went silent for a few seconds and Kaiden could tell that a 'but' was about to appear and he was right.

"But.....I can't decide who is best for my sister on my own. She is the only one who can decide if she's happy with someone or not. In my eyes, you will be the best brother-in-law, but whether you can become the best husband or.....mate....is up to you."

Kaiden listened in silence as he realized that he just got praised by the mighty CEO of the Alessandro Empire.

"I promise that I'll never fail her." He muttered softly as he gazed at his almost empty wine glass.

"By the way, how did you know that...I mean she's not even eighteen yet." Kaiden asked as he looked at Domenic curiously.

"You gave yourself away the very moment I saw you ogling my sister. At first, I wanted to pull your eyes out but then I realized that those eyes belonged to a mate and not to some creep." Domenic answered with a shake of his head.

"By the way, keep in mind that you are still not allowed to be too friendly with her. She's only seventeen and I want you to keep your distance from her."