ARIA

Panic flashes over my face as I size up Nicco's threat.

Is he going to fuck with my plans?

I try not to jump to the worst-case scenarios. First, I need to know how much time I have left at Jackson & James. It'll be difficult to monitor Manning's activities if I'm no longer an employee. I have to remain in the office until this waiting game with Manning is over. Stress eats at my nerves. Manning can't pour Jaime's money into Sossaman-Hewitt's sinkhole soon enough for my liking.

I clear my throat. "I think it would be pretty safe to assume that our engagement is to be dissolved—"

"No shit."

With as much dignity as I can muster, I demand, "But... what about my job? Are you going to fire me?"

He answers my question with more questions, "Tell me, principessa, if you were poisoned by a snake, would you set the beast free so it can wreak more havoc? Or lock it in a cage so you can keep an eye on her fangs at all times?"

As Nicco's gaze burns into mine, I don't know how I feel about being compared to a bloody reptile, but I digress. It sounds like he's leaning toward keeping me at his side. Like a prisoner of war. "So... you plan to keep me as your assistant?"

"Until you become useless to me."

Whatever.

A win is still a win.

I can stay at Jackson & James and keep an eye on Manning.

I use sarcasm to mask my relief, "You sure know how to make a bitch feel special."

A feral gleam enters his eyes. "It is funny. Not too long ago, I would have claimed the stars and stolen the moon. Just to make you look my way."

The masochistic part of me dares to prompt, "And now?"

"The sight of you makes me want to gouge my eyes out."

"An eye for an eye makes the world blind."

"I am not blind. If anything, my vision has never been better. I finally see your true colors."

"All sunshine and rainbows, I assume?" I quip to keep from crying.

"If rainbows were made of toxic fumes and hellfire."

Oof.

Nicco's vehemence cuts me like knives. I struggle not to let the jagged edges in his voice get under my skin. "Despite what you think of me, I know the truth, and I'll prove you wrong."

His expression darkens. "From this moment on, you are nothing more than a means to an end, and you will resign from Jackson & James the moment I tell you to go. If you wish to leave in peace, learn to be Juan Pablo's bitch and mine over the next few weeks. Become my eyes and ears, and betray him as you have betrayed me."

Nicco's hatred feels so potent, and I'm in agony over how ruthless and calculating he has become as an enemy. "Is this all I've become to you? A means to an end?"

It's obvious that Nicco intends to exploit my ties with Manning and Jaime. He'll use me to his advantage, and I won't stop him. Everything between us has become so twisted, and everything inside me screams to let the truth out. My heart aches with the need to tell Nicco that I'm his, I've always been his, and, more than anything, I wish I didn't have to break our fucking hearts to save everything and everyone I love.

He gives a dismissive shrug. "I must keep my enemies close, no? Given what you know about the Gravinski account, I cannot let you out of my sight until this issue is... resolved. Besides, if I dismiss you too suddenly, Manning may grow suspicious. Once he snitches, Juan Pablo will switch modes from defense to offense, which will make my objectives more difficult to achieve."

I mutter under my breath, "I agree with everything you said here except that—I'm not your enemy. It won't be in your best interest to treat me as such."

"I disagree."

"What will you do with me, then?"

"Whatever it takes to destroy you."

Clearly, Nicco isn't a believer in water under the bridge. On the contrary, sounds like he's ready to drown me in the Thames and then help the authorities find my body like some kind of upstanding, concerned citizen.

I mumble, "You're starting to act like a goddamn villain."

"I have you to thank for it."

"Me?"

He winks at me. "You are the one who unleashed my demons."

I curse under my breath.

The fuck-it-all detachment in Nicco's voice absolutely wrecks me when he continues to say, "Now, let us rejoin Manning and the rest of those fuckfaces. Follow my lead, and do not give anything away. Or else you will regret it. Capisci?"

***

NICCO

Not surprisingly, Aria already has the faces, names, and resumes of tonight's entire guest list memorized by heart. As we reconvene with Manning and the rest of his degenerate friends, she seems to understand the assignment perfectly, following my lead and giving nothing away about our heated conversation from seconds ago.

Wielding quiet confidence and impressive composure, she introduces herself and addresses everyone by name while complimenting them on their most recent professional achievements. Judging by their faces, the room appears grudgingly in awe of Aria's attention to detail. Her praise sounds so sincere. They are eating it up.

Just like I did.

She is a chameleon who can change colors at a moment's notice. Her heart must be made of stone. My mood plummets even lower. My eyes dance around as I follow the men's gazes. Their eyes trail up and down Aria's curves, lingering several seconds too long for my liking. I can practically read their minds. These bastards cannot decide whether they wish to poach her as an employee—or fuck her.

My thoughts, however, are not so transparent. I cannot stop replaying every word that just fell from Aria's lush, pink lips. Her nuanced replies and confusing attitude incite second thoughts, and it is driving me mad. It is not so much what she said but how she said everything that eats at me. If Aria had tried to deny her guilt from the get-go or used her relationship with Juan Pablo to threaten me, it would have been much easier to write her off as the diavola in my story. However, I cannot help but sense a glimmer of truth in her lies.

But you failed to ask the most important question.

Inside, I am being torn to pieces.

Why I did it.

From a distance, however, you would never know.

Except I'm not your enemy.

Even now, the smile has yet to fall from my fucking face.

If it ever feels like I'm behaving strangely, please look beyond the surface and trust in my intentions.

She is certainly behaving strangely. It almost convinces me to look beyond the surface and trust in her intentions. Almost. But not quite. This is probably another manipulation tactic. I remind myself that Aria is the fucking diavola, and I might as well throw myself into a burning building if I ever hand her my trust again.

It is exactly 7:30 pm when Aria and I are seated at one of the round tables. Hotel staff dressed in black and white tuxedos bring out silver trays of food and drink. Wine is poured. Steak and caviar are served. Six others are seated alongside us. My gaze circles the table, starting with Oliver Chastain and Connor Gou. They are both CEOs. I see Terry Maxwell. A politician. Then, Clark Jeffries. A tech entrepreneur. And, of course, fucking Manning and Chester are there, too. A gaudy, oversized centerpiece sits at the middle of the table. I can barely see over it. A blessing in disguise. Making eye contact with any of them would ruin my fucking appetite.

I slice into a piece of steak while Manning removes his blazer and drapes it over the back of his chair. To get more comfortable, I assume, as he readies himself piss me off some more. "Just between you and me, Mr. Vitale..."

"Yes?"

A bit distracted, I catch the slightest tilt of Aria's head. For some reason, she is eyeing Manning's blazer as though it is the most interesting thing in the room.

Why?

Manning's gaze sharpens. "I'm rather surprised that you made it tonight."

My focus shifts back to Manning.

What is this bastard's angle now?

I contain my exasperation. But barely. These two are going to be the death of me. "Your surprise seems unwarranted. Aria sent in RSVPs for both of us weeks ago, did she not?"

"Well, I wasn't sure if you'd show up. Given the circumstances."

My smile widens to mask my annoyance. "What circumstances?"

"I heard you were out of office all day. I worried you might be preoccupied with other more important, ah, matters. Matters—that might prevent you from attending tonight."

Manning's remarks brim with hidden meanings. Immediately, I wonder if he suspects something about the fire. Manning works for Juan Pablo, after all. I do not think Manning has earned his way into Juan Pablos' innermost circle of trust, but you never know. I must keep my guard up tonight.

I lie with ease, "Put your worries to rest. Nothing is more important to me than seeing your face tonight... Ted."

Manning scowls. "May I ask, why you weren't at work today?"

A few seats away, I see that Chester appears to be following our exchange very closely. I can tell he is waiting for an in to tear me down. With a sigh, I side-eye Manning. Not that it is any of your business, but I moved into a new apartment recently, so I took some PTO to get settled in."

He bristles slightly. "You are wrong. Your business is very much my business. I asked because this month has been such a critical turning point for our departments."

I laugh. "Every fucking day is a critical turning point at a place like Jackson & James."

A gotcha gleam lights up Chester's eyes. He pounces, "And, yet, you're so willing to take time off for trivial matters. It makes me question your commitment to Jackson & James all the more."

Manning piles on, "Take it from someone who has been in this industry far longer than you. In order to be an effective leader, we always need to put our personal lives on hold and prioritize what really matters."

Chester and Manning continue taking more cheap shots at me, and, soon, their behavior attracts the attention of the entire table. All heads are turned our way, and I can feel the weight of everyone's eyes on me. They are waiting to see if I will punch back harder.

"I am sure you two are right about many things, but that does not mean I am in the wrong, either. Perhaps, you simply need to work smarter. Not harder. Like me."

Chester growls, "You are so full of shit."

"Not at all. I have the numbers to back up my shit. Asset Management has increased revenue by 2.8% since I became Department Manager. We are on track to grow the valuation of our clients' portfolios by 7.2% before the end of next month. And I am just getting warmed up. Imagine the gains we will be able to make a year from now."

"Maybe those percentages would be higher if you were in the office more often."

"Or maybe I can afford to take time away," I pause while glancing at Aria, "because I have a competent assistant who is more than capable of holding down the fort whenever I am gone."

Chester is about to argue with me again, but Manning shoots him a look as though to say let me handle this.

Then, Manning turns to me like a shark to his prey. "For once, I will not argue with you, Mr. Vitale, because you are right. Ms. Senarath has proven to be a most valuable asset recently. Her talents are undeniable. If you are not careful, I might just snatch her from you."