NICCO

My hands tighten into fists. As much as I miss my old, carefree life, I must agree with my sister. It would be selfish and cowardly to run away now. I cannot turn my back on mia famiglia when our kingdom remains under siege. "Do not worry, Vivi. I understand what the threats knocking at our door. I intend to see things through for once."

"Bene," Vivi praises. "Mamma and Papà will be so pleased to hear it, Nicco."

My eyes steal a look at Aria. She has been waiting in the Bentley for a while now. "I am glad they will finally be satisfied. Does this mean I can go now? My fiancée is waiting for me."

"Unfortunately, no. There is one more thing I must discuss with you."

I groan, "This is why I dread your visits. There is always 'one more thing' with you."

Vivi ignores my complaint. Her gaze, however, follows mine. It lands directly on Aria. "According to my sources, a package was delivered to your fiancée not too long ago."

A small red flag flashes across my mind. I try to dismiss it.

"Aria receives packages all the time," I remind her. "It is one of her many duties as my assistant."

"I understand that receiving packages is part of her job description," Vivi mumbles, "but this particular package was addressed to Signor Senarath. However, Aria did not return it to the sender. Nor did she re-deliver it to her father."

Why did she choose to keep the package?

I fight the dread building in my stomach. "Do you know what was inside the package?"

"We believe it might be a phone."

I curse again. This is not looking good. Usually, the only people who need a second phone are the ones with shady secrets they want to hide.

Vivi's gaze meets mine. "How much do you trust your fiancée?"

"I do not know anymore. You must think that your brother is a fucking idiot," I lament quietly, "to let some girl get under my skin in such a way."

"You are no fool."

"I feel like one, though."

"The world might see you as someone who has never taken anything seriously. I know better. There is more to you than meets the eye. Just because you act foolish does not mean you are a fool."

"Your confidence in me is misplaced. I am exactly what everyone thinks of me."

My sister shrugs. "I do not think so. Like me, you trust no one. We grew up around too many assholes with agendas. You and I simply evolved in different ways to protect ourselves. I aimed for perfection, using my excellence as a shield. To distance myself from the idiots who wished to take advantage of me."

I quip, "Know what I admire most about you, Vivi? Your humility."

Undeterred, Vivi ignores my teasing. "You, on the other hand, have done the opposite. Pretending to be useless and unreliable. It worked. Your displays of incompetence have certainly deterred many from exploiting you."

"Your praise sounds like a backhanded compliment," I mutter in droll tones.

She casts me a look of deep concern. "Who says it was a compliment? I am simply trying to get a read on you. Imagine my complete and utter shock when my brother—who has never expressed any interest in having serious relationships—informs me that he has gotten himself engaged. To his personal assistant, no less."

"I can see how my decision might have caught you off guard." Frowning, I grumble, "But where are you going with this?"

"I suppose, what I am trying to say is that, now that I have met your fiancée, I understand why you would want to be with someone like her."

I scoff. "You do?"

"You are different around Aria. In a very good way, I think." Vivi points out, "You actually put forth effort at Jackson & James. To excel at something. I believe this change has everything to do with your fiancée. I can see how much she matters to you."

"I am surprised that you picked up on so much in such little time."

"It is hard not to notice when this shit is so obvious," Vivi says with a laugh. "Only an extraordinary person could break through your defenses and kick your ass into gear. Even the blind, I imagine, can see that Aria is extraordinary in this regard."

My eyebrows lift. "That is big. Coming from you. You are usually very stingy with compliments."

She grins. "Aria deserves to be recognized. Jackson & James is not for the faint of heart. It is an environment run by cutthroat minds with relentless ambitions. Aria has only been there for less than a year. Yet, within that time, I got a sense from the way your fiancée answered my questions this morning that she knows how to get shit done."

Quietly, I mutter, "I am glad you see it, too. Aria is truly unlike any woman I have ever met."

"She is one of a kind," Vivi concurs. "Unlike others who have pursued you, I am happy to report, I do not think she is after your money."

I eye her with suspicion. "How could you possibly know something like that?"

Vivi raises an eyebrow. "When I handed her a prenup, she agreed to look over the documents and sign them without a fuss."

I exclaim indignantly, "Is that what you threatened her with after I left?"

"You should thank me for protecting your interests," Vivi tosses out in unbothered tones.

"I cannot tell if you are trying to warn me about Aria," I complain, "or give your blessing for me to marry her."

"I just want you to proceed with caution, fratello. Devils wear all sorts of disguises. I like Aria. I think she is good for you. But I remain wary of her intentions. I do not know what she really wants from us."

Desperation takes hold of me. I grasp at straws, trying to find a reason, any reason, to defend Aria's good name and ignore all of her questionable behavior. "I thought Papà and Mamma vetted Aria to be my assistant. They would not have hired her if she was working with our enemies."

"Our parents are only human," Vivi remarks in mild tones. "Not often, but, sometimes, they make mistakes, too."

When did my baby sister become so wise?

I grumble, "You look twenty-two, but you talk like a seventy-year-old."

She smiles. "I cannot help it if I have the soul of a grandma."

Vivi and I share a long-suffering look. I hate that my sister is right about Aria. I have been trying to resist the inevitable for too long. Love has blinded my judgment. I have stupidly been allowing my feelings for Aria stand in the way of what I must do. My girl has been acting up all week. I know she has been hiding shit from me. Just like I have been hiding shit from her.

I turn to my sister, "Can I ask a favor of you?"

"Anything."

"How much longer will you be in London?"

"Two more weeks."

A sickening ache hits my chest as I force out the words, "Stick close to Aria for the rest of your stay. If there is something she is hiding from us, I want to know about it."

Vivi's gaze grows sharp and cold. "Consider it done."

I close my eyes for a moment.

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

Aria's voice echoes sweetly in my head.

Everything I do from here on out will be for our sake.

It feels like she was warning me.

No matter what happens, no matter what others may say, and no matter what anyone does to try and come between us, know that I am on your side, okay?

Dio, what I would give for her vows to be true.

I'm yours, Nicco, only yours.

Aria better stop with the games and start answering some questions. Right fucking now. I do not know if my heart could bear it otherwise.

***

ARIA

Through the back passenger window of the Bentley, I watch as Nicco wraps up his conversation with Vivi. They have been talking for quite some time now. I can only see the back of Nicco's head from the car, but his sister's expression has grown increasingly grim. I wonder what the two of them might be discussing.

Could they be talking about me?

Fuck.

I hope not.

As Nicco bids farewell to Vivi and heads toward me, I finally catch an actual glimpse of his face. He doesn't look pleased.

What has brought down his mood just now?

Even if Vivi mentioned the prenup, I don't think Nicco would be overly upset about it. He must be pissed about something else.

The car door swings open, and Nils Junior turns on the ignition. Nicco slides into the backseat next to me, and, right away, his unhappy expression confirms that something is very wrong. Usually, the first thing he does is reach for me. To hold my hand. To kiss me. Or to rest his fingers on my thigh. Yet, right now, Nicco's acting like he wants nothing to do with me. It's funny how quickly a bitch can go from having zero expectations to becoming utterly spoiled by a man, so much so that it feels unbearable when Nicco withholds himself from me. A yearning for more hits my chest even though he's sitting right next to me.

I thought I'd be okay with being hated.

Now?

I'm not so sure.

Feeling helpless, I glance over. I crave his touch, wanting him to want me again. "Everything okay?"

Nicco nods curtly.

He doesn't seem to be in a chatty mood. Still, I don't give up. "Is...Vivi heading back to her hotel?"

He nods again.

"I enjoyed meeting her today," I attempt to make conversation.

Nicco merely grunts.

The Bentley starts to move. We sit in awkward silence as scenery flies by the windows. Clearing my throat, I try to ease the tension. "So, um..."

Nicco acts like he didn't hear me.
"I think I found another apartment you might like," I mumble, not knowing what I might have done in the past ten minutes to upset him. "Did you want to tour it together tomorrow?"

"Go ahead and sign the lease," Nicco dictates. "I am sure it will be fine."

"You don't even want to take a look at the property?"

He shakes his head.

I tease, "What if there's a hole in the ceiling?"

"I know you would never get us a place with a hole in the ceiling."

I smile. "You trust me that much?"

When he doesn't answer, my smile fades. For some reason, his walls are up. This abrupt shift feels jarring because he's never been this way around me. Not even when I believed he was trying to fire me during my first week as his assistant. I hate the bored, indifferent expression on his face. This is the face Nicco shows everyone else in the office, but he's never treated me like I'm nothing to him. I can't fucking stand it even though I have no right to expect more. Not when I've been hiding so much on my end. My stupid, greedy heart starts to ache.

Why is Nicco distancing himself from me?

Why?

Why?

Why?

The possibilities here are endless.

Did Vivi say something to him?

I struggle not to spiral.

Does he suspect something about my ties to Manning and Jaime?

I can't be swept away by the chaos of unknowns and uncertainties. There's still too much I need to do.

Focus, bitch.

I need to keep my eyes on the bigger picture here. Manning's watching my every move like a hawk, Appa's treading on thin ice with him as well, Jaime remains at large, and the Gravinski account isn't going to set itself on fire.

My worried eyes flit toward Nicco. I don't even know if it'll be possible, but I want to fix everything that feels broken between us. I place a hand on Nicco's arm. His muscles tense beneath my touch, but he doesn't pull away. Nor does he push me aside. This is a good sign.

I think?

Hesitantly, I ask, "What's going on, baby?"

"What do you mean?" he returns in even tones.

"I feel like you're upset with me."

Finally, Nicco turns his head to look at me. To really look at me. His gaze cuts like a blade, but, when his hand reaches over to caress my cheek, the glide of his thumb over my skin feels whisper-soft. The contrast sends a shiver through me. Nicco murmurs, "If it ever feels like I am behaving strangely, please look beyond the surface and trust in my intentions."

The hell?

I study him with confusion.

He continues, "Everything I do from here on out will be for our sake."

It takes me a hot second to realize whom he's quoting right now.

Me.

Nicco's quoting me.

"No matter what happens, no matter what others may say, and no matter what anyone does to try and come between us, know that I am on your side, okay?"

I search his face, desperate to know why he's doing this right now.

"I am yours, Nicco, only yours."

God, I wish I could read his mind.

His eyes are practically boring holes into my skull when he demands, "Did you mean it?"

I stare back at him as realization dawns on me: He knows something. Nicco wouldn't bring this up unless he already had some dirt on me.

How much does he know?

I weigh my options.

Should I come clean or stay the course?

I don't know what to do. To buy myself some time, I demand, "Why ask, all of a sudden?"

Nicco's thumb brushes along the swell of my lower lip. My breath hitches at the dark, possessive gleam in his eyes. "Because I am beginning to question if this pretty, little mouth is really mine."

"What are you trying to get at, Nicco?"

"Maybe this mouth simply has a talent for telling lies that I want to hear."

I stare at him in shock. The rational part of my brain understands that Nicco has every right to suspect me. It still fucking hurts, though. I whisper, "Please have more faith in me. I told you already. Everything I'm doing may not seem to make much sense, but, I swear to you, Nicco, there's a method to my madness. I..."

I'm only lying because I love you.

Because there's too much on the line.

I need to save Appa.

I want to protect you.

I have to take down Jaime.

And, somehow, I must do all of the above without dropping a single fucking ball in the air.

Nicco prompts, "You...what?"

Courage fails me. I mutter, "Nothing."

Disappointment darkens his beautiful face. Nicco's hand trails down my cheek. Slowly, his fingers wrap around my throat. I gasp as he catches me in a one-handed grip. Swiftly, Nicco pulls me in for a kiss. The feel of his lips on mine nearly destroys me. It tastes of desperation and anguish. When he pulls away, his chest is heaving, and I'm flushed and breathless.

Intently, he gazes down at me. "Are you sure there is not something you wish to tell me?"

"I—"

He warns, "Do not lie, principessa."