Nicco - Season 2

4. Dead to Me

NICCO

Pulse racing, my fingers clench around Juan Pablo's phone in a white-knuckled grip. I feel sick to my stomach as I read on.

AYS: I got him down on one knee. He proposed to me.

I scroll down the screen. A picture of an engagement ring appears. It sparkles and shines, taunting me. The gray of the diamond is unmistakable. One of a kind. It matches her eyes perfectly. My gaze lingers on the photograph. It is, indeed, the very ring I asked Aria to wear to Manning's dinner party tonight. This realization turns my blood to ice. No matter how badly I wish to keep my head in the sand, there is no denying AYS' identity at this point. I can confirm, right then, who these initials belong to.

A for Aria.

Y for Yue.

S for Senarath.

Frantically, I skim over the rest of their conversation, and I cannot look away even though every damning word I read is absolutely gutting me.

Unknown Sender: Vitale... proposed?

AYS: You know how temperamental Vitale can be. It hasn't been easy to reel him in, but he's actually pretty infatuated with me right now. I'm planning to strike while the iron's hot and convince him to sign those documents ASAP.

Documents?

A crease appears between my brow.

What documents?

Alarm rises in me when I suddenly remember the documents that Manning kept pushing me to sign for the Gravinski account.

Cazzo.

I take out my laptop and sign into my account. My pulse races as the screen loads. Two seconds later, I witness the full scope of Aria's betrayal. At first, I refuse to believe my eyes. From day one, my girl has to place a toe out of line. She always got my approval before taking any action on my account. Never has she logged in to make decisions without my consent.

Fucking hell, guess there is a first time for everything.

My gaze bores into the laptop screen. I take in the damage she has done. Aria has forged my signatures on all of these fucking documents, granting Manning power over the Gravinski account that I never wanted to give him. I will not be able to terminate these contracts unless I recruit an army of lawyers. Access to a vicious and competent legal team will not be a problem. It is the endless weeks, days, and hours they will need to prep for the case, however, that will fuck me over. By the time we get to court, months will have gone by, giving Manning a wide-open window to wield full authority over the Gravinski account and slowly disburse the funds throughout Jackson & James in an untraceable manner.

In about two weeks, he will be able to exploit Jackson & James as the Beltráns' personal money laundering service.

My blood is boiling.

My heart is breaking.

How long has Aria been playing me for a fool?

Since my first day at Jackson & James?

Or even before then?

Unable to look at my laptop a second longer, I slam it shut. I do not know whether to laugh or weep. Proof of my girl's treachery is now undeniable. I no longer have the luxury of clinging to false hopes. Carl tried to warn me. Vivi did as well. My stupid, stubborn ass refused to listen to either of them.

I let Aria become my moon. From day one, I only saw her light. No more. My eyes are finally open. What remained hidden in the shadows now seems clear as day, and I feel like a goddamn fool. Aria drew me in and preyed on my obsession with her and her troubled past. Despite what I was led to believe, she was not keeping secrets because they were too painful to share. She kept them because I was her endgame in the most fucked up way possible.