Nicco - Season 2

22. You Cannot Die On Me

ARIA

A slow grin spreads across my face. This shit took almost a year to plan and execute, and it cost me the man I love. But the fruits of my labor are, at last, ripe and ready for harvest. It's happening.

It's finally happening.

Within minutes, I see a wave of panic hit the crowd. The yacht erupts in a barrage of chimes and hums. Suddenly, everyone's on their phones, frantically calling, texting, and scrolling. I watch the madness unfold with a poker face. All eyes are glued on their screens. I check the news outlets on my phone. The first few articles about Sossaman-Hewitt have been published.

Several feet away, I hear Chase Newman exclaim, "Son of a bitch! Did you see the dumpster fire that just dropped on Sossaman-Hewitt?"

Newman is standing next to Nicco. They've been at each other's throats for quite some time now.

One of the Danmore analysts chimes in, "Swear to God, this came out of nowhere. It sucker-punched us all."

Another one cries out, "Shit, shit, shit. Their stocks are sinking faster than the Titanic."

"Goddamnit! I can't get through to my brokerage! All of their lines are busy."

Another vibration hits my phone. This time, the text is from Juan Pablo: What the hell is going on with Sossaman-Hewitt?

I don't hesitate to add a bit of fuel to the fire: Looks like Manning made a mistake.

I can almost feel his anger simmering through my screen: He's a dead man for throwing away all of my hard-earned money. Fix this, Ari. Now.

I type back: On it, boss.

A bone-deep satisfaction thrums through my veins. With the threat of failure looming over my head for so long, it's surreal to have a taste of success.

I've got Juan Pablo exactly where I want him.

With me on one end of the yacht and Nicco standing on the other, I watch him remove his phone from his pocket. His brow furrows slightly as he studies the screen. I bet Vivi notified him, too. Then, he looks up, searching for me in the crowd. Within seconds, our gazes fix on each other. My heart skips a beat while I wink at Nicco, and he actually smiles at me with an expression that looks like approval. Words aren't unnecessary. At this moment, it's like he can read my mind, and I can peer into his thoughts. We understand each other. Nicco sees where I've stood all along.

Right beside him.

The crowd continues to buzz around Nicco and me, but, for a split second, it feels like we're the only two people on this yacht. Warmth floods my heart. Desperately, I want to go to him, throw myself into his arms, and clear the toxic air between us. But there are too many eyes and ears around. I hold back. At least, for now, I've proven something to him, in a very big way, by severing Manning from Juan Pablo. Nicco's trust means everything to me, and I'm determined to never fuck things up again. To ensure that there won't be a speck of misunderstanding between us, I take a screenshot of my exchange with Juan Pablo from a minute ago and send it to Nicco. Better to be safe than sorry. I meant it when I vowed—no more secrets between us.

Even though we've been in the trenches together over the past few months, he's been such an ass, and I put up with him because I understood where his anger stemmed from. I get it. I really do. For the longest time, Nicco didn't know whether or not I'd screw him over again. I hope Manning's downfall marks a fresh start for us. At last, it may be possible for the painful knot between us to relax, unravel, and slowly come undone. Come hell or high water, I hope he's ready to move on from my mistakes, so we can focus on getting shit done.