Chapter - Nine

Nico — POV

A knock sounded at my door.

“Come in,” I muttered, lighting a cigarette.

I looked up at Jared, one of the few men I trusted.

“Did you manage to cover our tracks? And what about the body?” I asked.

“We covered the tracks, and the body’s been taken care of,” Jared replied. Then he hesitated. “Are you really going to keep your fiancée alive after what she saw in the basement?”

I looked at him. Jared was the only person who dared question my judgment.

“Are you saying my decision is irrational?” I asked, taking a drag from my cigarette.

“As your best friend, I’m worried this decision is going to come back and bite you in the ass,” he muttered.

He dropped onto the couch and leaned his head back with a heavy sigh.

“You really hate this woman, don’t you?” he asked.

I snapped my head toward him, and he immediately raised both hands.

“Relax, dude. I’m just asking. You used to have a thing for her—”

“I hate that bitch, Aleena.”

“Good to know. For a second, I thought—”

I glared at him, and he quickly fell silent, holding up a hand to stop me from saying anything else.

“Now that your pain-in-the-ass father is out of the way,” Jared said, “what’s next?”

I pulled a file from my desk and handed it to him.

“Find everything you can on this asshole.”

Jared opened the file and frowned.

“Isn’t this Aleena’s bodyguard?”

“This guy doesn’t seem like a bodyguard. And I don’t buy the military background he’s trying to sell either,” I muttered.

“Another one of your hunches?” Jared asked.

“My hunches are always right.”

He nodded in agreement.

“I’ll look into it.”

I stubbed out my cigarette in the glass ashtray while Jared glanced down at his phone, reading a message. A smirk tugged at his lips before he looked back at me.

“The plan to destroy Aleena is already in motion,” he confirmed.

I smirked.

Knowing that the woman who had taken so much from me was finally going to pay for her sins brought me a sense of peace.

“What about Luciano Caruso?” Jared asked.

“I’ll handle that asshole myself. He’s probably losing his mind right now.”

Jared nodded and left the room to dig up information on this Caldwell guy.

Those fucking blue eyes of his.

They constantly reminded me of the man I hated most in this world.

But it couldn’t be Wystan.

Wystan was dead.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my nerves. Memories flooded back the screams for help, the flames consuming the building.

My hands trembled as the nightmare resurfaced.

I grabbed a whiskey glass and poured myself a drink. For a moment, I just stared at it before tossing it back.

Turning toward the window, my gaze landed on Aleena.

The guarded look that was usually in her hazel eyes was gone. She was smiling at her sister, Elanor, who was making some ridiculous face, apparently trying to make her laugh.

The two of them walked toward the gazebo, a picnic basket hanging from Aleena’s hand. The engagement ring on her finger caught the sunlight and sparkled.

The sight of her smile made my blood boil.

After everything she’d done, she still dared to smile.

I would make sure she cried.

I would make sure she felt the agony of losing someone she loved.

My grip tightened around the whiskey tumbler.

As if sensing my stare, her head turned in my direction.

Always on guard, huh?

Our eyes met for a brief second before she looked away. The fear I caught in her expression filled me with a strange sense of satisfaction.

I finished the rest of my drink in one swallow.

******

Aleena — POV

I took a bite of my sandwich despite having no appetite. Last night. After stepping out of my father’s study room. I found El had been drugged again. She’d spent half the evening giggling uncontrollably and dancing at completely inappropriate moments. A few guests had noticed and given her strange looks, but thankfully most of the room had been too distracted to pay attention. I’d ended up dragging her back to her room, where she eventually passed out.

Now she sat across from me at the picnic table, eating as if nothing had happened.

“El.”

She glanced up while taking another bite of her sandwich.

“What?”

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked carefully.

Her eyebrows drew together.

“What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“Have you been feeling?”

She paused mid-bite.

She frowned. “Exhausted.” she set down her sandwich. “No matter how much I sleep, I still wake up exhausted. I’ve been sleeping way longer than usual, too.”

That wasn’t like Elanor.

Normally, she was the type to survive on four hours of sleep and three cups of coffee.

“How long has this been going on?”

“The last couple of weeks, I guess.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s all the stress. Or maybe my body’s finally demanding repayment for all those sleepless nights.”

“Why do you look so worried, sis?”

Her half-eaten sandwich sat forgotten on the plate.

I should tell her.

I should tell her to stay away from that maid.

My father's warning echoed in my head.

If you tell Elanor anything, I'll report her to her medical school. One complaint is all it takes. They'll drug test her. And when they find something in her system, she'll lose everything she's worked for.

The memory made my stomach twist.

“Sis?”

Elanor's voice pulled me back to the present.

“I’ve noticed you've been distracted lately,” she said softly. “You seem lost all the time. Tell me what’s going on.”

I forced a smile.

“It’s nothing.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Does this have something to do with the woman practically throwing herself at your fiancé?”

“Yes,” I lied. “That’s all.”

El snorted.

“Then why didn’t you do anything? It’s not like you to just stand there and take it.”

I gave a weak shrug.

“I wasn't looking to end up on the front page of the gossip magazines again.”

Understanding crossed her face.

“Yeah.” Her smile faded. “Father would've been furious.”

Sadness settled between us.

El knew exactly what Father was capable of.

She'd witnessed enough of his cruelty growing up.

Sometimes she still woke up from nightmares because of it.

“Aleena,” she whispered, lowering her voice. “Promise me something.”

She pulled me in a hug. And whispered in my ears.

“When my final term is over, we're leaving the Caruso family behind. For good.”

“Are you having second thoughts about the plan?” I asked

“No. I trust you.” She answered.

Her hands tighten around my frame.

“But Father won't just let us go. He'll come after us.”

A visible shiver ran through her body. I rubbed her back gently, hoping to calm her down.

“I'll make sure he can't," I assured her.

“You have six months left until your finals, right?”

She nodded.

“Then focus on studies.”

I leaned closer.

“I'm moving you to a different dormitory.”

“Why?”

I lowered my voice even further.

“Don't trust anyone.”

The warning made her body stiffen.

“Learn how to cook for yourself,” I whispered. “And eat food you've prepared with your own hands whenever possible.”

I pulled back from the embrace and met her gaze. Confusion flickered across her face.

“What—”

She stopped abruptly.

Understanding slowly dawned in her eyes.

She glanced around at the bodyguards stationed nearby. Then her gaze briefly landed on Caldwell. Neither he nor the others appeared to have heard my warning.

When she looked back at me, her face had gone pale.