“My parents died in a car accident when I was ten. They were hit by a drunk driver who got off without even a warning. He was a senator’s son, and my grandpa was furious. He spent money on top of money to have it looked into. Add in the fact that the senator didn’t appreciate it, he bad-mouthed the business, and my grandpa struggled to recover.”
“Nico, I’m so sorry.” Losing my mother crushed me. I couldn’t imagine what losing two at the same time would be like.
“Then when I was twelve, my grandma was diagnosed with cancer,” he continued without acknowledging that I spoke, staring down at his hand pressed to the papers. “We were devastated, but my grandpa refused to admit defeat. He loved her, and he’s not the kind of man who gave up without a fight. So, he paid for any treatment he thought could give her more time. He took time off work to be with her every step of the way. In the middle of her illness, the company suffered more than ever before. He was on the verge of losing it all, and the last thing he wanted was for his wife to watch her legacy be sold while she was still alive. Knightly Shipping was her family’s company, and she and her brother hadn’t wanted anything to do with it, but she had wanted to be with the man who worked in the mailroom at the time.”
He smiled as if remembering their story, and I imagined him as a little boy, sitting around listening to his grandparents talk about how they met and fell in love. But just as soon as it came, the smile faded.
“When Lorenzo Mariano came to him with an offer to help, he took it, despite the outrageous interest and clauses. He was desperate. Desperate men in love take risks.”
He lifted dark eyes to mine and pinned me in place, his words pressing on my chest.
“My grandma died a year later, and my grandpa struggled to keep going. He struggled to keep up with Lorenzo’s loan and worked himself into the ground, fighting a losing battle. He took riskier jobs and traveled more. He wore himself down and ended up contracting a virus that he struggled to fight off. He eventually did, but it damaged parts of his brain. Maybe it wouldn’t have if he hadn’t struggled for so long—maybe his immune system would have been stronger if he hadn’t used all his energy to pay Lorenzo. Maybe he wouldn’t be in a nursing home with growing dementia if it wasn’t for Lorenzo.”
His jaw clenched, and I knew that no matter my decision, Nico would forever hate my father, and after the past few months, I think I hated him too. He’d shown me his true colors—coming out from behind the façade of a caring father. Maybe it hadn’t been a façade before, but once my mother passed away, whatever had been real left.
“Lorenzo ended up taking the company, breaking it apart for money, leaving us with the international side of the business as a gift, as he said,” he sneered. “I promised myself to make it right, and when I went to college, I knew exactly how I wanted to do it. I didn’t care how long it took; I was determined to make it happen. Then you came along.”
I swallowed, remembering that first day we actually met in the lobby. I’d been so happy about the interview and instantly attracted. Lust had almost swallowed us whole right then and there.
“Verana,” he said my name like a plea. I looked from his hand to his eyes, wanting to dive into the dark depths and never come out. I wanted to believe the earnest need behind them. “I never planned on you. Not in my revenge or in my life. I had my eyes so focused on taking his company, I never even looked into his family. But when you told me your name with that mark on your cheek, I went with it. My gut urged me to jump. So, I did. I never planned on you.”
He repeated the words like they held more meaning than just business.
“It doesn’t make it right that I lied, and I’m sorry. I should have been patient and continued with my plan, but I justified it all because we both got something out of it.”
“We did both get something,” I agreed. However, my anger still lingered, making me add a snappy reminder. But now, there wasn’t nearly as much heat behind it as before. “I was just the only one to lose something.”
“Trust me, Verana. I’m losing something I never thought I’d want.”
My heart skipped a beat—hope and mistrust warring.
Does he mean me? No, he only used you. Nothing more.
But the doubt grew more and more quiet. His eyes softened, the sunlight streaming in to bring out the deep greens that hid in the depths of dark brown. He sat before me, letting me in to see for myself that he could be honest.