Chapter - Eighteen
1536 Words
Aleena - POV
I turned to meet his gaze. "I'm not signing anything," I said firmly.
Nico rolled his eyes at me.
"Alee." Brian stepped in front of me. "Can we talk? One minute."
I looked at him, anger sitting hot in my chest. His expression was pure plea. I nodded. I followed him to his office. He shut the door behind us and turned to face me.
"Alee. Our clients took a massive hit from the malware attack. We're being sued for damages." Brian exhaled, his voice tight. "We can't cover it. Not even close. If we break our savings, both of us, we'd still come up short. And we'd be broke."
"I'll put everything I have on the line," I said. "Save the company."
Brian shook his head.
"Didn't you mention you owe Bellini ten billion? " He let that sit. "I can't pour my savings into a sinking ship, Alee. We sell; we start fresh. Something new."
"This company has been my baby," I whispered.
Tears burned at the edges of my eyes. Brian's face fell.
"I know," he said quietly. "And you should know that Nico isn't going to take no for an answer. He won't stop."
"No," I said. "He won't."
"Then sign the papers. We move on. We build something bigger." Brian held my gaze, steady, willing me to see what he was seeing.
My tears were falling now. I wiped them away fast.
"I'm sorry," Brian said, pulling me in. His arms wrapped around me tight. "Let this one go. We'll come back stronger."
"Okay," I whispered.
He pulled back, studying my face.
"I don't want to go back out there," I said. "I don't want to give that asshole the satisfaction of seeing me like this."
Brian looked at me. "Then don't. You've never let anyone see you break. Don't start with him." His eyes were firm. "You walk out there like it doesn't bother you. You sign. You don't give him a single emotion to hold it over you."
He's right. I wasn't about to hand Nico the pleasure of watching me fall apart.
"Bathroom's there," Brian said, tilting his head toward it.
I went. Splash of cold water, a few slow breaths, mascara fixed, chin up. I looked like myself again. I stepped out.
Brian smiled. "There she is."
"Give me the papers," I said.
I read every line. I wasn't signing anything blind. I went through it carefully clause by clause. Nothing shady. Everything above board. I signed. Brian signed. We walked out of his office together, but Brian paused at the door, taking one last look back at the space he'd built. I rested my hand on his shoulder. He covered it with his hand just for a second.
He was telling me he was fine.
I didn't believe him.
My eyes landed on Nico, who was on a call. The moment he saw me, he disconnected. I walked toward him, his eyes tracking my every step.
"You wanted my company," I said. "Have it." I took his hand and placed the file in it.
"Giving in without a fight." His tone was mocking. "That's not like you." He keeps saying that I'm not myself since the accident. I wonder why he's so fixated on it. He held my hand in his, and I felt eyes on us from every corner of the room. He leaned close to my ear.
"I'm throwing a party tonight. To celebrate acquiring Black Vault Security." He said it like he was discussing the weather. "You can't miss it, Mrs. Bellini." Before I could respond, he stepped back and walked away with his people.
"Bastard," I mumbled under my breath.
"You did well, Alee." Brian appeared at my side, his look sympathetic. I glanced around. New staff were already filtering in, taking over. Someone new was being set up in Brian's office. His nameplate was already gone, replaced by another name.
"Hard to watch," Brian said quietly.
"Let's get a drink," I said. He nodded.
Brian and I walked to a nearby bar, Caldwell trailing a few steps behind us.
"You seriously have a watchdog on you every minute of the day," Brian said.
I sighed. "I envy you. Roaming free with no one tracking your every move."
He gave a small, hollow smile.
We settled into a restaurant booth food ordered and drinks poured. Caldwell took a table across the room, far enough to give the illusion of privacy. Close enough to watch.
Brian's eyes moved to my face, then dropped to the ring on my finger. He took a slow sip of his whiskey.
"You know, Alee—" I looked up from my food. "I've been trying to tell you something. For a while now. I—" He stopped.
"What is it?" I asked.
He looked flustered. "Forget it. Doesn't matter."
"Brian."
"I really like you, Alee." He said it fast, like ripping off a bandage. I nearly choked on my drink.
"You alright?" His hand landed on my back. Caldwell was at my side in seconds, eyes scanning me.
"Drink this." He pressed a glass of water into my hand.
"I'm fine," I said. Caldwell held my gaze a beat longer before heading back to his table.
"That bodyguard of yours," Brian said, watching him go. "He seems... very possessive kind. Do you—"
"No," I said flatly. "Don't go there. He's cautious. That's his job."
Brian didn't look convinced. His eyes found Caldwell's across the room; something in them was sharp. Angry, maybe. Or jealous.
"Brian." His attention snapped back to me. "I don't know how to respond to what you just said. I'm a married woman." I paused.
"And you're my best friend. I'm sorry if that's cold."
He laughed softly. "Cold? Alee, you're being human. You cried today. You showed emotion." He shook his head. "You have no idea what you used to be like. I was terrified to even say any of this to you. You were a walking robot."
"A robot," I repeated.
"Yes. Don't believe me?" He pulled out his phone and started scrolling. "Look." He turned the screen toward me.
Photos. Videos. I looked cold in every single one. No smile. Eyes fixed on a screen, even when someone pointed a camera at me. A clip from the day the company hit its first big valuation: everyone else was celebrating around me, and there I was, face blank, completely unmoved.
Seeing my old self, I wondered what had made me so stoic, what had shut me off like that, sealing every emotion behind glass.
"I'm glad you told me," I said. "What you feel, I mean."
Brian took his phone back. "How long have I had a thing for you?" He answered before I could ask. "Longer than you think." He sipped his drink, a lock of hair falling across his forehead. Handsome, not in a nerdy-geek way, not anymore. His eyes found the old images again, then slid back to me with an intensity that hadn't been there before.
"Your marriage is a sham, isn't it?" he asked.
"It is," I whispered. "Don't go telling anyone."
"I'm not a snitch. Not when it matters to you." His tone left no room for doubt.
"Once you divorce him, will you give me a chance?" he asked.
"Brian, I told you—"
"Just a date. One. See if it works or doesn't." He held up a hand. "No pressure."
He was handsome, no question. The kind of handsome that didn't go unnoticed; a girl at the table across from us had been watching him for the last ten minutes.
"Forget it," Brian said, reading my silence. "I don't want to push you. You call me when you need anything." He meant it. That was the thing about Brian; he always meant it.
I nodded. We finished our lunch quietly.
"Brian," I said it just as we were about to leave. "You should know being close to me is a risk."
He smiled. "I know. You were a risky deal when I signed up as your business partner. I knew what I was getting into." His smile came easy, like always. Warm and uncomplicated, the way sunlight breaks after a long rain. Why am I thinking about his smile like that?
He pulled me into a hug. "Take care of yourself." His voice was low, genuinely worried. For some reason, it felt good knowing someone was in my corner.
He left. I watched his car pull away.
"You're close with Mr. Brian." Caldwell said it like an observation, not a question.
"Why?" I asked.
"Curious," he said.
"He's my best friend," I said. Caldwell nodded.
"Caldwell." He looked at me. "You want to work for me."
His blue eyes held steady, waiting.
"Your first task is to go to the Caruso estate and get my laptop back to me," I said.
He nodded without hesitation.
"Does that get me in?" he asked.
"Not so fast." I met his ocean-blue gaze. "There are a lot more tasks before you earn a spot on my side."
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes." He held my gaze without blinking.
- Writer
