Nicco - Season 2

25. You Fucking Bastard

NICCO

I feel lighter now than I have in ages. The heart is a most conflicting organ. Both fragile and strong. Capable of love that transcends hate.

Not long ago, Aria broke us.

Not long ago, I was supposed to hate Aria for betraying me, but I continued to protect her from afar against my better judgment.

Not long ago, I thought I was in full control of my actions and emotions.

It was not until Aria almost drowned in the river at Newman's party that I realized I could not live without her.

Knife in the back or not.

It is funny how quickly a man can fall to his knees for a woman that he was never supposed to forgive. After Juan Pablo lost millions over Sossaman-Hewitt, Manning went missing, and I instantly knew that, come hell or high water, Aria was the only one for me. That was six months ago. Ever since Newman's party, life has become chaotic as hell. Yet, my unruly heart has never felt fuller.

We talk every day.

We fuck whenever I fly out to see her.

She is mine, and I am hers even though we have yet to put any official labels on our rekindled romance.

Over the past few months, Aria has done nothing but prove herself, again and again, on the cutthroat playing field of Wall Street. I have been setting the stage for a hostile takeover in London. We have both been working our asses off. Mia principessa has been using all sorts of shady methods to make more millions out of Juan Pablo's millions, and I am now on the brink of securing the Danmore acquisition.

In fact, I am getting screamed at right now because of this very reason, "You fucking bastard!"

As Oliver's anger explodes through my phone, irritation plucks at my patience. So much for a relaxing flight. It was a mistake to answer his call this early in the morning. I am tempted to pull a sorry, shit reception card on him. But he is a hard man to ignore. Until the acquisition is official, Oliver is still the Chief Executive Officer of Danmore, which means he is still my boss.

"Hello?" he snaps. "Did you hear me?"

"I heard you," I sigh.

Oliver is not wrong. I am a fucking bastard. Always have been, always will be. Except, these days, I am the kind of bastard who is the first to arrive in office and the last to leave. I live, eat, and breathe hedge funds and investment strategies. At Danmore, my life has become all work and no play, and, oddly enough, I would not have it any other way.

Initially, Oliver hired me as a director in Danmore's asset management department. Fast forward to today. I serve as their President and Chief Operating Officer. The Board had little choice but to promote me in record time to retain my talent. They know I am not without options. I can return to Jackson & James at a moment's notice. My rise at Danmore has been meteoric, unprecedented, and deeply controversial. Lately, though, critics have finally started piping the fuck down since my contributions speak for themselves. Profits are up. Stakeholders are happy. Most importantly, the Beltráns' rats are nowhere to be found.

I glance out my window with a faint smile. The sky has become my limit. It is a bit surreal to realize that I now hold the power to unseat one of the richest and most powerful men in the banking industry. Between mia famiglia's control over Jackson & James and my position at Danmore, London's banking scene already sits in my back pocket. I have every intention of making Wall Street my bitch as well.

There was a time when I believed in striking down my enemies, hard and fast, at the very first opportunity. But I have since developed a different approach. When I burned down Juan Pablo's villa, he retaliated by putting Aria's father in a hospital. Lesson learned. I now plan my attacks with a steadier hand. More restrained. More patient. More refined. But the yielded results will be no less brutal.