Chapter Twenty-One
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
One Year Ago
April 2028
YOU’VE GOT TO BE fucking kidding me. Did this asshole not leave anything untouched? I try to rub out the pounding in my temples, taking one of the longest deep breaths of my life. Then another. It’s fine. Everything is fine. We caught this before it became an even bigger problem. That’s what matters.
Three nights ago, I got a call from my DV Designs CFO, who was concerned about how far over budget our Dallas office is, considering it’s only the beginning of April. How much over? Approximately thirty-thousand dollars. The discrepancy was discovered while she was putting together numbers for the quarterly meeting coming up next week. I told her to send me what she had, and we’d look at it this week. But I never expected this…
We sat on the phone all night until we discovered the problem: one of the project managers was misallocating funds. The discrepancies stretched back to last October when they were first hired. It started with small things, a purchase here or there until it turned into larger things like paying someone an extra thousand dollars here, two there. The whole thing is a shitshow.
I need to finish combing through these transactions tonight because I should be focused on the Villa Inc. networking event tomorrow afternoon before I take the rest of the week off.
Nick comes home from Haven tomorrow. He spent the last week at his little brother’s bachelor party—a phone-free event. Alex’s friend planned the whole thing, but Alex’s one request was no phones. Elizabeth thought it was sweet, but I thought it was annoying. You try telling a two-and-a-half-year-old she can’t call her dad for that long. Truthfully, I didn’t put up much of a fight. I assumed Nick would find a way to call anyway, but he hasn’t called once. The last time we talked was last Wednesday night when he got to Haven. If they are taking the whole “no phone” thing this seriously, my only hope is he comes home a lot more levelheaded than the way he left…
“Knock, knock,” a voice calls from my office door. Luke Benson. The fresh-out-of-college, know-it-all business major I’ve been mentoring for the past two months. His presence is not going to help my headache.
“Can I help you, Luke?” I ask, continuing to look through the papers in front of me.
“You haven’t returned my calls.” Luke crosses the threshold of my office, his left hand toying with the tie around his neck before he sits in the chair across from me.
He’s right. I haven’t returned his calls. I know it’s wrong, but this man is why I’m on thin ice with my husband, or one of them anyway. I can’t give him all the credit. I got myself into this predicament without anyone’s help. Luke was simply the cherry on top. And instead of confronting him, I chose to push him off on one of the managers here at the corporate office, who he should’ve been under from the start. I’d only been mentoring him as a favor for one of Daddy’s old acquaintances.
“I’m sorry, I’ve—”
Luke cuts me off. “Got a lot going on, I know, Nina.”
A heavy sigh falls past my lips.
“Don’t get me wrong, Andy has been great, but he’s not you.”
“Luke, I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to work together anymore.”
“Did I do something?” Luke seems genuinely confused.
“Luke.” I sigh. “We need to talk.”
“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good.”
“Look, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of what’s going on here. I’m only here to help you figure things out, help you get your feet on the ground before—”
“Nina, what are you talking about?”
Is he going to sit there and act like he doesn’t know? That’s a bold move. “The flowers,” I say.
Last week before Nick left for Haven, he stopped by my office while I was going through the documents I had requested from Luke after our discussion two nights before. I didn’t get too far into them before my door swung open to reveal my husband, leaning against the frame with a casual smirk.
“Hey there,” Nick said with a hint of flirtation. “You got a man?”
“You’re looking at him,” I said without looking away from my computer.
“Oh, c’mon, Dee, have a little fun.” Nick walked to the other side of my desk and sat on the edge.
“Mi dispiace.” I apologize, lifting my glasses on my head. I rubbed my eyes and leaned back in my chair to look at him. “I have a lot to get through.”
“You will always have more stuff to get through. It will always going to be there,” Nick says. I had been putting in extra hours since Kai decided to take another small leave from the company when Eileen gave birth last fall. “Let’s go grab lunch. The break will be good for you.”
I sigh. “Nick, I can’t. I—”
“No, you’re right.” He sighed, standing up from my desk. “You’re busy. I should go…What is that?”
I looked around the room to find the source of his question. What is he talking about? “Cosa?”
“That.” Nick pointed at the large bouquet of roses and lilies on the conference table.
I shrugged, fiddling with the pen in my hands. “The courier dropped it off earlier.” I hadn’t given the bouquet much thought since my assistant brought it in this morning.
Nick pushed through the flowers, looking for a card, which I hadn’t done yet. “What the fuck?” He held the card up in the air as he walked back to my desk, and I stood to meet him. “ Thanks for an unforgettable night. Can’t wait for the next one, ” my husband read the card aloud. “Nina, che cazzo è questo?” What the fuck is this?
I was as confused as he seemed to be. I grabbed the card from his hands and read the words for myself. What the fuck? There wasn’t a name, only an “x” where there should be a signature. I turned it over, looking for any indication of who they came from, but there wasn’t one.
“The other night when you were ‘working’ with Luke?”
Did he just…Was he seriously implying I was having an affair with the guy I’ve been mentoring?
“Nick.” I scoffed. “You cannot be serious.”
“Well, what am I supposed to think, Nina? You work late every fucking night. You spend more time here or with him than you do at home. I can’t remember the last time we had a meal together that wasn’t business-related or with someone else there. And now, I walk in here to find this. I can’t— Non posso farlo, Nina.” Nick hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He can’t do this?
What does that mean?
“Nick, nothing happened. How could you even suggest that?” I took his face in my hands, not missing the way he leaned into my touch. “ Fossette ,” I said, trying to butter him up with the familiar nickname meaning dimples . “I know things have been hard with me stepping in for Kai this time. I know that. But you have to believe me. Nick, I would never—”
“You didn’t even come home that night!” Nick ripped himself from me, taking two steps back. “I went to bed alone and woke up the same way. And you…You flitted off to fucking Chicago without a fucking care in the world.”
There was nothing I could say to make this any better. He was too riled up, and most of his anger was my fault because of my focus on work over our family the past seven months.
Nick scoffed and walked out the door without saying goodbye. I tried to follow him, but my assistant Sydney intercepted me, blocking my path with a desperate plea to call the chairman. He had already called twice, but his impatience would have to wait. Pushing by her, I promised Sydney I would call him as soon as I talked to Nick. By the time I reached the garage, he was already gone.
My attention returns to Luke when he asks, “What flowers?” He seems genuinely confused, but I can’t tell if it’s an act or not.
I say, “The flowers you sent last week…to me.”
“I didn’t send you flowers.” Luke chuckles. “I sent flowers to my…girlfriend, but I didn’t send—Shit.” Luke sighs. “Now that I think about it, she did get the wrong ones. They sent her a bouquet with roses and peonies and…”
I stop listening to him ramble because I don’t need to hear anything else. It all makes sense now. Roses and peonies are staples in any bouquet Nick sends me. Nick must have sent me flowers on the same day Luke sent his girlfriend flowers, and the courier mixed up the two orders.
“Thank God.” One of the weights on my chest dissipates.
“You seem pretty relieved that I didn’t send you flowers.”
A smile spreads across my lips. “You have no idea.”
“Does this mean you can still help me?” Luke looks hopeful and I almost feel bad for what I’m about to do.
“Actually, I think it’s best if Andy takes over indefinitely.”
Luke groans at the same time my phone begins to ring. Turning it over, I see my brother’s name. Weird…They’re not supposed to have their phones until tomorrow.
“Kai?” I answer the call. “What are you—”
“Nina.” Kai sounds exhausted on the other end. His voice is calm, too calm, and it sends a wave of anxiety rolling through me.
Something’s wrong.
“Kai, what’s wrong?” I ask.
“Have you…Have you heard from Nick?”
What kind of question is that? He knows I haven’t heard from Nick. My face must say everything I’m thinking, because Luke doesn’t hesitate to get the hell out of dodge, walking out of my office without me having to ask. When the door clicks behind him, I ask, “Why are you asking if I’ve heard from my husband? He’s with you .”
“Shit.” My brother sighs.
“ Sputalo fuori,” I say between clenched teeth. Spit it out. “Enough of the fucking games, Kai. What is going on?”
“Nick is…missing.”
My initial reaction is to laugh. This is a terrible joke. It’s not even funny, because obviously, he’s joking. What does that even mean? Nick is missing .
“That’s funny, Kai.” I chuckle. “Now, let me talk to my husband.”
“Nin, I’m serious.”
“Kai, this isn’t funny anymore. Let me talk to my husband. Proprio adesso. ”
My brother remains silent on the other end.
“Right now , Kai. I’m not—”
“Nina, I’m sorry.” He sighs. “I’m so sorry. I don’t—I don’t know what happened.”
“I’m on my way.”