Chapter 5 - Nico
I should have known peace would never last.
Not because Vera was particularly loud or difficult.
She had never been that way, even when we had been together.
But because Vera had always possessed a remarkable ability to identify exactly which of my nerves needed to be stepped on and then proceed to stomp on it repeatedly until I lost my mind.
That was something she had done even when we were together.
The office door flew open without a knock, and I did not look up from the reports spread across my desk to find out who it was. I already knew. I had known the moment she had stepped out of her room and walked downstairs, her loud and angry footsteps echoing across the house.
“No,” I said, before she could open her mouth and say whatever she was about to say. It had been three weeks, and we had been constantly fighting over anything and everything. I knew she was frustrated, and she was making sure I stayed just as frustrated as her.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
I signed the last page and placed it aside, still not looking up. I knew how much that annoyed her.
“I know you walked in here looking homicidal. Experience tells me whatever follows won’t improve my day, so please leave me out of it and let me work.”
“Your confidence is inspiring, but I am not going anywhere.”
“My attitude is certainly not inspiring.”
I finally lifted my gaze. Vera stood in the doorway wearing one of my black T-shirts and a pair of gray sweatpants she had stolen from one of the guest rooms. The sight irritated me immediately.
Not because she looked bad. She looked beautiful.
The oversized shirt hung off one shoulder, exposing smooth skin, and her dark hair was twisted into a careless knot.
There was no makeup, jewelry, or armor, but her blue eyes glowed beautifully, making her appear brighter.
Just Vera. My Vera.
The woman I had once loved enough to destroy myself for. The woman who was no longer mine. I looked away first.
“You came here to complain about something or the other, I am sure. So, go ahead, let’s get it over with. Let’s hear what it is this time.”
“I came here because I haven’t slept in three days, Nico. Three fucking days.”
I leaned back, unsure how that was my problem.
I folded my arms across my chest, the movement tightening the sleeves of my dress shirt, which immediately tugged her attention towards my bare arms. I still noticed the way she looked at me, which was enough to tell me that the attraction had not faded. Not one bit.
Every time I was near her, I heard her breath catch.
She still wanted me just as much as I wanted her, and that was both confusing and annoying at the same time.
“That sounds rather unpleasant, but I don’t know why I should care.”
“You should care since I am unable to sleep because of you!” She all but shouted, her beautiful face twisted in an angry scowl. “It’s the music, Nico.”
“The music? What about it?” I knew exactly what she meant, but I was determined to rile her up. If she could frustrate me, I could treat her the exact same way as well.
Her eyes narrowed.
“You were playing jazz in your room at three in the morning! And the volume on your speakers was high enough to wake up the entire house. I bet the servants hate you just as much for keeping them awake as well.”
“I couldn’t sleep. Music helps me,” I replied with a shrug, feeling like an asshole but not admitting to being one.
“Neither could I.”
“Well, that’s a shame.”
She stared at me, and I stared back, the tension stretching between us. Finally, she threw her hands into the air.
“I am convinced that you are doing this on purpose.”
“Doing what on purpose exactly?”
“Existing as loudly as possible just so I can’t think or breathe or sleep or fucking live in this house where you are already keeping me like a prisoner. I don’t have a phone or a laptop, Nico. I can’t watch that much television, and you know I have never been a reader.”
I almost smiled. Almost.
“Maybe you should go to sleep. You seem tired.”
“Ugh,” she sighed loudly. “Let me remind you, you kidnapped me.”
“And yet the music is what finally pushed you over the edge to come and fight with me here. Intriguing.”
“Because the kidnapping happened once.” She pointed toward the ceiling. “The music happens every night. If you cannot sleep, go for a walk or listen to your music with earbuds on or something. Don’t ruin my nights.”
I considered that. “Well, that’s fair.”
She blinked. “Wait, so you agree?”
“No.”
The disbelief on her face nearly made me laugh.
“Then why did you say fair?”
“Because your argument was structured correctly.”
“Nico.”
“Vera.”
“You are impossible.”
“And yet you keep seeking me out.”
Something flickered through her expression. Something I refused to examine too closely. The room went quiet, and for a second neither of us spoke. I returned my attention to the paperwork, indicating an end to the conversation, but Vera clearly did not understand the clue.
Of course, she didn’t.
“You also use the gym at six in the morning.”
I closed my eyes briefly. “Is there a point coming?”
“The point is that normal people do not deadlift four hundred pounds before sunrise.”
“I do, and I am perfectly normal.”
“The entire upper floor shakes because of your weights, Nico.”
“Once again, Vera, I fail to see the issue.”
“The issue is that some of us are trying to sleep.”
“You can nap in the afternoon. In fact, you should start waking up and maybe try going for a run sometimes or workout. I can help you if you like.”
Her mouth fell open, and I almost admired her restraint. Almost. The woman looked one sentence away from committing murder, and I knew the only victim she wished for right now was me.
“Do you enjoy this?”
“Immensely.”
“You’re acting like a child.”
I stood up, walking away from my desk. That got her attention immediately.
The office suddenly felt smaller and warmer.
Vera’s eyes followed the movement automatically, and I hated that I noticed it.
I hated even more that she noticed me noticing.
The chemistry between us remained even months later.
After betrayal and heartbreak and a kidnapping.
Still there. Still alive. Still ruining everything.
“I’m not acting like a child. I am simply existing, and you seem to have an issue with everything.”
“You absolutely are.”
I rounded the desk. “You have no idea what childish behavior looks like.”
Her chin lifted. “I think I am getting a pretty good demonstration.”
I laughed, and the sound surprised both of us because it wasn’t bitter.
It wasn’t cruel. It sounded almost normal.
For one brief moment, we both seemed to remember another version of ourselves.
A version that no longer existed. The realization landed heavily, but I brushed past her, refusing to think about the past.
“Move.”
“No.”
My eyebrows rose.
“No?”
“No.”
I stared, and she stared back, the stubborn expression returning.
The one that had always driven me insane.
The one that had once made me want to kiss her until she forgot what she had been arguing about.
Now it just made everything worse because despite everything she had done, I still wanted to kiss her senseless.
“You’re blocking the doorway.”
“Good. Maybe you will stay here until I can make you see reason.
“Vera.”
“No.”
I stepped closer, but she didn’t move. Neither did I.
The distance between us vanished. We were not touching but were still close enough.
The air changed immediately, and her breathing slowed.
Mine did too. Every instinct in my body became hyperaware.
I could smell her shampoo and see the faint freckles across her nose.
I noticed the pulse fluttering in her throat.
One step.
That was all it would take.
One step.
The thought was dangerous enough to make me angry.
“Move.”
“Make me.”
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Silence followed, heavy and electric. I watched realization spread across her face.
She had not meant to say that. I could tell.
But unfortunately, I had heard it. Every single syllable.
My gaze dropped briefly to her mouth, which was a mistake.
A catastrophic mistake because she noticed.
And suddenly neither of us remembered what we had been arguing about.
The moment stretched.
Too long.
Far too long.
Then she stepped back just enough, and the spell shattered. I walked past her immediately. I knew the kitchen was safer. Marginally. Vera followed. Of course she did. This woman did not know what letting go meant unless it was a loving relationship.
“Nico.”
I opened the refrigerator.
“Nico.” She repeated my name while I continued ignoring her.
I grabbed a bottle of water.
“You need to listen to me.”
“What?”
She folded her arms. “You cannot keep doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“Being angry forever.”
I twisted the cap open. “Watch me.”
“You’re exhausting.”
I took a drink. “You are trespassing.”
“How am I trespassing when you kidnapped me?”
“My personal space, I meant.”
Before she could answer, the front door opened, and both of us froze. That never happened. Very few people had access to this place, and even fewer people used it. I set the bottle down as footsteps approached. Then a familiar voice drifted into the kitchen.
“Nico?”
My stomach dropped, not from excitement or anticipation, but from annoyance.
A woman appeared around the corner, and I knew exactly who she was.
Tall, blonde, and expensively dressed, Bianca White stood before me.
She looked beautiful, but her appearance had no effect on me except the annoyance I felt at finding her inside my house.
Wonderful. Exactly what this day needed.
Bianca smiled immediately. “There you are.”