43. Chapter Aria
I 'm still boiling with frustration from yesterday’s encounter as I bang on the gallery's main door, waiting for Isabella to open up. Couldn't find that stupid key, not that it matters now. I'm officially done. No clue what's next for me. Maybe The Institute will take me back, or maybe not. All I'm sure of is that I'm fucking done with this place, with Damian, all of it. I know deep down he’s pushing me away and lying, but I don't have the heart to keep pushing when he clearly gave up.
Isabella comes to the door, swinging it open fast. “Aria, good. You're here.”
“I'm just here to grab my things.”
Worry shows on Isabella's face. “What happened?”
“Your dumb boss happened, that's what.”
“Is that Aria?” a male familiar voice says as he’s approaching us.
I recognize him. I think he’s Damian’s head of security. Lorenzo’s best friend too, if I recall correctly. His name is… Matt? I don’t know. My brain is still foggy from yesterday’s fight.
“Solid detective work, Matteo. I see why Damian pays you the big bucks,” Isabella remarks sarcastically.
Matteo. That’s right.
He's good-looking in that friendly, guy-next-door way. His blond hair is kind of all over the place, and he always has this friendly, boyish grin on his face. But his eyes? They’re icy blue. And they hold… so much. If I look at them for too long, they startle me.
I step into the gallery. “Sorry to interrupt, guys. I won’t be here long.”
“We actually need to talk to you,” he says.
“Matteo,” Isabella warns.
He looks directly at Isabella, saying, “Clock's ticking, Sunshine. I can't waste time being indirect.” His gaze locks on me now. “What can you tell me about Alex Brown?”
Ugh. I swear he’s like a cockroach that refuses to die.
“Not much to tell. We went to school together, and we became close friends quickly. Apparently, he and Damian had some issues in the past? He’s been a royal pain in the ass these past few months. They’ve gotten into a few altercations.” I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
He thins his lips, nodding. “If my sources are right, he’s the answer to all of our problems. Behind all of this.”
I’m all tangled up in confusion now. Is Alex behind this? Somehow, it doesn’t shock me. These last few months taught me that he’s as sly and shady as they come.
“What sources, exactly?” Isabella questions.
Lorenzo strides in, speaking up for Matteo, “Considering he broke the guy’s fingers, a reliable one.”
“ Dude! Not cool,” Matteo scolds.
I can't believe it as I watch them. “Are you for real?”
“I never joke about a man’s fingers, Red.” Enzo winks.
“I'm not signing up to be part of some potential murder scenario, so you guys need to shut the fuck up!” Isabella chimes in.
With a grin, Matteo tells her, “Relax, Sunshine , no one's six feet under.”
Lorenzo rolls his eyes, looking completely uninterested as he says, “ Yet .”
I have so many questions right now. I don't even know where to start untangling this whole messed-up situation. I'm clueless about what they're accusing Damian of, and now he’s being framed?
“I'm seriously confused. Somebody needs to step back and clue me in on what's happening,” I comment.
“You better sit down, Red. This story is long and wild,” Matteo chimes in .
Oh, boy.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sophia questions once I bring her up to speed.
I nod. “I’m more than sure.”
Matteo and I had a talk, and he spilled the beans on everything. The email threats, the tailing—Matteo, being a tech genius, traced it all back to Alex. Not exactly directly to him, but to a questionable company he cooked up with more than shady connections. It's a lot worse than any of us anticipated, and Alex orchestrated the whole thing right under our noses. There are so many holes in the story, though.
Like, how did the painting get into our basement in the first place? Or Damian’s prints for that matter?
The gallery has a state-of-the-art security system that only the employees that have the app on their phone can access without causing any suspicion. Only me, Isabella, and Damian have that app. Also, the fucking keys. Per the FBI, there was no forced entry into the gallery, hence why it looks even worse for Damian. Whoever did it, walked right in with a key and deactivated the alarm.
“Oh my God,” I say as the realization hits me.
“What?” Sophia asks, confused .
“I think Alex stole my keys the day we had lunch to go over the painting I needed. He pretended he didn’t know I was working for Damian. We got into an altercation and he…” I get up, walking back and forth, fuming. “The asshole dropped my purse by accident and helped me pick up the things. I couldn’t find my keys since then, but I didn’t pay much attention. Thought I had lost them.”
A hint of guilt floods through me. I’m partly at fault here. I can’t believe Alex manipulated me like that. With the fight, acting all offended and worried. Insulting me because he knew I was going to storm away.
I’m fuming with so much rage, it’s not even funny. First thing I want to do when we finish talking is go to Alex and kill him. Like, full on stabbing until he’s nothing but dead flesh.
He just did all of this and for what, exactly? A big tantrum over the fact Damian’s father didn’t leave him the gallery? Big fucking deal. He’s big enough in the industry now that he could have gone to do his own thing. Instead, he made Damian miserable and made him hide everything from me, playing some shining armor hero. I’m so fucking pissed at Damian too that I was ready to rip him a new one. But Matteo has a way with words, and was able to talk me down and propose a plan.
It's frustrating because I blame myself too. I should have insisted more, pushed harder when he was clearly pushing me away. I missed the signs, and now we 're knee-deep in this shit. Matteo proposed a plan to confront this chaos head-on and put an end to it, and without a second thought, I agreed.
“I swear I’m going to chop off Alex’s dick for this,” Sophia seethes.
“Nope. Grab a ticket and wait your turn, because I want to kill him .”
Of course, I won’t. But it’s a nice thought, that’s for sure.
I take a deep breath as I stand in front of Alex’s apartment door. This plan took us about a week to cook up, and it’s insane.
Matteo's voice startles me as he speaks in my left ear, “You ready?”
I’m wearing the tiniest Bluetooth known to man in my left ear, so Matteo can hear everything that’s about to go down. I hope this insane idea pans out and we can catch Alex red-handed.
“Yup,” I whisper as I knock on the door.
My heart beats erratically as I hear steps getting closer to the door. I’ve never been a good actress, but for Damian? I’ll put on the best goddamn show. Oscar-worthy .
Alex opens the door, his features lacing surprise. “Well, what do we have here?”
“Can you let me in? We need to talk.”
He smirks as he stands to the side and gestures for me to come in.
Prick. I hope you choke on your own dick and die.
I casually swing my hips as I step in, making an effort to steady my breath.
He lets out a little whistle and says, “You look good.”
I’m wearing the tightest sluttiest black dress—sponsored by Sophia’s closet. It hugs my body in all the right places. The cleavage is a bit on the wild side, pushing the limits.
I need to tread carefully here. If I seem too eager, he’ll know something’s definitely up. “Thanks.”
He walks to the kitchen. “Want anything to drink? Water? Or how about wine? I know how much you love your wine.”
I laugh. “Yeah, wine is fine.”
He serves two glasses half way and walks to the living room where I’m taking a seat comfortably. He hands me the wine and sits down next to me.
“Listen, Aria. These past few months, I know I’ve acted differently, and for that I’m sorry. I just worry about you, you know?”
Matteo chuckles in my ear and murmurs something along the lines of asshole and great acting.
Hearing Alex’s words makes me want to take this cup of wine and smash it against his head, but instead, I say, “I know.”
“And you see? I was right. Look at Damian now. Stealing a famous painting? Doing shady business? I told you he was bad news.”
I glare at him. “Alex, we’ve known each other for how many years now? Drop the act. I know what you did.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He feigns innocence.
I place the wine on the coffee table before facing him. “I’m not here to bust your balls, Alex. Let’s stop pretending like you didn’t frame Damian and let me in on the plan.”
He smirks knowingly. “That brother of mine sure has a big fucking mouth.”
His comment catches me off guard, making me falter. Oh my God. They’re brothers ?
I stare at Alex, and suddenly everything clicks. He's shorter, and he definitely doesn't have those Italian good looks going on for him, but his skin tone is tan. I've seen Alex's mom; she's pale, so that's not where it comes from. His hair's more like light brown, not as dark as Damian's. But what really gives it away is his eyes. They share the same deep green color, but there's a difference. Alex's eyes lack that intense gaze, and they don't stir up the same feelings as the eyes I've grown fond of. Still, they're pretty fucking similar.
His gaze narrows. “You didn’t know?”
Think, Aria. Think.
This was such a stupid idea. I mean, seriously, what were we thinking? If all the stuff we've got on our hands turns out to be true, Alex is not just some regular trouble— this guy's dangerous.
I've got to tread carefully here. If I'm not super cautious, my life is hanging by a thread. It's not just about some petty danger; it's a real, definite threat. Alex seems to be playing on a whole different level, and I can’t afford to make a wrong move.
Matteo’s voice in my earpiece warns, “Aria…”
I muster the most honest chuckle I can come up with. “Looks like your brother isn’t as chatty as you thought.”
Oh, come on, please, whoever's up there, make it happen. I'm begging you, just let him take the bait. He fucking deserves it.
With a nonchalant shrug, he comments, “He's not the smartest one around, to be honest.”
I let out a quiet sigh of relief, but I keep it in check. I'm already deeply involved in this mess, so I've got to see it through to the end. No turning back now.
Casually crossing my legs, I end up revealing more skin than I planned, but it seems to be doing the trick because Alex is definitely checking me out. Makes me want to crawl out of my skin. To think I considered him a friend for the longest time, and he fucking betrayed me and my trust. Or maybe I was just too trusting and chose to believe a different version of him.
But, at least I get something out of this. I’ve known him for so long, so there’s one thing I know for certain. He thrives on a little ego boost. You give him a compliment and he turns into a chatterbox. He just can’t help himself, and, I mean… I was his friend for a while. He has some level of trust. He just doesn’t fucking respect me. There’s a difference, I guess.
I casually say, “So? How’d you do it? I gotta say, whatever you did, it was brilliant.”
He casually throws an arm over my shoulders, and I do my best to stay still, look comfortable.
“It was a piece of cake, honestly. We stole that painting from Rome, thinking we could make a quick buck selling it on the black market. But, you see, Damian's made himself a lot of enemies in this business. Let's just say there are a bunch of people eager to see him take a fall, once and for all,” he says, giving a nonchalant shrug.
I bite my tongue as I nod, gesturing for him to continue as I try my best to hold back. My anger is reaching a boiling point, and my heart stumbles over itself in frustration. Guilt pricks at the pit of my stomach knowing Damian has been going through something like this all alone .
I nod, impressed.“What about our painting? You stole it too, right? Broke into the gallery?”
He nods, proud of himself. Idiot .
I already knew the answer, though. Matteo traced everything back and uncovered the deleted surveillance.
“What about the famous painting from Rome? How'd you sneak in the painting, anyway? I was always down in that basement, and it never caught my eye. That was a pretty slick move.”
Every time I toss out a compliment, I want to roll my eyes, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep him talking.
He grimaces. “Don’t kill me, but when we had lunch and we fought? I already knew you were working for Damian. I intentionally made you drop your purse, helped you pick up your stuff, but hung on to the gallery keys.”
Oh, I’m going to jail tonight. I’m killing this motherfucker.
I give a fake nod of approval. “Wow, okay, that’s pretty impressive.”
“That’s some Bond shit, huh?” He gives me a playful wink.
A shiver runs down my spine at the wink, but it's not the good kind. The sense of suffocation takes over, and all I can think of is escaping this damn place.
“Ask him about the prints,” Matteo prompts.
I lower my hand onto his thigh, giving it a light stroke. I’m not above using my sexuality to save Damian’s ass, even if I want to throw up. I will not be sleeping with him by any means, but some flirting will do. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t understand how I’m playing this off so well. It’s almost like I’m channeling Sophia. Now, she’s a real bad bitch. I’m too mellow; soft; insecure.
Used to be insecure. Not anymore.
With the way Damian worships me and takes care of me, it helped me gain the confidence I need. The confidence that also helped me stand up to my mother. I’ve grown so much as a person, learning as I go, and I owe most of it to him.
“What's the deal with Damian’s prints? How did you make that happen?”
“Oh, that,” he casually places his hand on my thigh, a bit higher than I'm comfortable with, but I pull through, “on the day of the auction, right after the issue between us and Damian, once you all took off, I doubled back. I grabbed Damian’s used glass with a cloth, and tossed it in a bag. Simple stuff. I know a guy who could transfer the prints from the glass onto the corners of the painting.”
“Even I’m impressed…” Matteo snickers.
I shut off everything Matteo's saying as we're getting close to the finish line. If I can just figure out what he's planning next, it's game over for him.
Straddling him, I find a comfortable position, purposefully shifting my ass over his cock. The idea of having to scrub my body until it's raw and bleeding to rid myself of his lingering touch, but I'm so close to the finish line that I can almost savor the taste of victory.
He holds onto my hips, his clammy hands making me feel queasy. It’s no secret Alex has always had a crush on me. That didn’t stop him from screwing around with my best friend, not that I minded anyway. I’ve truly never seen Alex with any other eyes. Just a friend. And I’m so fucking thankful for that, because I wonder what would my life been like if I had fallen in love with him, been with him?
The thought of it hurts, because that would have meant I would have never met Damian. A life without him is impossible. He’s mine, and I am his. We’re soulmates. For life.
I twirl his tie around my fingers as I lean in toward his lips, our mouths almost touching.
In a low, husky whisper, I admit, “Honestly, that intelligent mind of yours is a real turn-on. Come on, let me in on the plan. What’s next?”
“Well,” he starts as his hands slide over my backside, “I made him choose between saving himself or you. My dumb brother fell head over heels for you, making it so much easier. He'll plead guilty, go to jail, and poof .” He adds a little explosion sound. “Bye-bye Romano empire.”
Yeah, I’ve heard enough.
Considering this isn’t part of the plan, this will probably go south very quickly. Bottom line is that Alex can kill me if he really wants to. He has the means, that’s for sure. But for Damian? I’ll go to the ends of the earth for that man—including risking my life. I quickly slide my hand along my upper thigh, locating the small concealed knife, and press its tip against his neck. I don't give him a chance to react as I swiftly raise my knee and strike his groin.
Thank fuck for those self-defense classes I took when I moved to Chicago.
“What the fuck, Ari!?” he shouts.
“You better listen to me real good. I recorded every word you spat out of your miserable mouth, so your moronic plan is done for.” I can tell he's still dealing with that groin pain, so I decide to hit him again, harder, just to be safe. I press the tip of the knife a bit more, and a tiny drop of blood appears.
“You’re lucky I don’t fucking kill you right now,” I snarl.
Matteo and Lorenzo burst the door open, entering the apartment, quickly striding toward us and forcing me away from Alex.
Matteo whistles. “You went way off script, Red.”
Alex attempts to rise, but Lorenzo seizes him by the neck and pushes him down to the floor. “If you think I'm going to let you make one single move, you're dead wrong,” he snarls.
“I’m going to fucking kill all of you. I have connections. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”
Lorenzo’s eyes flash with amusement. “Believe me, you've got no clue who you're messing with,” He tightens the grip on Alex’s neck, cutting off his air. “I'll kill you. Don't push me .”
Lorenzo’s whiskey eyes become icy with intensity, making me gulp. There’s more to him than I know, and I don’t think I want to find out.
Alex grips his hand, struggling to breathe. “P-please.”
Matteo strides next to them. “Enzo, man. Let go of him. You’re going to kill him.”
Lorenzo’s gaze snaps to Matteo. “You think I fucking care? I’ll end this motherfucker right here and bury him six feet under.”
“Yeah? And what do you think it’s gonna happen when we go to the FBI with all the evidence and Alex is suddenly nowhere to be found? You really want to take that chance? Let him go. We have everything we need. Damian’s safe now,” Matteo urges.
The silence in the apartment is deafening, except for Alex’s struggle to get out of Lorenzo’s grip. His shoulders relax as he lets go of Alex’s neck and gets up, brushing his suit like nothing happened.
Matteo points a finger at Alex. “Needless to say, I’m tailing you. If you make one single wrong move or try to flee the country, I will let Enzo get away with anything he wants. And if he fails, I will hunt you until the ends of the earth and kill you myself. And trust me, I won’t fail.”
Matteo’s icy blue eyes become almost gray as he threatens Alex. This is the side of him I knew deep down he had. A scary, menacing one. I’m sure managing a successful cybersecurity business comes with its fair share of horror. If those eyes could talk, it wouldn’t be pretty.
He looks over his shoulder and flips his menacing swift, going back to his sunshine personality. “Let’s go save your man, Red.”
I let out a sigh of relief as my shoulders loose, giving a subtle nod. All I want is to leave this place.
Before going after them, I hunker down to Alex, meeting eye to eye, and I grin. “I hope you rot in hell.”
Rising to my feet, my heart beats fast as I eagerly walk out, feeling more alive than ever before.