Chapter Seven

Orlando

I’m really good at keeping secrets.

Some might say I'm great at it, and they would be right. Heck, I run a security agency that protects high-profile people, and they keep hiring us because they know they can trust us to provide more than just protection.

The thing between Aria and I is one secret that is eating at me. I don’t want to hide what is going on between us. The feelings that have been building up for a year until neither of us could take it anymore.

No, I don’t want to hide this from her father or anyone in her family, but I do so because I promised her that I would wait. I’ve waited a year to have her. I can wait a day or two to announce to the world that Aria belongs to me now.

So, I stay quiet, hoping the lustrous looks I toss the girl at the dinner table go unnoticed.

I want her. Even in a room with more than twenty people, I want the beauty with long midnight hair. I want to kiss her, fuck her hard, and shock everyone in here into seeing the truth of what Aria means to me.

When Constanzo asked me to stay for dinner after our little meeting in his study, I wanted to decline, but staying meant being around Aria a bit longer. She seemed so meek and terrified in front of her father, and I wanted to be around in case she needed me.

In the face of things, perhaps I should have turned down the dinner invitation. There seems to be some tension between her two brothers and the source of the tension is the pretty blond seated next to Aria. From the introductions earlier, the blond is Fabian's girlfriend, and now from what I’ve gathered so far in the last twenty minutes, is that the same girl used to go out with Nico or something like that.

A girl stuck between two brothers. An old love interest fighting with the new.

It feels like I am intruding on a private family moment, and I question whether or not I should leave. I could make some bullshit excuse and wait outside, but I don’t want to draw attention to myself in the middle of whatever is happening.

It seems however that I am one of the few people a tad uncomfortable to be here. Most of the people at the table seem to be enjoying the turn of events as one of them chimes in. “So does that mean your brother is dating your ex?”

Oblivious to the anger vibrating off his brother, Nico responds with a smirk. “Well, I mean she was my date first…”

Chaos erupts at the table, and I realize that Aria was right to not want to be here. Everyone tries to talk over the other, but I don’t pay attention to the chatter around. My eyes are on Aria who is hugging the blond girl, trying to shield her from all the judgmental stares her family tosses their way.

"Nico, I said enough! That is all the warning you are going to get!" Fabian warns calmly, but I know an angry man when I see one. Heck, I work with them. I am surprised no one else can see just how close Fabian is close to snapping.

No one is doing anything to prevent the storm that is about to break.

Nico continues to taunt his brother. “What, you are not interested in your girlfriend’s background? You don’t want to hear how she pined over my dick–”

Fabian rounds the table lighting fast and in a matter of seconds, has his brother pinned to the wall by his neck. It’s impressive really, just how fast he moves, and it seems to take everyone at the table by surprise which quite frankly, it shouldn’t.

I called it. Moments ago, I realized that this was no normal sibling fight and I knew one way or the other, one of them was going to bleed. Or choke .

There is silence, long and tense as we all watch Fabian's hand tighten around his brother's throat, The kid isn't snarking off anymore. No, his face is an angry shade of red and his eyes are turning glassy. If someone doesn’t step in, the brat is not going to make it to dessert. Or any more family Christmas dinners in the future.

Constanzo must notice this because he finally gets up and glares in the direction of his sons. "Fabian, put him down now!"

The older son ignores his father and everyone watches in surprise at the moment, it's no question which of the two is in charge. Constanzo might have been the head of the family business for more than thirty years but his son is now in charge. Has been for a while it seems.

I ignore everyone else and turn to look at Aria who seems shaken by this entire thing. Without stopping to think, I push back my chair and walk to where she is standing. I clasp her shoulder and question if anyone would notice if I took her away from this place. Do I even care if they notice? Aria does not deserve to be around so much chaos on Christmas.

“You need to stop him, Helena,” Aria tells the blond, her voice a tad panicked. “I’ve never seen my brother this mad before. Please, he’ll kill him!”

The blond nods and walks over to talk some sense into Fabian, leaving me alone with Aria. I squeeze her shoulders and she lifts those beautiful brown eyes to mine. "Do you want to leave?" I ask, trailing my hands down her back but no one notices. Everyone is focused on the fighting brothers.

Aria shakes her head. “We can’t leave.”

“Why not?”

“I need to make sure Nico is alright,” she whispers, her voice crowded with worry. “He can be an asshole, but he is still my brother. I don’t know what the hell his problem is, bringing up the fact that he used to go out with Fabian’s girlfriend. Why would he even bring that up at dinner?”

"He'll be fine," I assure her, nodding towards Fabian who has now let go of his brother. Nico is on the floor, gasping for air. "See, fine."

Aria rolls her eyes and looks away, but I still catch the worry in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. I want to touch her more, wrap an arm around her waist, and pull her flush against me but that is not exactly the typical behavior between a bodyguard and his client, and as far as this family knows, that is still the dynamic between us.

I settle for standing behind her so she can feel my presence. We watch as the rest of the chaos unfolds with Fabian forcing an apology out of his brother before storming out with the blond in toe.

The room erupts into chaos, and everyone starts speaking over the other. Aria, the sweet little angel that she is, rushes over to her brother who is still kneeling and fighting to catch his breath. "God, what a mess," she says with a sigh, rubbing a hand down her brother's back, concern clear on her face but there is also something else. Annoyance. "Christmas dinner is ruined, thanks so much, Nico!"

At her words, Nico shrugs his sister’s hand off and turns his bloodshot to her, venom dripping off him that seem to take Aria by surprise. “Oh, you are one to speak,” he chokes out, his voice rough and strangled but it doesn’t hide the bitterness.

“What did I do?”

I notice some of the family members stop to look at the two siblings and I take a step forward, ready to stop Nico from starting another fight with Aria, the only person who seems to be in her corner but then the boy looks up and meets my gaze and in that moment, I realize that he knows.

I don’t know how he does but he knows about the thing between me and Aria.

"Little hypocrite," he spits out, his eyes locked on me and I narrow mine, warning clear in my gaze. He just had a fight with his older brother, he does not want to pick one with me because that is what he will be doing if he doesn't shut his mouth up.

I am not Fabian.

I will not stop until he turns blue and is breathing no more if I wrap my hand around his throat and that is exactly what I intend to do if he causes a moment of pain to Aria.

I will kill him. Infront of his entire family.

"Nico, I think it's time for you to leave, you have ruined everyone's dinner and this time, I will not tolerate it!" Constanzo speaks, reproaching his son but I can tell it doesn’t work on this son either.

Oh, my friend doesn’t have control anymore. The public still thinks he does but if he can’t even control his family, then he has no power outside of it. Perhaps I have been overestimating him all this time and he’s simply mellowed.

“Let me help you up, Nico,” Aria says, placing a hand once more on her brother’s shoulder but he shrugs it off. “What the hell, I’m trying to help you.”

"I don't need your help," he spits venomously. "What, you think you are going to play the sweet innocent child everyone treats you as? You pretend to be better that all of us but you are a fucking hypocrite. Cosplaying as daddy's sweet little girl when the truth is that you are a no better, secretly fucking your own bodyguard right under everyone's noses. Fucking disgusting."

Aria gasps and shoves to her feet, nearly slipping on the floor as she tries to get away from her brother.

Moments ago, the room was filled with chaotic chatter but it seems to have fallen into a deadly silence. So still, you could hear a pin drop and I can feel so many eyes on me but I don’t focus on them. No, my gaze is on Aria. Those beautiful eyes are filled with so much hurt and surprise that her brother would do this and I watch with anger as they well up with tears.

It seems I will have to finish the job that Fabian left behind.

Nico Lorenzo will pay for this.