Why did a part of me still want him, despite the pain?
Curling into myself, I cried until exhaustion took over.
Chapter Twenty
RONAN
Present Day
NEW YORK CITY
Normally, days off were my most cherished days except when I spent the morning of mine witnessing a bickering fest between Dillon and Arnoldo.
“You’re fucking your assistant,” Dillon said, shocked, as ironic as it sounds.
“Ex-assistant.” Arnoldo corrected as he fixed his tie. “Aren’t you doing the same?”
“I’m in a loving, committed relationship with mine,” Dillon pointed out.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I never slept with her.”
Dillon laughed at his statement. “He’s a manwhore and a liar.”
“Ronan,” Arnoldo called to me, “help a guy out?”
“I’m not getting involved,” I declared, fixing my burgundy tie and sitting upright.
“And to think, I had your file ready,” Arnoldo scoffed, a sly smile present on his face.
That bastard.
“What file?” Dillon asked, his confused hazel eyes trailing over to look at me. “Don’t you know everything about Nina already?”
Before I could even respond, Arnoldo did the honors. “The mystery man who gently kissed Nina’s cheek is today’s topic.”
“You’re better than me,” Dillon muttered. “He wouldn’t have lips to do it a second time.”
“We know,” we replied in unison, and Arnoldo passed the folder to me. Without even a thought, I opened it.
I spotted his name first—Alejandro Grazio—and damn, Reyes was thorough. How the hell did he even get the guy’s coffee order? Flipping through the pages, I absorbed every detail. He’d even hired a private investigator to track his routine.
Annoyingly, it all revolved around Nina. His Instagram was flooded with photos of them together, each one stoking the fire of my jealousy. I skimmed through notes on his daily habits, connections, and favorite spots—Reyes had left no stone unturned. My grip tightened as I stared at Alejandro’s smiling photos with her, each one hitting like a gut punch.
“I take it you’re engrossed because you’re satisfied?” He asked, never missing a moment to glorify himself.
Before I could respond, my phone vibrated. Glancing at the message, the folder slipped from my hand, crashing loudly as dark anger surged within me.
What the fuck was I looking at right now?
The photo on my screen captured Nina and Alejandro at a fashion event. Nina was breathtaking in a black gown,accentuating her curves, her skin glowing under the soft lighting. Her eyes shone with happiness, and her smile—wide and sincere—made my chest tighten.
My gaze shifted to him—his suit, wrinkled and covered in lint, clearly didn’t fit him, nor did he belong beside Nina. Yet, there he was, hand possessively on her waist, fingers gripping her gown. The sight made my blood boil.
As I looked closer, I could see the way he leaned into her, his face uncomfortably close to hers. He seemingly whispered something in her ear that made her laugh, her head tilting back in a way that exposed the graceful line of her neck. She seemed to bask in his attention; her smile was bright and unguarded. It was a smile I had seen many times before, but never like this—never directed at another man.
I clenched my phone tightly, the urge to throw it across the room nearly overwhelming. Time to move up my trip.
I swiped off and quickly called my assistant, “Get the jet ready. We’re going to Italy.Now.”
