Nico snatched my phone without warning. His fingers swiped furiously, hunting for proof of my so-called betrayal. Then he stopped.
He went stiff as he stared at a close-up selfie of me and my brother. A second later, his fury erupted like a storm.
"Rosalia, how wonderful. The evidence is right here. What excuse do you have now?"
"I told you, he's my brother! Give me back my phone!" I continued to protest. "This is theft! Slander! A complete violation of my privacy!"
Nico raised his hand and struck me across the face. The sharp sting spread instantly, but before I could react, he lifted my phone and smashed it against the ground with brutal force. The screen shattered on impact, shards of glass scattering across the marble floor of the social club's back room.
I clutched my burning cheek, fury surging through me as I lunged at him. But before I could get my hands on him, two of his soldiers restrained me once more.
Nico was provoked by my reaction, his expression dropping to an icy sneer.
"Rosalia, don't act all innocent. Do you really think you could've achieved those glorious accomplishments without spreading your legs? And don't even try to tell me you did it for me. That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard."
I lifted my gaze to meet his, disappointment washing over me like a tidal wave.
"Nico, do you really have to humiliate me like this?"
He chuckled, slow and mocking. "Humiliate you? Do you think you even deserve that much?"
Faced with his cruelty and baseless accusations, a lump of frustration and rage formed in my chest.
"Fine. Since you refuse to listen to reason, let's have the Feds settle this. We'll see who's really indecent here. You, with your slander, or me, with my so-called sins."
"The Feds?" He took a slow step toward me, eyes glinting with disdain. His hand went to his tie, smoothing it with a flat palm from knot to sternum. "Do you really think you still have a chance? You may not care about your reputation, but I sure as hell care about mine."
"I'm so glad we were only promised and never bound by oath, because you would've been the biggest disgrace of my life."
I stared at the shattered phone on the floor and at that moment, the fury burning inside me finally erupted.
"Nico, after what you've done to me, you can forget about your blood-oath ceremony tomorrow!" Laughter exploded around the room.