“Still.” He turns to face me fully. “When Fiona came by the office looking for you, and I told her about the lunch…I heard something in her voice change. I should have realized then.”
I run a hand through my hair. “It’s not your fault, Dad. I should have told everyone about us from the start.”
“Perhaps. But I know my son.” He places a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm. “You’ve never been one to give up easily. Not when you were learning to code at eight years old, not when you built that security system everyone said was impossible, and not now.” His eyes meet mine. “If you love this woman—and I can see that you do—then fight for her. Don’t let a misunderstanding destroy something real.”
“She won’t answer my calls. She’s blocked me everywhere.”
My father smiles, a hint of mischief in his eyes that reminds me he wasn’t always the retired don living a quiet life. “You’re the best hacker in this city, Lorenzo. Are you telling me you can’t find a way to reach one woman?”
I stare at him for a moment, then feel a slow smile spread across my face. “No. I’m not telling you that at all.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “That’s my son. Now go get her.”
I’m already forming a plan when my father leaves me alone in the atrium. But before I can go, Nico appears again at the entrance.
“You’re still here,” he says, walking back toward me. “Thought you’d have run off by now.”
“Just thinking.”
“Don’t think too long,” Nico advises, stopping beside me. “Your father’s right—you need to address it immediately and not wait.”
.
“I don’t want to agitate her any further, Nico,” I say, turning to stare at the painting. “Maybe I should just give her time and seek her out when she’s cooled down.”
“I disagree. I think this is the perfect time to solve this thing between you guys. When she’s angry.”
My brows knit in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You need to needle her in a specific way that she can't help but respond.” He stops and looks around to make sure we're indeed alone before leaning in. “I'll let you in on a secret, Enzo, but you have to promise it stays between us.”
“Yeah, sure,” I say, confused by where he’s going with this.
“Do you know how this painting came to be?” he says, nodding toward Gabriella’s painting. “Gabby was upset about something, so I showed her a painting online and mentioned how I didn't think that even she could re-create something that realistic, and she took it as a challenge. Her pride got the better of her, and she just had to prove me wrong.” And suddenly, the tension I walked in on makes a little more sense. “Gabby is stubborn and she thrives on challenges, and it's what I've used since she was a kid to help her reach her goals. Remember how nervous she was about applying for art school?”
I laugh when I remember my sister moping around for days, sad and depressed. Then one day, something snapped in her. “She locked herself in her room for days and painted a perfect replica of theMona Lisa.” A painting that still hangs proudly above the mantle. “That was you?”
“Guilty,” he chuckles. “I've never crossed the line or said anything to purposely hurt her. Just enough to make her angry and poke at her pride so she works to prove me wrong. There is nothing your sister loves more than proving me wrong.” His eyes shift to the painting. “Something tells me Leonardo will want to hang this painting somewhere public once he sees it.”
Something about the way Nico talks makes my brows arch. There is a certain pride and fondness when he talks about Gabriella, and it makes me wonder if something is going on between them, but I brush off the thought as it comes. Fuck, of course, he would be proud of Gabby; she's like a sister to him.Well, now that our parents are married, she is his stepsister. It makes sense that he'd talk like this.
“I had no idea that you’ve been needling my sister into achieving her goals,” I say, even as I consider his words. “It’s not going to work with Fiona, though. She’s blocked me on everything.” Hell, even her page on the encrypted messaging site we use as hackers is gone. Scraped clean as if she’d never existed. “I’m blocked. Everywhere.”
“Aren't you the tech whiz of the Rossi family?” he says with a sardonic smile on his face that nicks at my pride. “You’d think that someone like you wouldn't let something as insignificant as a blocked number keep you away, but I guess there's a limit even to a pro like you.”
My eyes fire up with challenge as I glare at him, and it takes me a second to realize he’s doing to me what he’s done to Gabby before. “Fuck, I just fell for it,” I curse, making him laugh. “I see why it works. Goddamnit, now I want to prove you wrong.”
“Can you?”
“You'll see.” His laughter follows me as I storm away, but he's planted a seed in my head. I know just what to do to get Fiona to talk to me.
Chapter Eight
Fiona
It’s nearly midnight when my screen flickers, and I take it as a sign to finally go to bed.
I slump back in my chair and bite back a yawn, my tired eyes moving to glance at the clock in the right corner of the monitor. It's late, really late. Usually, I don’t mind staying up late to work, but tonight, I’ve really pushed it, wrestling with this code all night, chasing a phantom bug that seems to vanish every time I get close.
