The next day, Aria stood in Nate's way the minute Nyx stepped out of the house.
"I heard everything!" She sneered in his face.
"What do you mean?" He arched a brow as he stepped away from her like she was a plague.
Aria felt her heart tighten, hating the look of disgust on his face, but she pressed harder.
"I heard everything you said to Nyx last night. Are you trying to use me for your selfish gains?"
"Selfish gains?" He chuckled, hard and cold. "You are the selfish one here, have you forgotten so soon?"
Her lips parted in shock, "How could you say that. You were...plotting with Nyx—"
However, he shrugged, nonchalantly, "I don't know what you heard last night, and I don't want to know about it. Get out of my way."
But then she pulled on his arm, forcing a tear down her face, "Why are you treating me this way, Nate?"
His brows creased, "Are you really going to pull this crying stunt right now?"
"Look..." Her voice shook, "I am sorry, okay? Rick enticed me, and I really needed money."
"Then why are you here?" He laughed, the sound slithering in her ears like vines. "You should be with Rick, right now. Don't bother me."
The next second, he turned away with his hands inside his pockets. His back was proud and uncaring as he walked down the hallway.
But Aria couldn't keep her eyes off him. There was just something new and enthralling about him she couldn't figure out, and she wanted to conquer her curiosity.
"Rick is on his way here to get me." Her voice boomed, laced with malice. "What if I tell him you want to ambush him here?"
"Are you still going to walk away from me?" Her lips curled with a sly smile. "Even if you can beat him up, you can't beat him forever, right?"
Nate who had his back to her, let out a small smile as he muttered, "She took the bait."
"What do you mean?" His smile disappeared the next second as he turned to face her.
"All I am saying is..." She whispered as she sashayed her waist toward him and curled her fingers around his arm, "You need my help."
"Your reputation is a mess at school, and you can't keep fighting Rick."
"So what?"
She whipped her phone out as she scrolled to Rick's contact. "It takes just one sentence from me, and Rick will know what you are planning. If he mobilizes everything he has and punishes you, you will be at a dead end."
"I can help you avoid that…" She pulled in closer.
Nate folded his arms, with his eyes narrowed, "Are you saying you will go against Rick for me? Don't you want his money anymore?"
His eyes were mocking and condescending and she looked away for a second, as her face burned. She was embarrassed.
"I didn't know any better, Nate." She smiled wryly. "And I promise, as soon as we are done with Rick, I will take his money and leave him."
However, he pushed her away from him as his nose scrunched, "Is that all it is to you? Money?"
"Of course not." She shook her head. "I want us to be together again. I know you don't like Nyx, right? When I get enough money from Rick, we will live comfortably and you don't have to rely on her."
Nate took a deep breath as he stared at her intensely, acting as if he wanted to think more about her words.
And then he sprang into action, "You have to redeem yourself, Aria. After all you did, why should I continue to love you?"
"I am sorry..." She cried.
However, he shook his head at her, sadly and the next second, he walked away. But then, he stopped.
"Since Rick will be storming into the house, I do not need to be here. You can tell him my plan to ambush him, if you want. You destroy everything anyway."
His words were a jab that made her heart tighten. She had been so happy to get away from Nate but now she was going crazy because she couldn't have him the same way she did before.
She quickly decided she had to do something. Something to make him look at her again.
And by the time Rick stormed into the premises, Nate was out of the house and he dragged her harshly into his car.
His chest heaved as he snapped at her, "Of all the places you could go to, you ran back to your ex-boyfriend?"
Aria's body shook as his lips parted to speak, "I didn't have anywhere else—"
"Shut it!" He snapped again. "You are just a fucking slut! Do you want to go back to him? That pauper?"
"Do you think he has money because he bought a necklace for Nyx? That bastard relies on a woman for money."
However, she protested, "You are—"
Pak!
"Shut it!" He gritted his teeth.
A slap on her face shut her up in the blink of an eye. As her cheeks tingled with a sharp pain, the fog in her eyes cleared up and a deep-seated hate arose in her heart toward Rick.
Though she went quiet, she was silently plotting and hoping Nate would pull Rick down from his high horse.
And a few distances away from the villa, Nate sat in the car with Nyx, watching Rick drive speedily away.
"How did you predict all of these?" He asked, as he wiped his skin thoroughly. Every little inch of skin Aria touched was cleaned off.
"I know what Aria would want. She burned with jealousy last night, especially after being disgraced by the man she left you for."
"Aria was always the center of attraction for you but not anymore and she couldn't live without that." Nyx's lips curled into a sly smile.
"I see…" He chuckled. "Now, we wait. When do you think she is going to spill?"
"Before tonight, she will," Nyx said but then sat up quickly.
"How about the attacker, was he able to bring evidence on Gerald?"
"It's here..." He passed the phone to her as she scrolled through the records of Gerald's chats ordering the attack.
Soon, they would piece everything together and slap Rick and his crew in the face. But then, there was one more thing.
"How are you going to prove your funds, Nate?" Nyx looked worried, as her fingers clutched her phone tightly.
"Aren't you going to tell me how you got the money? It's suspicious..."
Nate swallowed, feeling too hot suddenly as he contemplated whether he could tell her or not.
How could he tell her he had a system in his body, and now, he was being rewarded with 10 million dollars each day?