Fuck right off, Sam.
“He’s never made wanting more a secret. More control, more credit, more visibility. Over the years, I’ve handed him pieces of what I built because I thought…I thought we were a team and always would be.”
He straightened and turned toward me. When his eyes met mine, I saw it. The same mix of anger and grief he’d been carrying the past few weeks. But now, it was slashed with an ugly streak of betrayal.
“I’ve known for a while he wasn’t going to stay if I didn’t agree to take Nox public. But this…he wasn’t just trying to leave,” he said quietly. “He tried to take people with him. He has been planting seeds of dissent among the developers. And I missed it, Beatrice. I did not see what was happening right in front of me. Until very recently, I never questioned his motives. Not when he second-guessed my decisions, not when he contradicted me in front of the board, not when hecontinued to make connections with companies we should have had nothing to do with.”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “I feel like an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot.” I pressed my palm to his chest. “There’s nothing stupid about believing your oldest friend will have your back. That’s how most people work. Sam’s the idiot for trashing your loyalty.”
His throat worked, but no sound came out. I rested my head against him and held him tight.
“It’s not just about the company,” he murmured. “It’s the language he was using to describe me. He took my inherent traits and turned them against me. And I think…he’s always done that.”
I pulled back just enough to look up at him.
“He’d say things like,‘You know you’re not good with people, let me handle the communication.’Or tell me I fixated too much on the details so he’d make the final call. The truth is, I’m good at what I dobecauseI fixate. Details are vital in my line of work.”
He blinked hard. “But…I let him. I let him convince me I couldn’t run this on my own because my mind works differently than most—that he was the reason we were taken seriously. Without him, I’d stall or get lost in the weeds or become…unmanageable.”
“Sal…”
Sam could really, truly fuck right off. Like, right now. Expediently.
He looked down at me, his expression hollow. “The worst part is, I didn’t even notice it until recently. His little nudges were so insidious, deliberately steering me into doubting myself. I handed over pieces of my authority, thinking it was my idea.”
Mystomach twisted. If Sam had ever been a true friend to Salvatore—which I really fucking doubted—he wasn’t anything close to one anymore. I was no psychiatrist, but I was pretty sure Sam was an actual sociopath.
“I hate him, Sal.” I knocked my forehead against his chest. “You are so damn perfect and loved. I’ve seen the way your employees look at you. They practically bow. Sam has to see that. No one admires him the way they do you. That has to eat at him. And it must kill him having to ride your coattails because he isn’t smart enough to come up with his own ideas. He probably stays awake at night, all alone in his bed, thinking about your beautiful family and gorgeous girlfriend who’s totally bananas for you.”
Worked up, I kept on rolling. “Sam is a manipulator. In the brief interactions we’ve had, I’ve gotten to see how he works, and it’s ugly. He found you when you were insecure and tried to mold you into his little robot as if you weren’t a fully formed human already. He changed yourname,Salvatore. He tried to rewrite you.” I tugged on his shirt. “That’s insane. This man never wanted the world to see you. He wanted them to see a version he thought he could control.”
He nodded heavily. “You’re right. He caught me when I was low. When I wanted to believe someone understood me without judgment. It took a long time for me to see how much I was shaving off to make him comfortable.”
My heart cracked wide open. Salvatore Gallo was as perfect as any human being could be. To think his closest friend had him convinced there was something about him that needed to change made me sick.
“Don’t waste another second on that man.” I slid my hands up to his jaw and held his face. “You are Nox. This is your brainchild. You built it into what it is. Sam made you doubt your voice, but I’ve heard it. It’s the clearest, strongest voice I know.”
His eyes closed, and a tremor passed through him.
“I see you,” I said so fiercely his eyes shot open.
“All of you. Salvatore. Tore. However you want to be known, whatever name you carry, I seeyou.I’m not going anywhere. I will stand with you, whatever you decide to do. If you need to rebuild from scratch, I’ll be here with you.”
He lowered his head on top of mine, heaving a breath that came from his soul.
“I wish I could have found you sooner,” he murmured.
“We found each other when it was time.” I pressed my cheek over his thudding heart. “I love you.”
“I believe that. And I love you very much, Beatrice.”
“Yeah, you do.” I tipped my face back. “Now, what are we going to do about Sam? I’d really like to tell him to fuck right off.”
He huffed a short laugh. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll handle it. My lawyers already have the clauses drafted. I was trying to give him a chance to walk away clean, but that’s over now.”
“Good,” I whispered. “He’s not just a liability to Nox, he’s a traitor, and I want him out of your life.”
