"Then what else did you do?" He let out a cold scoff. "Do you think you have anything left that's worth my respect?"
It felt like an invisible hand had clenched around my heart, squeezing so tightly that even breathing became painful.
I took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "The man in the photo is my brother."
"Your 'brother'?" Ginevra burst into laughter. Her fingers drifted to the hollow of her throat, two fingertips resting there, soft and feminine, before the next words came out sharpened to a point. "Do you think we're idiots? Calling some random 'sworn brother' your real brother? What, do you call every man you sleep with 'brother'? Gotta admit, that does add a certain... spice to things!"
The laughter around me grew sharper. Someone even whistled.
Nico's gaze was full of contempt. "Enough. Stop embarrassing yourself. Take your termination letter and get out. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."
I clenched the letter in my hand, feeling nothing but cold emptiness inside. For five years, I hid my true identity, working as an ordinary associate to help him grow his outfit as quickly as possible.