Valeria

“Are you kidding me?” Nico’s voice rang out from the hallway, sharp and angry. “That woman is going to ruin everything!”

I froze as I stepped out of the kitchen, holding a tray. It wasn’t often I heard Nico raise his voice. He was always calm, even in chaos. But now, his tone was full of frustration. I saw him pacing near the phone, running a hand through his hair.

“What happened?” I asked carefully.

He looked up, startled, clearly not expecting anyone to ...