Chapter 74 Confrontation

Chapter 74 Confrontation
Carlos's POV
THERE WERE only so many times a person could tell himself he didn't care before the lie became exhausting.
For weeks, I had been trying to convince myself that whatever was happening between Tasha and Primo Ashton wasn't my concern. I had repeated the same argument so many times that I could practically recite it in my sleep.
That afternoon, I was leaving the racing simulator building when I spotted Primo crossing the courtyard.
Ordinarily, I would have ignored him. Instead, I noticed the thick folder tucked beneath his arm.
My attention sharpened immediately. Because I recognized it.
The Hamilton investigation.
Again.
Over the past few weeks, Primo had become increasingly involved in Tasha's search for answers. At first, I had assumed he was helping because he cared about her.
Now I wasn't so sure.
The deeper the investigation went, the more questions I had. And none of them had anything to do with Tasha. At least, that's what I told myself.
"Primo."
He stopped walking and turned. The moment he saw me, his expression became guarded. But we were long past pretending to like each other.
"Carlos."
I crossed the remaining distance between us. "Can we talk?"
Primo glanced toward the folder in his hand before looking back at me. His eyes narrowed slightly. "That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you're planning to waste my time."
I almost laughed. "Funny."
"I wasn't trying to be."
That sounded more like the Primo I knew. Direct, blunt, and frequently irritating.
Several students passed nearby, but neither of us paid them much attention.
I folded my arms. "How long have you been investigating Ricardo Hamilton?"
Primo's expression didn't change. "Why?"
"Answer the question."
"No."
The refusal was immediate. My jaw tightened. "That's interesting."
"I doubt it."
"Most people would've just answered."
Primo shifted the folder beneath his arm. "Most people aren't me."
Unfortunately, he had a point. That only made the conversation more frustrating. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I decided to stop dancing around the issue. "You're too invested."
His eyes narrowed. "In what?"
"The investigation."
A humorless smile appeared on his face. "You stopped me for that?"
"I stopped you because something doesn't add up."
The smile disappeared.
"What exactly doesn't add up?" Primo asked.
I studied him carefully. "The amount of time you're spending on this."
His expression remained unreadable. "So?"
"So Ricardo Hamilton died twenty years ago."
The words hung between us. "You're digging through sealed records." I pointed toward the folder. "Tracking down witnesses. Following leads that have nothing to do with Vanguard."
Primo's gaze hardened. "You have a point?"
"I do."
I took a step closer. "Why?"
For the first time, genuine irritation appeared on his face. "Why what?"
"Why are you so invested?"
The question landed exactly where I intended.
Primo looked away briefly before meeting my gaze again. The movement lasted less than a second. But I noticed.
"That's none of your business."
"There it is."
His jaw clenched. "There what is?"
"The answer you keep giving whenever somebody gets too close."
Primo laughed once. The sound held no amusement. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
I shook my head. "No. Something about this doesn't make sense."
The atmosphere between us shifted. Students walking nearby began noticing. A few slowed their pace. Others pretended not to look while very obviously listening.
Neither of us cared.
The conversation had already gone too far to worry about an audience.
Primo's voice dropped lower. "You should let this go."
That only deepened my suspicion. "Why?"
"Because it doesn't concern you."
I stared at him. The irony was unbelievable.
"You're telling me to stay out of something involving Tasha?"
His expression immediately hardened. There it was. The real issue. Not the investigation nor the records.
Her.
Primo noticed the shift too and we both fell silent. Neither willing to acknowledge what had just happened. Neither willing to pretend we hadn't noticed.
Finally, Primo sighed. "That's what this is actually about."
I folded my arms. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're looking for excuses."
The accusation irritated me instantly. "Excuses for what?"
"To involve yourself again."
I laughed. A short, humorless sound.
"You think that's why I'm asking questions?"
"I know it is,” he said.
The confidence in his voice only made me angrier.
"You don't know anything."
"No?"
Primo adjusted his grip on the folder. "Then let's be honest." His eyes locked onto mine. "You stopped talking to her."
I didn't respond.
"You pushed her away,” he added. "And now you're looking for reasons to stay involved."
My jaw tightened.
Primo wasn't supposed to be saying things that sounded true. That was incredibly inconvenient.
"Careful," I said.
"I'm not wrong."
"No." I took another step forward. "You're just assuming."
Primo laughed again. This time the sound carried actual frustration. 
"Assuming?" His voice rose slightly. "Carlos, everybody can see it."
My temper snapped. "See what?"
"That you're still watching her."
The words landed harder than they should have. Around us, conversations quieted. Students were definitely listening now.
I didn't care. Not anymore.
"You seem awfully confident for someone who's known her a few months."
"And you seem awfully defensive for someone who claims not to care."
The silence that followed was sharp enough to cut glass. For several seconds, neither of us moved. Neither of us backed down.
The rivalry that had been simmering beneath the surface for months finally stopped pretending to be anything else.
Primo spoke first. "You want my advice?"
"I definitely don't."
"I'm going to give it anyway,” he continued. "Tasha has enough problems right now." His expression became serious. "Genuine problems."
I immediately thought about Bianca. The rumors. The investigation. Everything happening around her.
Primo continued. "So if you're not going to be there for her, stop inserting yourself into things that matter."
The comment hit a nerve. A very specific nerve. Because part of me wondered whether he was right. The other part wanted to punch him.
"You don't get to decide what's best for her."
"No." Primo nodded once. "I don't."
For a moment, I thought the argument might finally end.
Then he added, "But neither do you."
That did it. Every trace of civility disappeared.
"If you're hiding something," I said quietly, "I'm going to find out."
For the first time all afternoon, uncertainty flickered across Primo's face. Only for a second. But it was there.
And that told me more than any answer could have.
His expression hardened again. "Mind your own business."
The words came out colder than anything he'd said so far. Then he turned. As if the conversation were over. As if he could simply walk away.
I watched him take several steps before something made me glance across the courtyard. The movement caught my attention immediately.
Tasha. She was standing near the engineering building entrance. And judging by the expression on her face… She had witnessed far more of the confrontation than either of us realized.
The moment our eyes met, a knot formed in my stomach. Because suddenly the argument didn't feel like a victory.
It felt like a disaster waiting to happen.