Chapter 8 - Briefing

Chapter 8

Ryan

The Zurri Enterprises offices occupied the top five floors of one of Cape Town's most buildings. All glass and steel and unobstructed views—a monument to my family's power.

I hate it here.

Father's office is on the top floor, naturally.

"Ryan. Come in." He doesn't look up from his computer.

"Dad. "

"Close the door."

I do, taking the seat across from his massive desk. The power play is intentional,him elevated, me lower, the dynamic clear.

"The city council is voting on the docklands development next month," he begins. "We need to ensure they vote our way."

"How do you want to handle it?"

"The usual. Donations, favors, carefully applied pressure."

He finally looks at me.

"why the the war ."

"The Rossis are playing dirty. They've got someone running a very effective media campaign against us. Painting us as outsiders, carpetbaggers, only interested in profit."

I think about Maya's words: I traffic in narratives. I take messy, complicated realities and turn them into stories people can believe in.

"You want me to counter it."

"I want you to destroy it. And the person running it." He pulls up something on his computer, turns the screen to face me.

My heart stops.

It's Maya. A professional photo, all ice and control and nothing like my Stella.

"Maya Rossi. Antonio's eldest daughter. She runs media operations for the Falcons, but word is she's also her father's secret weapon. Any; crisis that could damage the family, she makes it disappear."

Father's eyes are cold.

"Smart."

"She's good. Very good. Which makes her dangerous."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to find her weakness. Everyone has one. Find hers, exploit it, and bring her operation crashing down." He leans back.

"Yoh .

"Can you do that?"

I think about Maya crying out my name. The vulnerability in her eyes. The trust she gave me.

"Yes I can do that."

I lie

"Good. Because if we lose this development deal, we lose momentum, if we lose momentum, we lose everything." His gaze sharpens.

"The Rossi's have been thorns in our side for too long. It's time to remove them permanently."

"You mean the business."

"I mean the family."

His voice is flat.

"what..."

"All of it. By the time we're done, Antonio Rossi won't have a pot to piss in. His daughters will be ruined. His legacy will be ashes."

His daughters. Maya.

I feel sick.

"That seems extreme."

"Extreme?" Father stands, moves to the windows. "My grandfather came to this country with nothing. Built everything from scratch, and the Rossi's they are old money, old power they tried to destroy him at every turn. They've blocked us, undermined us, treated us like we're beneath them for three generations."

"That was then ."

"It's still now." He turns, and I see the rage beneath the polished exterior. "They tried to stop my first development deal. Tried to keep me out of the business community. Whispered that the Zurri's were criminals, that we couldn't be trusted."

His jaw clenched.

"They made my father's life hell. I won't let them do the same to you."

I've heard this story before. The Zurri vendetta against the Rossi's, passed down like a birthright. But I've never questioned it until now.

"What if there's another way? What if we could..."

"Could what? Make peace?

" He laughs bitterly.

"Ryan, the Rossi's don't make peace. They make war, he only way to win a war is to destroy your enemy completely."

"Pops"

"No buts. This is who we are. This is what's expected of you."

He moves back to his desk.

"Now. About Maya Rossi. I want a full dossier on her. Where she goes, who she sees, what she cares about. Find her weakness."

The irony would be funny if it wasn't so horrifying. Both our fathers, demanding the same thing. Both of us, ordered to weaponize information about the other.

"I'll see what I can find."

"Don't just see. Do." His voice hardens. "This is your legacy, Ryan. Your birthright. Don't let me down."

I leave his office feeling like I'm going to throw up.

Three days from now. The same day as the Falcons' next home game.

The same day I'm planning to "accidentally" run into Maya at Vesper.

My phone buzzes with a text from

Marco: Did some more digging. Maya Rossi has a weakness after all.

-What is it?

Her sister. Gabriella. Twenty-five, social media influencer, daddy's little princess. Maya's fiercely protective of her. Rumor is she takes heat to keep Gabriella clean.

I think about Maya saying she was tired of carrying her name. The weight of expectations. The person she has to be.

She's not just Antonio's weapon. She's his shield. Protecting her sister, taking the hits, sacrificing herself.

Just like I do for my family.

-Don't spread that around, I text back. If it gets out

I know. Your secret girlfriend becomes a target. I'm not an idiot.

She's not my girlfriend.

Yet. 😏

I pocket my phone and head to my office. I have three days to figure out how to handle this mess. Three days to decide if I'm really going to betray my family for a woman I spent one night with.

Three days to figure out if Maya Rossi feels the same way about me.

And pray to God that when I see her again, she doesn't hate me for what I am.