LOGINCharlotte stared at the documents spread across the table, struggling to make sense of the sheer extent of the betrayal.She wasn't just angry. She was apoplectic. A cold, blinding rage had settled deep in her chest, burning so fiercely it made her teeth ache. Sean hadn't just dipped into corporate reserves or skimmed a bonus; he had methodically, piece by piece, put a match to everything her father had built.And it wasn't just Sean.Several members of the board had approved the arrangements. Others had signed resolutions authorising transactions they had no right to approve. There were payments to shell companies, suspicious loans secured against Sinclair properties and agreements that gave outside parties access to some of the company's most valuable facilities.Only a handful of directors appeared to have had no involvement.Charlotte's fingers tightened around the edge of the paper.How could Sean have done this?How could he have been so stupid, so reckless, so completely blinde
Giovanni watched her, thoroughly amused.The little pink canister was still in her hand, although it had lowered considerably. Her eyes kept moving between him and the doorway, as if she were calculating how quickly she could reach the entrance if she suddenly decided to run. Her face had lost most of its colour, and there was a faint tremble in her lower lip she seemed determined to control.He found the sight unexpectedly entertaining.This was the same woman who had claimed him her gigolo. She had said it with such confidence that he'd almost admired her nerve.Now, realizing that the "gigolo" commanded an army of killers and answered to Don, she looked ready to pass out."Well," he drawled, sliding his hands lazily into the pockets of his trousers, the corner of his mouth twitching upward in a slow curve. "This is a rather different expression from the one you wore at the restaurant."Charlotte blinked, her lower lip trembling uncontrollably. "I... I don't know what you're talkin
Charlotte's vision blurred as a fresh wave of warm tears spilled over her lashes. Her hands were shaking so violently that the small pink canister rattled against her knuckles, its plastic tip still pointed directly at Giovanni's chest.She was terrified. So thoroughly, bone-deep frightened that her knees felt like soft wax beneath her coat.She had spent the last almost an hour driving through pitch-black industrial roads she had never seen before following the address Giovanni had given her. Twice, she had considered turning back. The first time was when the road narrowed into a stretch lined with abandoned warehouses, and the second was when she noticed the same dark vehicle following her for several minutes. She had almost called someone, but she had no idea what she would say. She had insisted on coming alone, and she wasn't about to admit that she was beginning to regret it.Still, she had kept driving.She needed answers. Sean had been making suspicious transactions, money was
Giovanni was bored.He had been sitting in the same worn leather armchair for almost an hour, smoking one cigarette after another while Raffaele argued with Luca over a Serie A match neither of them had actually watched properly. Matteo was standing by the high narrow windows, speaking low into his phone about a container ship delayed off the coast, and across the room, a man was screaming.Giovanni took another slow drag, watching the pale smoke curl up toward the damp brick ceiling."Can someone make him stop shouting?"Raffaele glanced over his shoulder at the man kneeling on the wet concrete floor, his hands zip-tied behind a rusted pipe. "I've been trying to tell him that for twenty minutes. He lacks manners.""Then you're not trying hard enough," Giovanni murmured, flicking an ash onto the floorboards.Luca laughed, leaning against a wooden crate while tossing his silver lighter into the air and catching it. Matteo didn't even turn around, continuing his phone call about logisti
“Where are you going dressed like that?”“Out.”“Out?” Olivia repeated, her eyebrows lifting. “At this hour?”“Yes, Olivia. That’s usually what people mean when they say they’re going out.”Olivia laughed softly, apparently willing to overlook the sarcasm. “Don’t be like that. I was only asking because it’s almost eleven, and you’ve been acting rather strangely since you came home. Now you’re sneaking out dressed like you’re going somewhere important. Is everything all right? Are you seeing someone?”Charlotte stared at her, feeling a familiar wave of disgust rise in her stomach. Olivia could stand in front of her with the same mouth that had lied to her for months and still pretend to be concerned about her wellbeing. She could smile sweetly, ask innocent questions, and behave as though their relationship had not been destroyed by her own actions. Charlotte had once believed her sister was simply selfish and immature, but the longer she watched her, the more she realised how deliber
By the time Charlotte returned home, the excitement of the evening had worn off enough for the unease to settle in.It followed her upstairs, stayed with her while she showered, and remained in the back of her mind as she stood in front of her wardrobe, staring at rows of clothes without having the slightest idea what to wear. She had spent the entire drive home telling herself that meeting Giovanni Voss was a necessary step toward uncovering the truth about Sinclair Group, but now that midnight was approaching, she was beginning to question the wisdom of that decision.What if the man was a serial killer?The thought made her pause with one hand inside the wardrobe.She had no idea where Giovanni lived, what he did for a living, who his friends were, or why he seemed to know so much about her family’s business. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had once paid him ten thousand dollars for a night she had been desperate enough to forget, and now he was inviting her to mee







