CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Natalie was lying on her bed, scrolling through her laptop when her phone rang. Rafael's name flashed on the screen, and a slow smile spread across her face.

When she picked up the call, the first thing Rafael asked was if she was busy.

Her heart raced. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. If Rafael was calling her directly instead of going through Isabella, then her plans were working perfectly.

She lied to him that she was busy, and when he proposed business, it made her heart dink deeper. The excitement bubbled up inside her, but she kept her voice steady.

After hanging up, Natalie sat on her bed for several minutes, staring at the ceiling. Everything was falling into place. Rafael was choosing her over Isabella. Her revenge was moving forward exactly as planned.

She forced herself to wait another twenty minutes before getting dressed. She couldn't appear too eager or desperate. That would raise suspicions.

Natalie chose a navy blue blazer and pulled her hair back in a professional ponytail. She wanted to look capable and trustworthy. As she drove to the office, her mind raced with different thoughts. This business deal could be the key to getting closer to Rafael, to learning his secrets.

The office building was busy with afternoon activity. Natalie walked through the lobby with confidence, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She was almost at the elevator when she spotted a familiar figure coming down the hallway.

Isabella.

Natalie's smile became perfectly sweet as she approached. "Good afternoon, Isabella. You look absolutely radiant today."

Her tone was melodic and beautiful, like honey dripping from her lips. But underneath the sweetness was something sharp, something that cut like a blade wrapped in silk. Each word was perfectly chosen, perfectly delivered, with just enough warmth to seem genuine and just enough edge to sting.

Isabella stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing. She could hear it too. That fake sweetness that wasn't quite right.

"Natalie," Isabella grumbled, barely looking at her.

"Are you having a wonderful day? You seem a little..." Natalie paused, tilting her head with false concern, "...overwhelmed. Work can be so demanding for some people, can't it?"

The beautiful tone never wavered, but the words hit their target perfectly. Isabella's jaw clenched as she recognized the subtle mockery hidden in the compliment.

Isabella's face darkened. "I'm fine."

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. I was worried you might be feeling stressed about something important. But I'm sure everything will work out exactly as it should." Natalie's smile grew wider, more radiant, more poisonous.

Without another word, Isabella brushed past her and walked away quickly, her anger obvious in every sharp step she took down the hallway.

Natalie watched her go, satisfaction warming her chest. Phase one complete. Isabella was rattled, and that was exactly what she wanted.

She took the elevator to Rafael's floor and knocked on his office door.

"Come in."

Rafael was seated behind his desk when she entered. The contract files were spread before him, and he looked up as she closed the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, settling into the chair across from him.

"Not at all. Let's get straight to business."

They spent the next thirty minutes discussing the G and O deal in detail. Rafael explained the scope, the challenges, the revenue potential. Natalie listened carefully, asking intelligent questions and making insightful observations. She could see the approval in his eyes as she demonstrated her understanding of the project.

Everything was going perfectly until Rafael mentioned logistics.

"This project will require extensive travel to the client sites. We'll need to coordinate hotel accommodations for at least a week in each location, possibly longer depending on the implementation timeline."

Natalie's pulse quickened. This was her opening.

"Actually, Rafael," she said casually, "wouldn't it be more practical and cost-effective to use your penthouse on the Amalfi Coast? It's beautifully located, completely private, and we wouldn't have to worry about hotel availability or booking complications."

The words left her mouth before she could stop them. It was intentional, calculated, but the moment they hung in the air, she realized how dangerous they were.

Rafael's coffee cup froze halfway to his lips. The color drained from his face as his eyes locked onto hers with laser focus.

The penthouse in Amalfi was his most guarded. Only a handful of people in the world knew about that property. Only his closet circle knew about it, and even still. Not all of them had seen it, or would talk about it with this vivid description. They were the only ones who knew...

And Alina.

Alina had been the only woman he had ever taken there. The only person outside his inner circle who knew every detail of that place. They had spent magical weekends there, making love on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean, planning their future together under the stars.

But Alina was dead. He had held her lifeless body in his arms. He had watched them lower her coffin into the ground.

So how the hell did Natalie know about the penthouse?

"Rafael?" Natalie's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you feeling alright?"

The irony of her words hit him like a physical blow. Maybe he had seen a ghost. Maybe the woman sitting across from him knew far more about his past than she was letting on.

"I'm fine," he said finally, but his tone had completely changed. There was suspicion in it now, wariness, and something that might have been fear. "Let's stick with traditional hotel arrangements for this business trip."

Natalie nodded, trying to appear unfazed. "Of course. Whatever you think is best."

But inside, she was both cursing herself and feeling a dark satisfaction. As she watched Rafael's troubled expression, as she saw the confusion and suspicion growing in his eyes, part of her was glad. it was good. Let him question everything he thought he knew. Let him start to suspect that his past was catching up with him.

Because it was. And when the truth finally came out, when he realized exactly who she was and what he had done to her, he would pay for every moment of pain he had caused.

Rafael was still staring at her, his mind clearly elsewhere. She could practically see the wheels turning as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Is there anything else about the G and O project we need to discuss today?" she asked, keeping her voice professional.

He blinked, refocusing on her face. "No. I think we've covered everything for now. I'll have the detailed files sent to your office this afternoon."

"Perfect. I'll review everything thoroughly and have a preliminary strategy ready by tomorrow morning."

As she stood to leave, Rafael's voice stopped her. "Natalie?"

She turned back, her hand on the door handle. "Yes?"

"Where did you grow up?"

The question seemed to come from nowhere, but she could hear the underlying intensity. He was fishing, looking for connections, trying to understand how she could know things she shouldn't know.

"Come on now, Rafael."

Rafael nodded slowly, but she could see he wasn't satisfied. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

Natalie left his office with her heart pounding and her mind racing. She had pushed too hard, revealed too much. But maybe that wasn't entirely a bad thing.

As the elevator doors closed behind her, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the polished metal. For just a moment, she could swear she saw Alina looking back at her.

Soon, she promised silently. Very soon, the truth would come out. And Rafael Volkov would learn exactly what it meant to betray someone who loved him.