CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: DON'T TRY TO BEAT ME IN MY OWN GAME

The soft rustle of papers was the only sound in Natalie’s home office, a space as refined and calculated as the woman who occupied it. Warm light filtered through the towering floor-to-ceiling glass that overlooked the city, casting golden lines across the sleek marble floors.

Natalie sat behind her desk, eyes scanning the pages of a confidential report with clinical precision. Occasionally, she rose, her silk robe whispering against her skin as she moved toward the glass. She gazed upward, her eyes following the clean lines of the ceiling above, as though searching for clarity in the stillness.

Gee eyes scanned the quiet city beneath her, the city that had only the brightness from the neon lights to illuminate it.

She paced the office some more before she returned to her desk just as the door creaked open.

Emma stepped in, her heels quiet against the floor, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a slim black file in the other. Natalie smiled softly, wondering if Emma had to look professional all the time.

“Your coffee, ma’am,” she said softly, handing it over.

“Thank you, Emma.” Natalie took it without looking up, then sank into her chair with the grace of a queen assuming her throne.

Emma took the seat opposite her, placing the file on the desk with quiet ceremony.

Natalie raised her eyes. “Tell me.”

Emma folded her hands neatly over the table, eyes gleaming. “I spoke to Luca like you asked. Everything is in motion. The plan is about to kick off—just as you outlined.”

A slow, pleased smile curved Natalie’s lips as she leaned back, taking a measured sip of her coffee.

“Perfect,” she said, her eyes gleaming. “Let’s see how quickly their little alliance begins to crumble.”

Setting the coffee on the table, Natalie's slender fingers reached for the file as she dismissed Emma. She read through it for a while, th satisfied smile still painted her lips as she shoved the file into her drawer.

She rose from her seat again, each step graceful as she walked towards the window againe.

Bold of Isabella to think she was smart. She scoffed. This was her story, it was left for her to twist it to whatever way she wanted, she wrote and controlled the plots, she controlled what happened in her story.

************

From when she approached him and noticed him looking at Natalie's retreating car with longing, to when he walked back into the car with her, tension hung between Natalie and Rafael, filled with so many unspoken words.

Neither of them said a word to the other even as they rode side by side, until they arrived home.

The door slammed behind them as Rafael tossed his keys on the side table, the sound sharp in the silence that had followed them home from the office.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said finally, turning to face Isabella, his voice edged with restrained fury. “She had the room. Natalie already gave us a clear plan—one that would’ve bought us time.”

Isabella scoffed, arms folding tightly over her chest. “You call that a plan? You’re so shallow-minded, Rafael. You don’t even realize what she’s doing. Besides, my plan was as good as hers, or you wouldn't acknowledge that as a plan?"

Rafael stepped closer, glaring. “She’s fixing the mess we’re in.”

“She’s infiltrating us,” Isabella shot back. “She’s waiting for any chance to creep in and seize control. And you just handed her the company on a silver platter.”

Rafael ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. “You threw the meeting into chaos.”

“I protected our company!” she shouted. “I gave them a better solution. One that didn’t involve selling ourselves to Natalie every time there’s a crisis.”

Isabella's voice rose with every word she spoke.

She was seeing something, even though she couldn't place a hand on it yet, but she knew that Natalie wasn't just extending a helping hand to them for the sake of benevolence.

"She is not the only solution to our problems, Rafael, let's stop making her feel like she is."

"I get your problem, Isabella. You see he as a threat." Rafael fumed.

Yes, she was a treat, Isabella did see her as a threat. But not only in the way that Rafael thought. Natalie had other plans for them and she just needed time to uncover it.

Rafael turned away, silent, his fists clenched. He didn’t say another word as he made his way upstairs, slamming the bedroom door behind him.

He went to bed angry. And she was left standing in the silence, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

The next morning, Isabella moved with purpose. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she dressed, her expression unreadable. A ping echoed from her phone.

Message Received: 9:30 AM. Café Rosso. Don’t be late.

She didn’t reply.

Instead, she grabbed her keys and walked out without a word.

Her cat navigated its way through the city, her heart beat light in her chest. A glimpse of hope broke its way through the darkness in her heart, the cold that seeped in through her open window caressed her skin ever so softly.

She arrived at the cafe in no time.

The café was warm, with sun filtering through wide windows and the faint hum of morning conversations filling the air. She entered, scanning the room—and paused.

He was already there.

A man in a dark jacket sat at the corner table, sipping coffee with the ease of someone who lived in shadows. His gaze met hers—calm, unreadable, precise. A typical demeanour of a cyber security guru. She thought.

She walked over.

“You’re early,” she said coolly.

The man stood to greet her, extending a hand. “Luca,” he said. “And I’m always early. Especially for something this important.”

Isabella's lips stretched into a smile as she took his extended hand shake before she slipped into her seat.