CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: CRACKS IN THE THRONE

Rafael paced his office like a man possessed.

His tie hung halfway down his chest, crooked and loosened, while the crispness of his suit had given way to creases and disarray. His hair, usually neat and styled, now looked ragged—his fingers had pulled at it too many times in frustration. The office lights were dimmed, but his eyes were wild with panic.

He trusted Natalie, she had promised to fix it, and he knew she would. But he stopped to think, what if, just what is she was unable to? What would become of his empire? Everything he has worked hard for? Everything he had struggled to build would go down the drain like that. How many people has had access to the dirty secrets of Jo's company? How many more people were going to access it?

Rafael's shoes clicked on the wooden floor, a slight contest with the soft swirling of the fan.

He was so occupied in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear the door open.

Isabella barged in, her breath coming in sharp gasps, sweat glistening on her forehead. Her heels clicked frantically across the floor as she stormed toward him.

“Rafael—” Her eyes shimmered with a conflicted blend of fear and pity, as if caught between dreading the fallout and mourning the mess it had become as she approached Rafael.

“What the hell, Isabella?” Rafael snapped, turning on her with a fury that startled even her. “Do you realize what you’ve done?!”

“I—I just got here, I know, Matteo called me—” Her lips trembled as she tried to put the words together.

“Oh, spare me,” he growled, throwing his hands up. “You said Luca could be trusted. That he’d fix things. Instead, he’s delivered our company into the hands of the media! Everything we've ever worked for is on its way to crumbling to the ground."

Isabella’s chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. “I didn’t know he’d— I didn’t think—”

“Exactly!” Rafael barked, voice rising. “You didn’t think! You never think! You just—react. Always trying to shut Natalie out, always so sure she’s the enemy.” Rafael lowered his voice. "What have become of you, Isabella? That you would take such a risky business move without thinking just because you sent to shut Natalie down?"

Isabella’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she forced her voice to stay soft, contrite. “I was only trying to protect the company… protect you.”

He laughed bitterly. “Protect me? From Natalie? The only person who’s actually solved anything around here? If you’d just let her handle this from the start, we wouldn’t be in this nightmare.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Isabella said quietly, eyes downcast. “I didn’t know it would turn out this way.”

"Of course." Rafael scoffed.

"I am very sure Natalie has something to do with this, you can't entirely trust her, Rafael."

Rafael's forehead wrinkled.

"What?"

Frustrated, he slammed his right hand on his forehead. "Really, Isabella? What has Natalie got to do with any of this? If anything, she wanted to help, but you tossed her to the side and picked the forefront, now you ended up ruining things."

Isabella's heart clenched. This was Natalie's doing, she was certain of it, but she just didn't know how to prove it. This was exactly what she wanted, for her to be tossed to the side. But she wouldn't let that happen.

She had warned Rafael. She had told him Natalie was manipulative, and dangerous. And yet, here he was, defending her like a knight in shining armor—while Isabella stood here, humiliated and blamed.

“I swear, I’ll fix this,” she whispered, finally.

She would find a way to prove that Natalie has a hand in this.

Her hands clenched at her sides, and her mind raged with fury as she walked out of Rafael's office.

Still fuming, she reached for her phone and dialed Luca's number, but every dial kept redirecting her to voice mail.

Isabella let out a strangled cry of frustration as yet another call to Luca went straight to voicemail. Her grip tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white, and then, in one swift motion, she hurled it across the room. It crashed against the floor with a sharp crack, skidding across the tiles as her chest heaved with rage.

This was confirmation that he was working or somebody. Now he has gotten what he wanted, and he was unreachable.

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

Natalie's car rolled to a smooth stop in front of the towering glass building. The air was thick with tension, but her expression remained composed—elegant, unreadable.

A small smile graced her lips as the car fully came to a stop.

The door was pulled open, and she stepped out gracefully, dressed in a sleek navy ensemble that commanded attention. Emma Swansea followed closely behind, tablet in hand, heels clicking in perfect rhythm with Natalie’s strides.

Inside the building, the atmosphere buzzed with unease. As the elevator doors slid open, Natalie stepped out with the calm poise of someone walking into a room they already owned. Standing just a few steps away was Matteo, arms crossed, face tight.

She gave him a small, knowing smile. “Matteo,” she purred,

Matteo turned to her, fighting hard to hide the malicious expression trying to spring up from his calm demeanour.

Natalie noticed, but ignored and went ahead to ask “Is Rafael in his office?”

Matteo eyed her warily. “The board members are already in the meeting room.”

“I’m aware,” she replied smoothly, adjusting her cuffs. “I just need a word with Rafael before we begin.”

He hesitated before grunting, “He’s still inside.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile that never quite reached her eyes.

As she approached Rafael’s office, she spotted Isabella pacing just outside the door, her arms folded, jaw clenched, eyes rimmed with anxiety. Natalie’s lips curled slightly as she slowed her pace.

“Oh, Isabella,” she said in mock sympathy, her voice soft and laced with sweetness. “I heard what happened. I can’t imagine how stressful this must be for you.”

Isabella’s eyes snapped to her, blazing. Rage surged beneath her skin, hot and volatile. Her fists clenched at her sides as a retort built in her throat—but before she could speak, the door to Rafael’s office opened.

Rafael stepped out, eyes weary, shirt rumpled, but his gaze locked instantly on Natalie. The tension in the hallway thickened, a quiet storm waiting to break.