CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Morning sunlight streamed through the blinds as Rafael adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. His movements were methodical, but his thoughts weren’t. He had hardly had enough sleep.

Natalie.

He couldn’t shake the image of her from last night—how easily she took control of the chaos, how her words wrapped around every problem like a noose, tightening until there was no escape but her solution. She had a presence, an aura he couldn’t define. Dangerous. Compelling. Addictive. Her aura did not fail to remind him of someone from his past. No matter how hard he tried to not relate her to Alina. Even though their appearance differed, the similarities were just too much to be ignored.

He exhaled, pushing the thought aside as he slipped on his watch and grabbed his keys. Isabella was still asleep—or pretending to be. Either way, it was to his benefit because he couldn't stand driving to work together with her.

By mid-morning, Rafael was already in his office, deep in conversation with Matteo.

“We can downplay the financials,” Matteo said, tapping the report on the desk. “Frame it as temporary restructuring. But if the press gets wind—”

“We’re not letting that happen,” Rafael cut in, his tone steely. “We will find something..."

Just then, the office door opened without a knock. Isabella stepped in. Her tailosfddy suit clung her body like she had taken time to pick out the dress. Her hair was meticulously styled, she had taken time to generously paint her red lipstick over her thin lips.

Rafael lifted a brow at the first hint of her presence.

"Isabella," 

“You left without me,” she said sharply, ignoring Matteo’s presence.

“I had work to do,” Rafael replied without looking at her. “And I needed to prepare for the board meeting. Besides, we don't have to work together everyday."

The tension was palpable. Matteo cleared his throat and excused himself with a quiet nod.

"Is that it now? The distance." Isabella said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who would you rather drive to work with? Natalie?" 

"Isabella." Rafael barked, rising to his feet. "Don't bring Natalie into our business again. I hate that we have to fight all the time because of her." 

"We wouldn't fight because of her if you don't keep..."

Isabella didn't get to finish her statement, the door was pushed open and Matteo poked his head in.

"The board meeting is about to start."

"I have work to do." Rafael said under his breath and brushed Isabella to the boardroom.

The boardroom was full, the energy in the room heavy with anticipation and unease. Members whispered among themselves, flipping through printouts, murmuring about projections and contingency plans.

Isabella walked in after Rafael, rage still dancing on her face.

Rafael delayed the meeting for a few seconds, then the door opened—and silence fell.

Natalie stepped inside, dressed in a tailored dark suit, almost the same shade as Isabella's, poised and unhurried as she walked to the front. All eyes were on her. Shock rippled across the room like a silent wave.

Isabella's eyes went wide with shock.

Matteo's jaw dropped as his eyes moved from Natalie to Rafael.

“Good morning,” Natalie said smoothly, placing a slim folder on the table in front of her. Next to it, she dropped her designer bag.

A response to her greeting echoed through the hall, as some of the members struggled to process her presence.

"Welcome, Natalie." Rafael pulled out a seat for her.

Isabella's smile passed through her clenched jaw. “Natalie. What a surprise.”

Natalie merely nodded in her direction, already turning toward the board. "I suppose we have an important business to discuss." She said.

With wide eyes, Isabella leaned toward Rafael and whispered through clenched teeth, “Can I talk to you outside?”

"The board meeting is about to start." Rafael dragged.

"It's just for a few minutes." 

Reluctantly, Rafael excused himself from the board and walked out with Isabella.

“What the hell is she doing here?” she hissed. “This was supposed to be internal. You let her walk in like she owns the place!”

Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “She’s here because we need solutions. Isabella, she is our business partner now, and if she is going to help us get out of this tight situation, she needs to be present here." 

Isabella seemed unsatisfied “She’s taking over everything,” she said, her voice rising. “And you’re letting her.”

He didn’t reply immediately. The flicker in his gaze said everything—and it made Isabella’s stomach twist.

"I just hope it wouldn't be too late before you realise what she is trying to do." Isabella hissed and sauntered off.

Rafael remained just outside the boardroom, staring at the closed doors for a few long seconds after Isabella stormed off. Her words clung to the back of his mind, but he shoved them down, locking them away with every other distraction.

He turned to head inside—but Matteo was already approaching.

“i just hope you know what you are doing, Rafael, I hope you are not making a mistake by trusting her."

Rafael gave a short nod. “She’s here to help, Matteo. She has contacts—ones we can’t afford to ignore. We need her."

Matteo’s jaw tensed. “I know she’s smart, Rafael. And dangerous. But bringing her into a board meeting? That’s a different level of trust. Too early. Too exposed.”

“She’s already in the middle of this,” Rafael countered. “She’s handling government interference. That buys us time.”

Matteo didn’t look convinced. “Remember we've not known her for long, we don't even know her agenda or what she’s capable of.”

Rafael sighed deeply, running a hand over his hair. And without another word, they entered the boardroom.

The meeting was already shifting into motion. Eyes turned as Rafael and Matteo took their seats, but Natalie didn’t pause. She stood confidently, holding the room with nothing more than her voice.

“There’s a window,” she said. “A narrow one, but it’s there. I have contacts in the Bureau and two other regulatory units. They’ll delay the investigation long enough for us to clean up—move funds, destroy trails, tighten up whatever they might use against us.”

'Us' Isabella thought. She was already including herself too much in Rafael's life.

Natalie glanced across the table, letting her words settle like silk over steel. She smiled triumphantly at Isabella before she continued.

“If we move fast, by the time they return to this file, they’ll find nothing but smoke.”

A few board members exchanged impressed looks. One even nodded, muttering, “That could work.”

But before momentum could build, Isabella spoke up from across the table, her tone sugar-coated with an edge.

“Or,” she said, flashing a tight smile, “we could go with a cleaner solution.”

All heads turned.

Rafael's jaw shifted.

“I’ve been speaking to a cybersecurity expert,” she continued. “A quiet one, off-grid. He specializes in digital manipulation. He can erase the existence of the files entirely—no need for bribes, delays, or middlemen.”

The room went still. Natalie’s expression remained unreadable, but her gaze locked with Isabella’s—a quiet, simmering battle sparking in the space between them.

Rafael shifted in his seat.

Here it was, two paths. Two women. One solution.

And only one would win the room.