Semua Bab A Lie That Ruined Me : Bab 41 - Bab 50

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈I should have pulled away sooner; the thought appeared without permission as I walked into my study.I removed my jacket and dropped it across the chair, then reached for the file Padrino had given me.Traitor.That was the only thing requiring my attention.Not Natalie.Not the expression on her face after I kissed her.And certainly not the moment her fingers tightened around my suit and she kissed me back.My phone rang.Alexandre.I answered immediately.“Tell me you found something.”"It's almost two in the morning. Hello to you too," he said instead.“Alexandre." “Yes, I found something." I opened the file and sat behind the desk. “Talk." “The financial records were useless at first. Whoever is financing Sebastian understands how to move money without obvious connections." “I already know that," I said rubbing my eyes."Would you like to conduct the investigation yourself?" "Continue.”Alexandre muttered something be

❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈ Natalie ❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈Saturday evening arrived in a blink of an eye, I had changed my outfit three times and regretted each decision.It wasn't because I cared about Mia's opinion anymore, at least that was what I kept telling myself as I stood in front of my mirror adjusting the sleeve of my dress.But walking back into the same circle of people who had once watched my life fall apart was different from attending an ordinary birthday party.However, this time I wasn't walking alone.Leonardo had promised he would come and that was the only thing keeping the knot in my stomach from becoming unbearable.The venue was exactly what I had expected from Mia, an elegant private estate overlooking the city with towering glass windows, manicured gardens illuminated by warm golden lights and enough expensive decorations to make it obvious that nobody had been asked to keep the budget reasonable.Leonardo drove to a stop at the parking lot and turned ar

❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈ Natalie ❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈The next morning arrived beneath a pale wash of sunlight that slipped through curtains and spread across my bedroom floor.For several minutes I remained beneath the covers staring at the ceiling while pieces of the previous night returned to me in an order I didn't appreciate.Leonardo's arrival, the faint change in his expression when he noticed the mark on my cheek and the way he had taken care of everything.And then our argument in the car.I turned to my side and pulled the blanket tighter.I had been rude to him; very rude actually.He had shown up despite being delayed and defended me in front of everyone and then dealt with the situation in his own terrifyingly calm way, while I had accused him of doing too much for a contract with an expiry date.The worst part was that he didn't argue, he had simply gone quiet.I sighed.I should have thanked him properly.Not with a rushed sentence in the car after I had spen

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈By late afternoon, the Moretti headquarters was still running at its usual pace. Although I had stopped paying attention to anything that happened beyond my office. I was halfway through a financial report from Milan when my phone vibrated.I glanced at the screen before answering.The head of the logistics.“Sir.”His voice carried the impatience of someone who had been waiting too long.“We've been at Port One since morning.”"And the shipment?" “Nothing yet.”I glanced at my wristwatch. “Remain there until sunset." There was a small hesitation. "Sir, should we expect a dalay?”You should expect nothing. You were instructed to remain there until sunset. Do that." "Understood.”The call ended. I placed the phone beside the report and leaned back.There was nothing coming.There had never been anything coming.The shipment they had been told to expect existed only in a few fabricated report.The carefully constructed lies di

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈I returned to the estate shortly after six in the morning.I had spent yesterday away from the house, alone with enough alcohol in my system to dull the noise in my head but not enough to make me forget what day it was.March thirtieth; my birthday.A day I had spent years treating like any other, because acknowledging it had never brought me anything worth remembering.The elevator opened when i reached my floor, and I walked toward my room with the exhaustion of someone who had barely slept.As I unlocked the door and pushed it open, I stopped in my steps.The first thing I noticed was the lights that lined the walls.Black and silver balloons were arranged near the windows, a banner hung above the table and a small dark-chocolate cake that sat beneath it with candles beside it.For a moment, time seemed to stop, bringing back the memories of the years I fought so hard to forget even though I didn't want to.My eyes moved to t