Page 57 of Forbidden Deception

“Funny.” Remo tilts his head, his eyes moving to Venezia once more, and dark fury takes over me. He has a wife, so why the fuck is he looking at Venezia like that?

I stay still, watching out for Remo and his silent cues, because he is a man of very few words and big on actions. I learned that when he blew up one of my hotels in London because I didn’t provide him with access to a hotel in Central London.

I’ve learnt my lesson and proved myself when I helped someone blow up his manufacturing plant in Italy.

Tit for tat, I guess.

“I’m positive you have a humiliation kink,” he grumbles, running his finger up his jaw.

“How did you figure it out?” I smile coldly.

From the corner of my eye, I spot Venezia fidget, her eyes flicking between me and Remo.

“Get on with your little threats. I’ve been waiting all night. Did you not like the show?”

“Just because you are within the circle, it doesn’t mean you are untouchable, Rafael. You might not realise it yet, but your downfall is coming far sooner than you expect, and you will be forced to bow before me.”

Hot boiling rage takes over me like never before. I don’t fucking bow to anyone, and I sure won’t start now.

“Give me your worst. Let’s see who will fall first.” My hands clench at my sides, head throbbing with the anger that keeps turning everything rotten.

A smirk paints Remo’s face, one of the few reactions he gives to people. He glances next to me once again, something akin to satisfaction in his eyes before he tips his head at me.

“Pleasure doing business with you. I’ll be there at the new opening of your hotel in Edinburgh.” With that, he turns and leaves.

Part of me wants to destroy the hotel, so he won’t ever step into my city again.

A soft touch on my hand grounds me. I can’t wait to fucking leave this city, but I can’t leave without leaving a present for Remo first.

23

“There has been absolutely nothing on Rafael’s phone so far, and he doesn’t use it to communicate anything, not even in code words. He must be using two phones.”

Remo’s voice pierces through my heart that is dipping in guilt and disappointment.

Every day I think about how I could turn this around, and every time I come up empty-handed.

When I saw Remo at the party in the ballroom, I knew what was going to go down. When Remo’s eyes fell on me, he did his part in acting like he didn’t know me. He warned me beforehand that Rafael’s attendance at an event usually results in a mess.

And indeed, was he right.

What kind of man is Rafael? Working with him all these months has made me realise that he has been showing me the carefully crafted exterior he uses for the public, but something in Greece made him drop it.

Ever since then, he has been unmasked around me. Which one is the real him?

“He even cut off the electricity to my office building for a full day. How fucking petty of him.”

A laugh threatens to spill out of me, but I keep it in. Remo would not appreciate that at all.

It’s funny how Rafael acts sometimes. While he can be quite lethal and ruin someone’s career, as I have witnessed firsthand, he can be quite hilarious without trying, like messing with Remo for the fun of it just to make him aware that he can touch him but won’t.

Remo understands their similar power balance; their wealth and influence are a crucial part of their similarity. While Remo invests in new technology and is the biggest wine manufacturer, Rafael is a land developer and famous luxury hotelier that expands to many countries worldwide.

They both sit at the top of the Elite circle Remo briefly told me about. Alan Group comes in third and Gustav Industries is in second place, but with Gustav Industries’ business ventures surpassing Remo’s, it is bound to sit on the top in terms of finance.

“You need to get into his home, Venezia. The radar Helia downloaded needs to be turned on inside the house so he can check for anything abnormal about his electronics. Ask about his parents so we can compile a list of potential passwords.”

My throat closes at his words.

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