Page 13 of Indigo Deception
Claire laughs lightly, placing a hand on my arm. "Always so direct, Angelo. Some things never change."
I remove her hand and fix her with a glare. "Some things do. Like learning who your real friends are."
Stefano's expression hardens. "We could be more than friends, Angelo. Allies. Partners. Your family and mine could control everything from the Hudson to the South China Sea."
"I've heard your partnership pitch before," I reply. "I wasn't interested then. I'm even less interested now."
"Because of old prejudices?" Stefano challenges. "Your father never trusted Eastern Europeans either. Look where that got him."
My hand tightens around the champagne flute, and I force myself to relax before I shatter it.
"My family works alone," I tell him flatly. "We always have."
"Until you can't," Claire interjects, her voice soft but pointed. "The regulatory landscape is changing, Angelo. Particularly in Asia. Even the mighty Bellantis might need friends soon."
The reference to the Chinese regulations sends a chill down my spine. How do they know about that?
"If you're trying to threaten me—" I snarl.
"No threats," Stefano interrupts, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Just a friendly observation that in today's climate, allies are more valuable than enemies."
"Then perhaps you should have thought of that before making a move on my shipping company," I reply coldly.
Claire steps closer, her perfume nauseating as she whispers, "It's not too late to change course, Angelo. For any of us."
I meet her gaze, remembering briefly how those blue eyes once looked in the morning light of my Wharton apartment. Before I knew what she was. A fucking spy sent by her father to keep watch on me.
"Stay away from my business," I tell them both. "This is your only warning."
Stefano's smile turns predatory. "We'll be in touch soon. I think you'll find yourself more... receptive to our offer in the coming weeks."
I turn and walk away, my mind racing. Their confidence unsettles me. It's as if they know something I don't—as if they've already put pieces in motion that I haven't seen yet.
By the time I reach my car, I've decided. I pull out my phone and call Veronica.
"I need you to speed up the restructuring plan," I tell her without preamble. "The Kovacs know about our Hong Kong situation. We can't wait."
“I'm on it,” she replies and hangs up immediately.
They want a war? I'll fucking give them one.
6
Gianna
Thepenholderweighsheavily in my hand as I stand outside Angelo's office.
Not because of its weight. The sleek black marble is modest. But because of the tiny transmitter embedded inside is state-of-the-art SEC technology, capable of picking up conversations from thirty feet away.
My stomach twists in knots. I shouldn't feel this guilty. This is, after all, what I signed up for when I took this job. So, why do I feel this way?
I inhale sharply and knock on his door, three precise taps.
"Enter." His gruff voice says.
When I walk in, Angelo is leaning back in his chair, phone pressed to his ear, those green eyes meeting mine with immediate interest. He gestures for me to sit while he finishes his call.
"I don't care what their lawyers say," he says calmly into the phone. "The agreement was clear. If they can't honor it, then they shouldn't have signed it."
