Chapter 43 Chapter 43
I reached out and grabbed one of the gold bars. It was heavy, grounding me. I didn't need Nikolai's protection. I didn't need anyone's permission. I had the keys to the city, the gold to buy it, and the blood to rule it.
"You're broke, Alistair," I whispered, the cold metal of the vault door clicking shut behind me. "You just don't know it yet."
“Wesley?” I called, and he walked in. “Holy shit," he said, and it made me laugh. “Why don't you take a few pictures for your boss? It's almost lunchtime; let's go have lunch.”
“Yes, Madam," he said.
After he was finished taking pictures, we left. I grabbed a stack of cash and put it in my bag along with one of the watches and a pair of earrings.
When we walked out and closed the vault. Mr. Blackwell was waiting right there.
“Will Ms. De Luca keep being a patron of our bank?” he asked. He was wondering if I was about to empty the vault. “Of course, Mr. Blackwell. I will be back another day to catalog all the items. I hope you will be discreet about my visit."
“Of course, Ms., let me show you out," he said, leading us out. I thanked him and stepped out of the bank with Wesley beside me. Suddenly a guy walked flush into me. The sidewalk wasn't crowded, so what? Wesley stepped forward, but I stopped him.
“I am sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he said with a smile, and I returned his smile. I knew him. I recognized him from the file Nikolai had given me. Lorenzo Moretti.
"That's fine," I said, stepping aside and walking to the car. Wesley opened the door for me, and I got in.
“Madam…” Wesley started saying, "I raised my hand," stopping him.
“How about we go grab lunch?" I said.
“Okay? Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“Hmm, somewhere nice and quiet.”
"Okay," he said and started the car. He drove off; he drove for fifteen minutes and then pulled up to a nice restaurant. He got out and opened the door for me, and I got out. The restaurant was nice; it looked like one drink cost a hundred dollars. He held the door for me, and I was led over to a table. To my left, Nikolia was sitting there with a woman. She was saying something about deadlines. I made Wesley sit down; Nikolai looked at him. At the same time, I saw Lorenzo Moretti walk in.
“Niklia looked at me, and I shook my head slowly; he gave me a slight nod. Lorenzo sat behind me. Wesley looked at me; he sensed it already. The air in the restaurant became strained, as if all the patrons knew something was wrong.
I pushed my hands into my bag and pulled it out and placed it on the table between me and Wesley. He looked at it, then at me. I turned my head slightly, indicating Lorenzo, and he nodded.
The waitress came over and took our order.
“I have some more business to attend to; I need to go do some shopping. Haven't been shopping for a while."
“Okay then, we’ll head to the mall," Wesley said.
We sat and ate; Lorenzo didn't make a move. He just ate quietly. Nikolai, on the other hand, his jaw was set so tight it was a wonder he hadn't done something as yet. When they walked through the door, I froze. Alistair and Vivian walked in.
Nikolai, Moretti, Vivian, and Alistair. Our enemies in one place talk about being toyed with. I continued eating, not looking at anyone. Natalie De Luca had brown eyes with golden curls. The woman sitting here was a stranger to them.
After lunch, I paid, and we left. When we got to the mall, I didn't really want anything; I just needed to get out for a bit. I dropped the small tracker that Lorenzo had slipped into my bag onto the floor and stepped on it.
He could try, but he won't succeed. I passed a store and saw men's clothes. They would look good on Jacob. I went in and bought a few sets for Jacob. I saw a suit that would look good on him, so I bought it for him. I saw a bracelet that I thought Maria would like, so I bought it for her, and then I bought a new phone. Then we headed home.
When I walked in, Nikolai was sitting in the living room, reading something; he looked up when he saw me, and confusion flickered across his face for two seconds. I placed the bags on the coffee table. I pulled the small bag out and headed straight to the kitchen. I found Maria making lunch.
I handed her the bag; she looked confused. “What is this, Madam?” she asked.
“For you”
She took it with shaky hands. “Thank you, Madam," she said quietly.
When I walked back out. I sat down on the couch; he was looking at his phone. He turned it towards me. "Care to explain?” He asked if it was pictures of inside the vault. I opened my bag and took the watch out and handed it to him. He took it from me. "This is quite expensive," he said.
“Turn it over," I said, and he did. Then he looked at me. “This is?” he asked.
“The Valerius crest. I’m heading up; I need to shower, then I'll pay Jacob a visit."
I saw Anton the lawyer walking in, and I stopped. “Mr. Ferro, Mrs. Ferro," he said, walking over and handing me a file.
“He is currently scrambling. He was served at one; he ran out of the restaurant, trying to make calls.” Anton said.
“Perfect. Why don't we give him a little push? Rhodes International. How about we stir up some trouble among the executives?"
"Well, since you are the owner, then it won't be any legal consequences," he said, and I nodded.
I saw the cars coming in. Nikolai’s family. “I’ll keep you updated on the process, Madam," Anton said, standing up and leaving.
Nikolai
I saw the cars coming in and groaned inwardly. It has been one hell of a day. When I walked into the office, the first thing that hit my desk was a project proposal that Lorenzo was trying to steal from out from under me.
Then a meeting that went overdue with Christine Devon from Devon Group and we ended up having lunch. I was taken by surprise when Wesley walked in with the woman. I didn’t even give her a second glance; it wasn't until she sat down along with Wesley that I realized it was her. She probably had her reasons for wearing that get up.
When that fucker walked in, I was pissed. I saw the way he looked at her, and it pissed me off. I wanted to punch him in the face. I saw the tracker she put on the table. He probably slipped it on her.