Chapter 41 CLOSE EYES.
\~~~LUCIANO MORETTI.
I did not need a soothsayer to tell me something was wrong with Raina.
It was obvious. Blatantly obvious.
She was avoiding me.
The Raina I knew never did that. Every morning, without fail, she greeted me whether I replied or not. She talked anyway.
Oh, she always did. Breakfast or no breakfast, mood or no mood, she would still say good morning as if it were her personal duty.
But today? Nothing.
No greeting, no argument, and noise.
She just walked past me like I did not exist.
That alone was irritating enough, but what truly annoyed me was something else.
I helped her.
While she slept and snored like the world was not on her shoulders, I went through her files, read everything, arranged her thoughts, broke down the explanations, and simplified the nonsense Alessia deliberately handed her.
Alessia did not give people tasks, she gave them traps, and Raina was walking straight into one.
I knew Raina could not handle it. Not because she was stupid but because she was not built for that world. She was not calculated and did not think in numbers or projections or strategies.
She was an artist. Well, so I heard.
And that meant emotions and instincts, not boardrooms.
If it were Talia, I would not even spare it a thought. Talia could sit before a room full of sharks and speak their language fluently.
But Raina?
Raina would drown.
So I stepped in and how did she repay me?
By walking past me without so much as a glance.
No thank you, no reaction.
Nothing, nothing!
The audacity.
She would have struggled all day if I had not interfered. She would have embarrassed herself in that office, and Alessia would have enjoyed every second of it. Yet here she was, acting like my effort meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
I watched her leave and watched her ignore my offer of breakfast.
Fine. If she wanted to pretend she did not need me, I would let her.
Let’s see how long this malice of hers will last.
“Boss.”
Viktor’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts as he stepped closer.
I lifted my gaze to him. “What?”
“The meeting with the port men has been confirmed for 11am. Warehouse side.”
“Good,” I said coldly.
My attention drifted back to the empty driveway where Raina had stood seconds ago.
Let her sulk.
I always get my…
“Cancel it,” I frowned, snapping out of my thought
Viktor blinked. “What? We can’t do that. It is…”
“I said cancel it.” My voice hardened. “Push it back. I don’t care how.”
There was a careful pause before he grunted, “That meeting took weeks to schedule.”
“And it can take seconds to undo,” I replied coldly. “Do it.”
Viktor breathed out and then nodded his head. “What is your plan?”
“I am visiting the headquarters.”
Viktor barely reacted to whatever orders I gave no matter what they were but this time around, he widened his eyes and then stepped closer to me.
“The company, why?”
“Is there a law that forbids me from visiting my own company as its chairman?”
“Of course, not. But… you hadn’t been there since your sister became CEO.”
“Well…” I shrugged and then turned around.
“There is an important meeting today, and she is overseeing it.”
“Who?” Viktor raised a brow.
“Raina.”
Viktor went mute for a while before he scratched his forehead and then nodded his head.
“So, what is yours with it, boss?”
“Well…” I smacked my lips turning away from the poking man.
“Let’s just say… I want to keep a close eye on her.”
“On who?”
“Viktor, let me be,” I hissed as I entered the living room.
“You are going to cancel a meeting as important as this just for that?”
“Viktor,” I scratched in between my brows.
“You are just going to keep a close eye on her, right?”
“Yes. I mean, it’s necessary too, you know. Who knows what she is up to?”
“Then, I’ll do it. That meeting is important and they will only deal with you. Madam is in good hands, I promise. I will…”
“I will watch over her… myself!” I growled, cutting him off.
“Cancel that meeting, and prepare to leave in the next thirty minutes!”
Viktor nodded his head, took a step back, and then bowed gently. “Okay, boss.”
“Good.”
For heaven’s sake, I am just going to watch her make a fool of herself at the meeting, what is the fucking big deal?!