Chapter 83 YOUR WIFE.
\~~~LUCIANO MORETTI.
"She is absolutely not someone you can trust," he pressed, voice steady.
"You are starting to overstep your boundaries," I warned, my tone dropping to dangerous levels.
Viktor didn't argue. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, unlocking it with a quick swipe. "I wasn't going to say anything until it is fully confirmed, but, I guess you should know what is going on."
"What is going on?" I asked, sitting upright, my pulse kicking up a notch.
He handed the phone over, the screen glowing with a document. I took it, frowning. "What is this?"
"Your wife has been receiving calls from some anonymous person. It went on for a few days before they went out of contact. But, I managed to get a message, you can swipe to the other side for that."
I swiped, and there it was. A chat log, and timestamps from a couple of weeks ago. The first message, from Raina's number, "So, if I decide to do this, will everything be okay?"
The reply: "Of course, it will be our little secret. Just get me the things I ask for, and it'd forever remain between us."
Then Raina again: "Then, don't worry. I will get it as soon as possible. I just need him to be more relaxed with me. I'd get it right away."
My stomach dropped. I dropped the phone onto the desk like it burned, leaning back hard enough to make the chair groan. "What is this?"
"Messages exchanged between your wife and that person," Viktor explained calmly. "Their number is encrypted, so it's hard to get their details."
"So?" I breathed out, forcing the word past the knot in my throat.
"Your wife is in cahoots with someone to get something from you. Whatever it is, I believe it could cause damage if they get it."
I didn't say anything for a long while, just picked up the phone again and read the messages over, the words blurring slightly.
Raina, plotting behind my back? It didn't fit. She was fiery, yes, snapping at me one minute, crying the next, but deceit? No.
She had been the one drowning in that pool, vulnerable and real. The way she'd clung to me after, her body pressed close... But then, all of a sudden, I remembered how sneaky she'd been a couple of weeks back with her phone. Hiding the screen when I walked in, her fingers flying to lock it. I'd brushed it off as nothing, but now...
Viktor started again, his voice cutting through the silence. "So, boss. You need to get..."
"Get out, now," I ordered, my voice like gravel.
He went mute, his jaw tightening. He knew better than to push. Straightening his posture, he bowed his head slightly in respect, then turned and exited the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
I sat still, the phone still in my hand, staring at those damning words. There was no way Raina would have typed this. Never.
She was everything but a schemer. She was trapped in this marriage, fighting to survive, not to betray. Or was she? The doubt crept in like smoke, filling my lungs.
If Talia had used Raina's life as a mask, what else had she planted? And Raina... Was she just an innocent victim or just another player? My mind raced, replaying every glance, every touch from her.
The way she looked at me, scared but still defiant. Had it all been an act to lower my guard?
I set the phone down, rubbing my temples. Five months in, and I was starting to see cracks everywhere.
Whatever Raina was after, if it was real, it could destroy me. But deep down, a part of me rebelled against the idea. She felt too genuine, and too broken. Or maybe that was what made her dangerous.
I needed answers, real ones, not Viktor's suspicions. Grabbing the photos, I shoved them into a drawer, the lock clicking like a final judgment.
Oh, Raina, you'd better not be playing games with me…
The office felt colder now, the weight of it all pressing down. I leaned back again, closing my eyes, but sleep was a distant dream. Trust was a luxury I couldn't afford, not in this life. Not with her.