Chapter 95: First Move

Brianna’s POV

I almost smile at the harsh, cutting tone with which he asks the question. There is a strange comfort in finally sitting across from someone who seems to despise Leah just as much as I do.

I reply immediately, with a calm voice. “She’s here. In New York. And I can help you get her, but we need to work together. Firstly, I need to know why you’ve been looking for her. What did she do to you?”

Diego lets out a low, gravelly laugh, keeping his gaze lowered toward the tiled floor in amusement.

I can’t help but notice the mockery in his smile. There’s no warmth to it, and the faint scar cutting across his jaw only amplifies that.

Diego lifts his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “I don’t work with anyone.” He pauses, shifting his gaze to point a finger at Marcel. “He’s… the only reason why I’m here. He showed me proof that Leah, that dumb bitch, is hiding out here. I came to take her with me.”

“Yes,” I say, leaning forward. “And that just proves we both want the same thing. That’s why I asked him to fly you in here. But we have to do things on my terms. We can work together.”

Diego barks out another laugh. “Yeah? And why in God’s name would I want to work together with you?”

I offer a small, confident smile. At least now I can see we’re getting somewhere.

“Because just like I paid for this fancy hotel suite you’re sitting in right now, I can also pay you heavily to keep Leah gone.”

Diego stares at me, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face.

He continues to study me, and I can practically see the wheels turning behind his rough exterior as he weighs the financial benefit against his natural distrust.

He drums his fingers lightly against the armrest, his eyes narrowing as he calculates my worth.

Slowly, he shifts his weight, pushing himself back into the cushions to relax.

He spreads his legs wide, the thick fabric of his bathrobe parting slightly between them. Another inch, and I’d be seeing far more than I care to.

“How much?” Diego asks flatly.

“Depends.” I adjust my posture in response, crossing my legs gracefully as I hold his gaze. “We need to reach an agreement first. You can start by telling me… what Leah did to you.”

It isn’t that I genuinely care about his sob story. But I know I need to start from the root. This is a criminal sitting across from me; I am not going to trust him blindly without understanding his leverage.

I need to know his true motives and how I can twist them to my ultimate advantage.

Because this time, I need to make certain Leah leaves and never comes back.

Diego shifts in his seat, cracking his knuckles with a sharp pop. He runs a heavy hand over his scruffy jaw, rolling his neck until it lets out a quiet crack. Then he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Well, she’s a damn snitch. That’s what she did,” he growls. “That bitch is the reason I got arrested seven years ago. She called the cops on me, so now I want my revenge.”

I nod slowly, absorbing the information.

Guess Marcel was right. Leah was deeply involved in his arrest as he’d claimed earlier, and it makes complete sense why she fled Atlanta for the anonymity of New York. She is genuinely terrified of Diego, and I am more than ready to weaponize that fear.

“So what about you… princess?” Diego says, the nickname dripping with a mocking, cocky amusement. “Why do you want Leah Elliot gone? I mean, you went as far as getting me flown down here. You know I’m a very dangerous man, as I’m sure your assistant here…” He glances sideways at Marcel, “…must have briefed you.”

I narrow my eyes at him, letting a cold edge seep into my tone. “I’m not scared of you.”

Diego chuckles, leaning his head back against the sofa with a lazy grin before shifting forward again.

I shift my weight to the side of the sofa, keeping myself composed. “And let’s just say, Leah works for my husband’s company, and I am not a fan of her presence in the office. I want her out of my sight for good.”

Diego’s eyebrows shoot up. “Works for your husband, huh? As what? Some accountant or some shit?”

“No,” I respond coldly. “She works as his father’s PA.”

Diego laughs again—louder this time, shaking his head as a dark flush creeps up his neck.

He is clearly pissed by the revelation, his chest expanding with an angry breath as the reality hits him that Leah has built a completely different life here.

His face hardens, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitches near his temple as he silently re-evaluates everything.

I stand up from the sofa, unable to sit still, and begin to pace. “Whatever,” I wave a dismissive hand. “No need for any of those details now. What we have to focus on is a plan to get Leah out, and I need your assurance also that you agree to working together.”

I stop pacing, folding my arms tightly across my chest as I look down at him.

He tilts his chin up, meeting my eyes. “I agree. But firstly… I need to know who you are exactly. You and your associate seem to know a lot about me, but I still don’t know shit about who you are. Also, just how much are you willing to pay me here? Otherwise, I’m doing this on my own terms.”

I cock my head to the side, unimpressed by his posturing. “Brianna Harrington,” I say simply. “It’s easy enough to google me. You can probably do so in your free time later today, and you’ll see exactly who my father and my husband are.”

“As for how much you’ll be getting,” I continue, stepping a fraction closer, “Trust me, I’m willing to pay as much as a million if it means Leah will be gone for good.”

I watch closely as the faintest, greediest gleam flashes in Diego’s eyes. It is the closest thing to genuine interest I’ve seen from him since I walked into the room.

He licks his lower lip, the predatory look returning full force as he leans his forearms against his thighs. “Well, okay then. How would you want me to take care of it, then?”

I settle back down onto the sofa, crossing my legs once more. “Well, I was thinking you could scare her into leaving. Come into my husband’s company and show her you’re here now. In New York.”

Marcel, who has remained entirely silent until this exact moment, suddenly steps forward, his face pale with alarm. “That’s insane, Brianna. You can’t let him walk into Harrington Group. Far too risky.”

I open my mouth to counter him, but Diego speaks over me first.

“Yeah. He’s right,” Diego says, shaking his head. “That’s going to alert the cops instantly. They’ll easily track my movements around the city, and from what your associate told me, they don’t currently know I’m here. I’d like to keep it that way.”

He sinks back into the cushions, looking bored by the flawed logic. “I say I just go find her outside, grab her, and take her. Send me her address, and I’ll force her to come with me. We can use your private jet to head straight back to Atlanta.”

“What?” Marcel exclaims, his voice rising sharply. “That is an absolute, ridiculous disaster of an idea. You will draw the full weight of the NYPD down on us before the day is even over.”

He spins around, turning his frantic attention entirely toward me. “Brianna, I cannot risk letting you get this deeply involved. Listen to me,” he says, his voice dropping into a desperate, grounding register as he nearly crouches down to match my eye level.

“I know how desperately you want this girl gone. I truly do. But I am not going to stand by and let you destroy your life over a petty office vendetta. Bringing him here was already pushing the absolute limit of what is safe,” Marcel shoots a harsh glare in Diego’s direction.

“Whatever you two plan to do, it has to stay entirely legal. Play psychological games, manipulate the girl, do whatever you have to do—just keep it strictly legal, and make sure it ends with Leah Elliot resigning and walking out of that building entirely on her own. No force, no violence.”

I sit in silence for a second, weighing Marcel’s words.

It pisses me off for a second because now he’s starting to sound much like Dominic.

But deep down, I know he is right.

I have to be cautious—not primarily out of any fear of the police, but because of my father. Édouard Laurent would be deeply disappointed to discover I am sliding back into the reckless, high-risk maneuvers of my past.

He would be furious to learn I’ve allowed myself to become this unhinged over a common, low-level employee.

I turn my gaze back to Diego, my expression cold and unyielding. “He’s right. We refrain from any physical force. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to play nice. I want her broken, and I want her gone.”

Diego lets out an exaggerated, frustrated sigh. “We’re only going to prolong the inevitable, but fine. We’ll do it the princess’s way.”

He pushes himself up from the sofa, stretching his broad shoulders with a crack of joints. “I know exactly what to do to get Leah out of the picture. But I’ll need two things from you first.”

I look up at him, my curiosity instantly spiked. “And what’s that?”

A slow, ugly smile stretches across his face. “Her current phone number… and a burner phone.”