~Lisa's POV ~
"I don't understand why you're still wasting time. Can't you see that he's out to destroy our lives?" I scolded Riccardo who sat in front of me pretending to be immersed in the paperwork in front of him. "What on earth could be the delay?"
"I've been very busy lately, that's just it. I'll get to Thomas Brown soon enough—"
"Soon enough? Will that be when he's run us to the bottom of the ocean? When exactly is soon enough, Riccardo?!" I interjected sharply. Riccardo didn't reply, he just took a second to lift his face from the papers in front of him, cast me a blank look, and then returned to it like it was nothing.
I felt my temper rise, but managed to keep it under control. He was playing in my face and I knew exactly why; my brother had fallen for his little secretary, Anne Allistair. Clara had told me all about her little run in with him and his little secretary just a few days ago. She had met them in each other's arms, their lips inches away from one another's.
I had pushed that thought away, thinking that maybe Clara was overreacting. Riccardo didn't do love, and he definitely wasn't going to start with an employee. I had told Clara not to worry, that Riccardo probably just wants to get into her pants, and once's he's done that, he would do away with whatever romance they had going on. But looking at him now, the hesitation written all over him, Clara's words were beginning to make a little sense.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Shouting wasn't going to get us anywhere, and Riccardo didn't look like he was going to budge anytime soon. I walked closer, determined to figure out what the delay was.
"Are you aware of just how much we've lost these past few days? Our stocks are crashing, we're losing sponsors fast, and you're just going to sit still and do nothing?"
Finally, Riccardo lowered the pen he hadn't used in a while now, rubbed his temples a bit dramatically, before lifting his head to face me.
"I know exactly how you feel, Lisa, but—"
"But…?" I cut in once again. "Have you suddenly gotten cold feet? Is it because of the girl?" I finally threw the question forward. Riccardo froze momentarily, a reaction I didn't quite expect from him.
"What girl?" He returned calmly, pretending like his heart hadn't almost leapt out of his mouth a few seconds ago.
"Anne! Clara told me about the two of you. Do you have feelings for Ms Allistair?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Lisa, Clara is always full of nonsense!" Riccardo argued. "Besides I can't be with an employee, it's against company policy."
I stared at him, stunned by the blatant lie he tried to feed me. He couldn't even mask the way his jaw tightened at Anne's name. Clara hadn't been exaggerating—something really was going on.
"So what is it then?" I demanded, folding my arms and narrowing my gaze. "If it's not her, then what exactly is stopping you, Riccardo?"
He didn't answer. Not immediately, anyway.
Instead, he leaned back slightly, fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic beat against the table—once, twice, three times. It was a habit he had whenever he was forcing himself to say something he didn't want to say.
Finally, he exhaled and looked up at me.
"I don't think it's right to publicize someone's abuse without their permission," he said quietly.
For a moment, I genuinely wondered if he'd hit his head somewhere.
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
He frowned, his tone steady. "The video… it's her. It's Anne. She's in it. And whether she works for me or not, whether I like her or not, I can't just—expose her trauma to the entire world because I want to get back at Thomas."
I stared at my brother, genuinely baffled.
Was he being serious?
"Riccardo," I scoffed, leaning closer. "You're joking."
He didn't crack a smile. Didn't even twitch. He just held my gaze with the calmest, most stubborn expression I'd ever seen on him.
"You're serious?" I whispered, my eyes widening. "Since when do you need permission to get back at your enemies?"
"Since it involves someone who's already suffered enough," he replied at once.
God. He meant every word.
I dragged a hand down my face, unable to hide my disbelief. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable."
He stiffened slightly but didn't budge. "You know exactly what it felt like living with our father, Lisa. You know what it's like—having your life, your fear, your pain used against you. That video—"
"It's not the same," I snapped, cutting him off before he could spiral into some emotional argument.
Riccardo's eyes hardened. "It is the same. To her, it is—"
"No, Riccardo," I interrupted sharply, raising my hand as if swatting his words away. "Do not compare this to us. Do not."
He opened his mouth to fight back, but I dismissed him with a sharper glare, silencing him instantly.
"I don't care what noble stand you think you're taking now," I continued through clenched teeth. "But if you don't act soon, your hesitation is going to cost us everything."
"I'll figure out something—"
"No! What you're going to do is release that video, expose Thomas Brown for the monster that he is, and save our company from ruin!" I screamed at him, my frustration now pouring over. "I don't know what you have going on with your little secretary, but I'm not going to let it ruin everything we've worked for. If you don't get that video out there, I'm going to do so!"
For the first time in a long while, Riccardo's energy shifted. Something in him had shifted the very second i mentioned releasing the video myself, and just for a split second, it felt as though i was standing in front of the monster that raised us.
"I told you I'll figure something out, so please don't step out of line, Lisa."
I glared at him for a straight minute, unsure if i was staring at my brother or a complete stranger. What had gotten into him? Was he really about to throw our relationship and the company's wellbeing away because of one girl? It was insane to think of, but there was no doubt about it, that was exactly what was happening.
Without saying another word, I picked up my purse and stepped out of the office. I was a co-owner of the Antonelli family business, and I didn't need permission from Riccardo to save my source of livelihood.