~Riccardo's POV~
It felt wrong, leaving her the way I did. But it was for the best. I cared for Anne, but at the same time I cared for my sister, Lisa. I didn't want them to get into any sort of trouble with each other. I had a lot going on already, and the last thing I wanted was for the two people I cared about to actively be after each other's mental stability.
I pressed down on the acceleration pedal, now on the verge of exceeding the speed limit. I needed to get to
Lisa quick, and I needed to know why she was so damn stubborn!
After ten long minutes, I pulled up in front of Lisa's townhouse. I was already simmering, and it was taking everything in me to keep calm at that moment. I'd warned her, but she clearly hadn't listened.
I drew a deep breath and proceeded towards the door. I'd rehearsed everything I wanted to say on the drive over, every argument, every word. She was home, i could tell because car was yet to leave the garage, and it seemed she had company too.
I climbed the steps in three long strides and knocked hard against the large mahogany door.
There was no answer the first and second time. I tried the knob. It turned, and I immediately pushed the door open and stormed inside.
As expected, Lisa was home, but she was with someone I hadn't anticipated, Clara. The both of them sat opposite each other, legs crossed like royalty, while their hands were occupied with a glass of wine. They definitely seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the sight of it was enough to me my blood boil even more.
Lisa was the first to catch sight of me, but I was certain she already knew I was here long before I even knocked at the door.
"Well, well," she said, lifting her glass. "Look who came to visit."
Clara didn't bother hiding her smirk either. Her eyes glinted like she'd been waiting for this moment. She rose from her seat gleefully and ran towards me for a hug.
I ignored her, gently pushing her aside. I had more pressing matters to discuss, and she was not one of them.
"You should be more gentle, Clara loves you." Lisa scrutinized, her face still painted with a friendly smile, like she wasn't aware of what she had done and why I was here.
"Before you say anything, have a look." She cut me off just when I was about to say a word. She tapped the screen of the tablet in her hand, then slowly—almost proudly turned it toward me.
"Take a look," she announced. "Thomas Brown's stocks dropped seven percent just in the last two hours. Seven, Riccardo! In two simple hours! And tomorrow morning? It's going to plummet even further."
I didn't even spare the screen a full second. I was far more focused on what she had done to care about any of this.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I snapped, but the smile on Lisa's face didn't falter—not even a little.
Instead, she raised her brows, almost amused. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." I took a few steps forward, my voice escalating despite the effort it took to stay composed. "Why did you do it, Lisa? Why couldn't you stay out of this?!"
She took a slow sip of her wine, then set the glass down with a light clink. Completely unbothered.
Clara walked back into the couch, crossing her arms like she was enjoying a show.
Lisa tilted her head. "I would think the result speaks for itself."
"No," I growled, "the result is irrelevant. I'm asking about the method."
Lisa's eyes glimmered with a cold, calculated satisfaction as she placed the tablet down on the coffee table.
"You mean the video?" she asked calmly. "Of Anne?"
My jaw clenched so hard I felt the pressure in my teeth.
"Why," I repeated, pausing between each word, "I warned you, I begged you not to! Why can't you just listen for once!!"
She stilled for a second, clearly stunned by just how annoyed I was. I wanted to hide that all of this was for Anne, but at this juncture it was far too late. Lisa wasn't stupid, and I had let my emotions get the better of me.
Lisa recoiled in shock, a dry chuckle leaving her lips in the same instant. "You're not here because you're mad at me for releasing the clip, are you? You clearly did not expect me to risk the livelihood of thousands of our employees because of one woman, did you—"
"Save me the bullshit! You didn't do any of this because you cared for any of those workers!" I cut her off sharply, annoyed at just how little she was treating this. "You did this because of your ego! Because you don't listen to anything I say!"
The room went still for a moment. Lisa was confused, unsure of what to make of what was happening. She didn't expect me to be this heated because of a simple video, and even I didn't expect myself to go this far.
While my sister and I were still
lost in thoughts and emotions, Clara's head snapped toward me, her expression softening into something pitiful and desperate. She rose slowly from the couch and took a hesitant step in my direction, reaching out like she intended to touch my arm.
"Riccardo… please, calm down," she whispered, her voice trembling with the fragile hope that she could soothe me.
I shot her a single look, One that had her frozen mid-step. The color drained from her face, and her hand fell back to her side as though weighed down by fear itself.
Lisa watched the whole exchange with an increasingly sour look, her patience evaporating. Her jaw twitched once, and then she slammed her wine glass down on the table so hard the stem cracked.
"Oh, for God's sake, Riccardo," she barked, her voice rising with fury. "This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."
I turned toward her slowly, my expression empty, but she didn't care. She was already spiraling.
"That woman is insignificant," Lisa spat. "Do you hear me? She is no better than any beggar you walk past on the streets, and you—" she jabbed a finger toward me, her tone dripping with disgust— "should be ashamed of yourself. Ashamed that an irrelevant woman like her is winning whatever pathetic heart you think you have over Clara, who has been loyal to you from day one!"
Clara's eyes widened, but she said nothing. She only lowered her head as if she hadn't expected Lisa to drag her into it.
I let Lisa rant.
Let her pour every ounce of venom out.
Then I chuckled.
Lisa stopped mid-breath. "What—what's funny?"
I walked closer, just enough that she had to tilt her chin up to maintain eye contact.
"You are," I said quietly. "You're hilarious."
Her brows furrowed deeply, confused and offended. Her mouth opened, but before she could speak, I cut her off.
"I'm done arguing with you. You crossed every line I set," I continued. "You disrespected my decisions, my warnings, and Anne—all because you assumed you had the right." I paused, letting the words sink in. "You don't. You might have co ownership of the company, but I'm still the CEO."
Lisa straightened her spine, masking her anxiety with arrogance. "And what exactly do you think you're going to do about it?"
I smiled..
"You're moving."
She froze once again, and so did Clara.
"What?" It was Lisa who spoke, and now she was far more afraid than arrogant.
"To the Penview branch," I continued flatly. "Effective immediately. HR will process the relocation papers within the hour."
"You… you're joking," she whispered.
"You're sending me across the country?! Because of her?!"
"I'm not discussing this any further. Get your bags ready, if you need a ride, i'll drive you to the airport myself."