Chapter Sixteen
Malachi's POV
The screen had become my enemy.
Three meetings. All online. All necessary. And all completely unbearable because she wasn't there.
I sat in my office, watching faces talk at me through the monitor. Investors. Legal teams. Department heads. They spoke. I responded. We made decisions.
But my mind was elsewhere.
On her empty desk across the room. On the way she'd looked last night at dinner, flustered and trying so hard to maintain control. On the fact that I couldn't see her today.
The fourth meeting ended, and I closed my laptop harder than necessary.
"Frustrating day, sir?" Maurice asked from the doorway.
"These video calls are inefficient," I said, standing and stretching. "I prefer face-to-face meetings."
"Of course, sir." Maurice's lips twitched like he knew that wasn't the real reason for my mood.
I walked to the window, looking out over the city. "Where is she?"
"Mrs. Blackwood?"
"Don't call her that." The words came out sharper than I intended. "Just Alicia."
"My apologies. Miss Alicia told the head chef this morning that she'd handle the grocery shopping today. She left around ten."
Grocery shopping. How domestic. How normal. I tried to picture Alicia pushing a cart through aisles, picking out vegetables and checking expiration dates.
The image was strangely appealing.
"Anything else?" I asked Maurice.
"The information you requested on Mario. It's ready."
"And?"
Maurice hesitated. "He's been low-key, sir. Very careful. It seems he learned from last time."
I turned to face him. "Learned what, exactly?"
"That he can't move openly. He's covering his tracks better now. Using intermediaries. Keeping distance between himself and any questionable activities."
Smart. Mario was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. He knew I was watching. Knew one wrong move would give me the ammunition I needed.
"Make sure the spies don't get caught," I said. "If Mario realizes he's being watched, he'll go even deeper underground."
"Understood, sir."
"And the doctor?" I asked. "Dr. Chen."
Maurice's expression darkened slightly. "He's been quiet. Following instructions. But he's nervous. I can tell."
"Nervous people make mistakes. They talk when they shouldn't." I turned back to the window. "If he shows any sign of exposing us, silence him. Permanently if necessary."
"Sir, are you certain—"
"I'm certain." I cut him off. "Travis stays unconscious as long as I need him to. No exceptions."
Maurice nodded. "And how long will that be?"
Good question. How long until I had what I wanted? Until Alicia was so far under my skin that she couldn't imagine a life without me in it?
A week? Two? A month?
"As long as it takes," I said finally. "What's his current condition?"
"Stable. The medications are keeping him under, but the doctor mentioned we can't maintain this indefinitely. The longer he stays unconscious, the higher the risk of complications."
"How long?"
"He estimates another week, maybe two at most. After that, it becomes dangerous."
Two weeks. I could work with that.
"Keep me updated daily," I said. "Any change in his condition, I want to know immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Maurice left, and I was alone again with my thoughts. Two weeks to make Alicia mine. Two weeks before Travis woke up and complicated everything.
Two weeks wasn't enough. But it would have to be.
I checked my watch. One thirty. I'd been cooped up in this office all day, and the walls were starting to close in.
"Maurice," I called out.
He appeared in the doorway. "Sir?"
"We're going out."
"Where to?"
Good question. I didn't actually care. I just needed to move. To do something other than sit here thinking about her.
Then I remembered. Dante.
"That restaurant on Fifth Street. The one Dante owns."
Maurice raised an eyebrow. "The Italian place?"
"Yes. He's been asking me to visit. Might as well get it over with."
We took my car, and I drove. Maurice knew better than to offer. When I needed to think, I needed to drive. The control. The focus. It cleared my head.
Dante's restaurant was tucked between two boutiques in the shopping district. Small. Exclusive. The kind of place you had to know about to find.
We parked and walked in, and immediately the smell of garlic and fresh bread hit me. The space was elegant.
Dante spotted me from across the room and grinned. "Malachi! Finally! I thought you'd forgotten about me."
"Busy," I said, shaking his hand. "You know how it is."
"Always busy. Come, sit. I'll bring you something special."
He led us to a private table near the back, and that's when I saw her.
Alicia.
She sat at a corner table with another woman who had dark curly hair and a bright smile. They were laughing about something, and for a moment, I just watched.
This was a different Alicia. She was relaxed and happy. Not the controlled, careful woman I saw at the office or the mansion. This was her without the armor.
And she was beautiful.
Our eyes met across the room, and I watched her expression shift. Surprise. Then something else. Something that looked like guilt, though I couldn't imagine why.
I walked over to their table, Maurice following behind me.
"Alicia," I said smoothly. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Her friend looked between us, curiosity clear on her face.
"Malachi," Alicia said, and I noticed how she tried to keep her voice steady. "What are you doing here?"
"Coffee meeting." I glanced at Maurice. "But it seems I've stumbled onto something more interesting."
I turned my attention to her friend. Pretty. Confident. The way she looked at me was direct, assessing. Not intimidated.
I liked her already.
"And who's this?" I asked, though I kept my eyes on Alicia, watching her reaction.