Wicked Games

Caroline

Caroline Rivolta sat at her desk, surrounded by stacks of legal briefs and contracts, the familiar chaos of her work providing a welcome distraction from the turmoil that had been brewing in her mind since her encounter with Leonardo Romero.

She had spent the last few days trying to focus on the merger, throwing herself into the details with a single-minded determination. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Her mind kept drifting back to Leonardo, to the way he had looked at her during their meeting. There had been something unsettling in his gaze, a challenge that had lingered in the air long after she had left his office. Caroline prided herself on being able to read people, to anticipate their moves before they made them. But Leonardo was different. He was an enigma, a puzzle she couldn't quite solve.

And that bothered her more than she cared to admit.

She had thought that throwing herself into her work would help her regain control, would allow her to put Leonardo out of her mind. But it hadn't worked. Instead, he seemed to be everywhere, haunting her thoughts even in the quiet moments. Caroline hated the power he seemed to have over her, the way he had managed to slip past her defenses without her even realizing it.

With a frustrated sigh, Caroline pushed her papers aside and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. She needed to clear her head, to find a way to regain the upper hand before Leonardo managed to completely unravel her. She couldn't afford to let him distract her, not when so much was at stake.

But as she sat there, trying to calm her racing thoughts, her phone buzzed on the desk. Caroline reached for it, frowning as she saw an unfamiliar number on the screen. She hesitated for a moment before answering, her instincts already on high alert.

"Caroline Rivolta," she said, her voice cool and professional.

"Ms. Rivolta, this is Greg Matheson from the finance department at Silverstone and Co.," came the voice on the other end. "I'm calling because there's been a development with the merger that I think you need to be aware of."

Caroline's frown deepened. "What kind of development?"

"There's been a sudden shift in the financial projections. Some unexpected expenses have come up that weren't accounted for in the original analysis. It's affecting the valuation of the deal."

Caroline's heart sank. This was exactly the kind of disruption she didn't need right now. She quickly jotted down notes as Greg provided the details, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how this could have happened. The numbers had been rock solid when she reviewed them last, and Caroline never missed a detail.

"Send me the revised reports immediately," she instructed, her tone clipped. "I'll review them and get back to you."

As she ended the call, Caroline's mind was already working through the possibilities. This wasn't just a minor hiccup; it was a serious issue that could jeopardize the entire merger. And the timing of it was suspicious, to say the least.

She couldn't shake the feeling that Leonardo was behind this. He had the resources and the influence to pull something like this off, to create chaos just when she needed stability the most. It was exactly the kind of move she would expect from someone like him—a calculated risk designed to throw her off balance.

Caroline's jaw tightened as she considered her next steps. She wouldn't let him win. If Leonardo thought he could undermine her, he was sorely mistaken. She had dealt with far worse in her career, and she wasn't about to let him derail everything she had worked for.

But as she opened her laptop to review the revised reports, a nagging doubt crept into her mind. What if she was wrong? What if this wasn't Leonardo's doing, but something she had missed? The thought sent a chill down her spine. Caroline Rivolta didn't make mistakes, but the very possibility gnawed at her confidence.

She shook her head, refusing to let the doubt take root. Whether this was Leonardo's play or not, she would find a way to fix it. She always did. Caroline pulled up the financial reports, her eyes scanning the numbers with a laser focus.

She would find the flaw, identify the source of the problem, and neutralize it before it could cause any more damage.

But as she worked, her thoughts kept returning to Leonardo, to the game he seemed determined to play with her. Caroline had spent her entire career building walls around herself, keeping everyone at a distance to protect what mattered most—her career, her reputation, her heart. But now, for the first time, she felt those walls beginning to crack.

And that terrified her more than any business deal ever could.