The Duke's Surreptitious Ways (Rafael Benedict Valiente)

Chapter 28: Old Duke's Game

Raffy's POV

I sat upright when I heard a knock at my door, then slowly opened. Osvaldo walked in and executed a brief bow of his head. He stood stiffly, dropping his hands to his sides. "Mrs. Belsky is here, Your Grace," he announced, then stepped aside, and motioned the woman behind her to go in.

The redhead, Mrs. Belsky squared her shoulders as she walked past him, not even sparing Osvaldo a glance. She's about her late sixties. A bit chunky woman, wearing a fierce look. "Your Grace," she greeted in a flat, unhidden reproach. She made a clumsy curtsy, then straightened herself. Her green eyes held animosity as she rested it on me.

I just gave her a single nod in acknowledgment. "Please, sit." I motioned the armchairs across my desk with my hand. She nodded her head, then took one of the seats.

"I'm not gonna take up much of your time, Mrs. Belsky," I said. She frowned, as she sat upright, her brown purse sitting on her lap. "I demand you and your minions to take your nose out of my life!" I bit out. I was trying to rein my anger, threatening to burst out, by clenching my jaws.

She shifted in her seat, leaning her back against the backrest, she clasped her hands over her voluminous purse. "I'm sorry, but I don't follow, Your Grace," she said.

My temper rose a notch. I willed myself not to shot up and reach for her turkey neck. I stared at her for a few seconds, tapping my fingers on the table. She squared her shoulders, jutted her chin as she met my cold, inimical gaze. "You have to stop your group from meddling with my life, Mrs. Belsky." There's a warning in my neutral tone and the way her brow cocked up; I know she understood the message.

She tilted her chin slightly. She gave me a fake smile as she leaned a little too comfortably to my chagrin. She seemed to be very energetic and wasn't one to get intimidated. It wasn't surprising she was the head of the organization. She had that fierce look, unwavering character to be a leader. "I cannot just turn my back to my fellow women who are taken advantage of—"

I shot up, slamming my fists on my table as rage boiled within me. The table shook causing the papers laid in front of me bounced; pens rolled off the table to the floor. "You only heard her side but not mine!" I growled cutting her off. She flinched back. Her shoulders sagged as she swallowed hard. I leaned in, my palms flat on the table, shifting all my weight forward.

She quickly composed herself and sat upright. "And what is the other side of the story, Your Grace?" her tone dropped a notch, clasping and unclasping her hands over her purse, but she successfully kept her composure intact.

I met her gaze, and my jaws tightened as I regard her intently. "There are things that we need to keep it discreet for the sake of others, just like how I kept your husband's misappropriation to keep his family from being the target of bullies, of insulting comments." She gaped at me. The energy radiating off of her when she walked in here seemed to have had zapped off, and shock went through all her body. The color drained out of her face, and her brows drew together. She had that faraway look. She opened her mouth but shut it after, her lower lip trembling. Her confidence withered completely.

My angered simmered down as I sat back in my chair. I watched her frozen state, and cautiously continued, "I don't want to tell you this ..." I paused "that he embezzled fifty million Rubles." Her mouth fell open as she met my gaze with disbelief. "That he managed to get several loans with falsified documents, using unknown names, non-existing person." Her face turned scarlet as she dodged my gaze. "He withdrew money from different inactive accounts. He's smart." She let out a soft chuckle, devoid of humor as she shook her head vigorously in disbelief. "He knew the clients would unlikely discover the embezzlement," I added.