Chapter 80
The city wasn’t the same as Montclair.
It was denser, built in glass and steel that reflected the late-afternoon sky in hard lines. From the thirty-second floor, traffic moved below in steady lanes, stopping and starting at clean intersections.
Arianne stood by the conference room window while the final documents were reviewed across the long table behind her. The senior partner had arranged the contracts into neat stacks in front of him. She waited until he finished, then returned to her seat. Her hand rested on the top document while the room settled.
The meeting had already lasted three hours, longer than she preferred.
Across from her, the senior partner adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. To his right sat another man who had not introduced himself earlier. He hadn’t spoken once during the discussion.
He looked younger than the rest, though not inexperienced. A dark tattoo traced upward from beneath his collar along the side of his neck before disappearing behind his ear. More ink marked the backs of his hands, partly hidden by the cuffs of his tailored suit. The jacket fit cleanly across his shoulders. He sat back in his chair, hands loosely folded, watching her like he expected the room to empty.
When the senior partner excused himself to take a call outside, the door closing behind him, the man finally spoke.
“Do you really have to go back p>
Arianne did not answer at once. She aligned the edge of the top document with the rest of the stack before looking up. “I do p>
“You married without notice,” he said. “Did you need to?
“I wasn’t forced,” she said. “And it isn’t a company matter p>
“It turned into one.” He rested his forearms on the table, not leaning forward, but not relaxed either. “You stayed longer than expected. Matters were left to us p>
“That wasn’t my intention p>
“I know.” His gaze held. “Which is why I’m asking for quarterly presence at a minimum p>
She considered the adjustment. Monthly had been the earlier demand.
“Quarterly is fine,” she said after a second. “Gio can coordinate p>
He studied her a moment longer before nodding once. “All right p>
The senior partner returned shortly after, and the meeting resumed. The session finally ended after three hours.
Arianne rose without comment and stepped into the corridor, where Gio waited near the wall. The younger man remained seated inside, his eyes following her reflection in the glass before the door shut.
The city never really quieted.
Even past midnight, lights remained on in scattered offices. Traffic thinned but never disappeared.
Arianne stood barefoot on the carpet of the hotel suite she shared with Gio, looking down at the street below. It had been five days since she left Montclair. Most of her itinerary was complete. Only the audit review remained — a task she had delayed twice due to her commitments within the Rochefort Group.
She heard Gio’s footsteps before she turned.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked. “Should I call for room service p>
She shook her head. Rohan was in a different timezone. While it was midnight here, it was already morning in Montclair.
“They’re getting attached,” Gio commented.
“They live in the same house p>
Gio looked at her. “That’s not what I meant p>
She closed the file on the desk before facing him. “They’re children p>
“And children notice patterns p>
“I’m not replacing anyone p>
“I didn’t say you were p>
“No,” she said evenly. “You implied it p>
Silence followed. Not strained. Just unfinished.
A soft vibration broke the silence when Arianne’s phone lit up on the table.
It was Franz.
She picked it up before the second ring. “It’s morning there p>
“Yes,” he said. There was a shift in sound on his end. “They’re both here p>
A small rustle followed before Lily’s voice came through clearly.
“Auntie p>
“Yes p>
“Leo counted again p>
Arianne leaned lightly against the edge of the desk. “And p>
“He says three more sleeps p>
Three nights had sounded shorter in her head. Hearing it from Lily made it different.
“I’ll call tomorrow,” she said instead of correcting him.
“He wants to know if you’re eating properly,” Lily added.
“I am p>
There was movement in the background. A chair scraped faintly across the floor.
“He’s beside me,” Franz said.
“I know p>
The line remained open for a moment. She could hear the rhythm of the house—cutlery, low voices, the start of a day already in motion.
“I’ll be back on time p>
“We won’t keep you,” Franz replied.
“You’re not p>
A pause.
“Three more nights,” he reminded her.
“Yes p>
She ended the call before it could stretch.
Gio watched her lower the phone before speaking.
“They’re counting p>
“Yes p>
“And you p>
She put the phone back on the table and quickly checked her calendar for the flight time. “I don’t need to,” she said.
He didn’t argue, but he still looked unconvinced.
“The audit is tomorrow,” he said. “After that, you’re free. You could stay longer. There are still chances here p>
“I declined them p>
“I know p>
She closed the calendar and set the phone aside. “Then there’s nothing to extend p>
He studied her a moment longer.
“When you left Montclair five years ago,” Gio said, “you didn’t look back. How about now p>
“I have responsibilities there p>
“That’s not what I meant p>
She turned to face him fully. “Montclair runs as it should. It doesn’t need me hovering p>
“And the children p>
“They’re part of it p>
“And Franz p>
Her gaze held steady. “He isn’t part of a system. I chose him p>
Gio nodded once, accepting the distinction.
“That makes it harder,” he said.
“For who p>
“For you p>
She didn’t respond to that.
She closed the file on the desk and secured it. The audit review would be straightforward — compliance checks, internal alignment, nothing unexpected.
“You’ll leave right after?” Gio asked.
“Yes p>
“No detours p>
“No p>
He set his glass down and moved toward the adjoining room.
Arianne remained by the window for a while longer, though there was nothing new to observe. The traffic continued its steady movement below, headlights threading through intersections without interruption. The city did not slow simply because the hour had passed midnight.
Her phone remained silent on the table.
Three more nights remained before her return to Montclair. She didn’t need to count. She already knew. Leo would listen for the stairs again tomorrow morning. Lily would watch him pretend not to. Franz would stand where he said he would.
The audit tomorrow wouldn’t change anything. It was routine. There was no reason to stay longer.
She turned off the lamp near the window and walked back toward the bedroom area, pausing briefly at the desk to close the open file. Everything that required attention here had been handled. There was no reason to stay.
In Montclair, the lights in the hallway would already be dimmed. The stairs would creak when someone stepped on them. Franz would hear it.
And she would return as scheduled.
She set the phone on the desk and didn’t move for a while.
Outside, the city lights reflected against the glass. Somewhere below, traffic slowed at a red light and then moved again.
She didn’t count the nights.