Lucas's Pov
The study was cloaked in shadows, the soft glow of my desk lamp barely illuminating the stack of documents before me. I swirled the whiskey in my glass but didn’t drink it. My mind was elsewhere, plotting moves and counter-moves. Alessia's unexpected question earlier had stirred something in me—an emotion I couldn’t afford right now. The engagement had been a strategic decision, yet I couldn’t deny the complication she had become in my life.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. “Come in,” I called, expecting Alessia.
Instead, Rico stepped in, his usual composed demeanor tinged with unease. He closed the door behind him and leaned casually against it, but the tension in his stance was evident.
“I heard the news,” he began, his voice calm but probing. “Matteo Greco i
