Bound By Business

Chapter nine: shifting loyalty

The Moretti headquarters buzzed with a nervous energy the next morning. Employees whispered in hushed tones, stealing glances at the headlines flashing on their phones. Despite the chaos swirling around us, I forced myself to focus. The blackmail email had turned this into a full-scale crisis, and we were running out of time to control it.

By the time I reached the boardroom, Marco was already inside, his expression grim. Alex leaned against the wall near the windows, staring out at the city skyline, his posture tense.

“This ends today,” Marco said as I walked in, his voice sharp. “I want answers, and I want them now. Who sent the email? How did they get this footage? And most importantly, what’s the plan to stop them?”

I set my bag down and took a seat, keeping my tone even. “We’re still working to trace the account used for the blackmail demand. It’s offshore, which complicates things, but Laura and I are narrowing down possibilities.”

“Narrowing down isn’t good enough,” Marco snapped.

“I know,” I said firmly. “But we can’t afford to rush this and make a mistake. If we handle it wrong, we risk exposing even more vulnerabilities.”

Alex finally spoke, his voice low. “So what’s your brilliant plan, Carter? Wait until they release the next video and hope it magically disappears?”

I shot him a glare. “You know as well as I do that this is bigger than the video. Whoever’s behind this wants more than a payout. They want to destroy you—and this company.”

“And you think talking about it endlessly in meetings is going to fix that?” he fired back.

“Enough,” Marco growled, cutting us off. He turned to Alex. “If you have a better idea, now’s the time to share it.”

Alex hesitated, his jaw tightening. “We need to find Mia.

Mia. Her name had been hovering over the situation since the moment I saw the tape, but Alex had been frustratingly tight-lipped about her involvement.

“Who is she, exactly?” I asked, my voice sharp.

Alex sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “She’s… someone I met at a party. A friend, nothing more. But she was there that night, and if anyone knows how this footage got out, it’s her.”

“Where is she now?” Marco asked.

“Paris,” Alex said. “She works in PR for a fashion house. I haven’t spoken to her since the party, but I can reach out.”

“No,” Marco said flatly. “You won’t go anywhere near her.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

“Because the last thing we need is more fuel for the media. If they catch wind of you meeting with her, they’ll twist it into another scandal,” Marco said. He turned to me. “Sophia will handle it.”

“What?” Alex and I said in unison.

Marco ignored Alex’s protest. “You’re the only one I trust to keep this quiet,” he said to me. “Get to Paris, find out what she knows, and report back. No one else can know about this.”

I wanted to argue, but the look in Marco’s eyes told me it wasn’t up for debate. “Fine,” I said, standing. “I’ll leave tonight.”

By the time my plane touched down at Charles de Gaulle Airport, exhaustion had begun to creep in. I had just enough time to check into a modest hotel near the city center before heading to the address Alex had provided for Mia’s office.

The fashion house was as sleek and modern as I expected, all glass walls and minimalist design. The receptionist eyed me skeptically as I explained I didn’t have an appointment but insisted it was urgent.

After a tense ten minutes, Mia appeared.

She was striking in person—tall, with sharp cheekbones and a polished presence that exuded confidence. Her brown eyes flicked over me as she approached, and her expression hardened when I introduced myself.

“Alex sent you,” she said flatly.

“Not exactly,” I replied. “I’m here on behalf of the company.”

Mia crossed her arms, her gaze wary. “I don’t know what you’re hoping to find, but I don’t have anything to say.”

“This isn’t about you,” I said, keeping my tone calm but firm. “It’s about the tape. Someone’s using it to blackmail Alex and undermine the company. If you know anything about how it got out, we need your help.”

Her jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought she might walk away. Then she sighed, gesturing for me to follow her into a private meeting room.

Once we were seated, Mia leaned back in her chair, her expression guarded. “I don’t know who leaked the footage,” she said slowly. “But I know it wasn’t an accident.”

“Explain,” I said.

She hesitated, then pulled out her phone, scrolling through her messages before handing it to me. On the screen was a text thread with an unknown number:

“You were close to Alex that night. We know what happened. Play along, and you’ll be compensated. Resist, and you’ll be exposed alongside him.”

The blood drained from my face as I read the messages. “When did this start?”

“Two weeks ago,” Mia admitted. “I didn’t respond at first, but they kept pushing. I didn’t know what to do.”

“And you didn’t think to warn Alex?” I asked sharply.

Her expression darkened. “I have a career to protect, too, you know. If I’d gone public, they would’ve ruined me.”

“Did they mention what else they have?”

Mia nodded. “They claimed to have more footage, but they didn’t give details. They said they’d use it if I didn’t cooperate.”

“Did you?”

Her silence was answer enough.

When I returned to Milan the next morning, Alex was waiting for me at the estate. He was dressed casually, but the tension in his posture was unmistakable.

“Well?” he asked as I walked into the lounge.

I handed him my notes, along with a copy of the messages Mia had shared. “She’s being blackmailed, too,” I said simply. “Whoever’s behind this wants to destroy everyone connected to that night.”

Alex skimmed the notes, his face darkening as he read. “And you believe her?”

“I don’t think she’s lying,” I said. “But I do think she’s hiding something.”

“Great,” Alex muttered, tossing the papers onto the coffee table. “Another dead end.”

“Not necessarily,” I said. “If we can figure out who’s targeting her, we might be able to trace it back to whoever’s behind this.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “And you think it’s my fault we’re in this mess?”

“This isn’t about blame,” I said, my voice rising. “It’s about finding a solution before this gets worse.”

He stepped closer, his expression unreadable. “And what happens when we do? You think Marco will suddenly see me as the perfect heir? You think you’ll finally stop looking at me like I’m a liability?”

The raw vulnerability in his words caught me off guard, but before I could respond, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with the storm he’d left behin