The office door shut hard enough to silence everything outside.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The city still buzzed below, but up here—inside this room—it felt contained. Controlled.
Or at least, it should have.
Matteo didn’t move away from the door.
Giulia didn’t move further into the room.
The distance between them stayed deliberate.
“You didn’t tell me,” He said finally.
His voice wasn’t loud.
It didn’t need to be.
Giulia tilted her head slightly. “Tell you what?”
“That he would use you.”
She let out a quiet breath. “He didn’t use me.”
Matteo pushed off the door, walking toward her slowly. “He stood in front of a room full of press and made you part of his narrative.”
“And you didn’t?” she shot back.
That stopped him.
Just for a second.
Giulia stepped closer now, closing
