CHAPTER 81 - RED
CHAPTER
Red
APPEARING NEUTRAL and that I don’t want to rip these bastards’ smug faces off the front of their skulls is the best thing. But it’s difficult because I want to. And I want to do it real bad.
Like, immediately.
A full fucking hour I’ve stood here witnessing these greasy old cunts do everything in their power to upend Arianna and smash her resolve, and the worst thing is that they’re managing it.
“Yes, Ms Galvatore, sorry... my mistake... Mrs Bateman, you’ve outlined that you feel like we.
..” A bald man waves his arm around the group of ten men surrounding the circular table once used for Emiliano Galvatore’s board meetings, “...should join you in a crusade which you have been nothing but vague as to its purpose. We are still waiting to hear exactly what you want from us.”
My eyes dart to Arianna, it becoming harder to remain silent. She blinks, her hands fidgeting on the table. If I can see the sheen of perspiration on her face, so can they.
Why isn’t she answering? She knows the answer and what to say. Leaning towards her, I go to speak, but she turns away and continues addressing the men.
“I...I thought... I thought I’d already explained everything, Mr... Mr... erm... Mr...”
“Larati.” The bald man raises his eyebrows in exaggerated confusion. “Filippo Larati.”
“Yes, Mr Larati. We spoke earlier. Yes, that’s right.” Arianna clears her throat and then clears it again.
“It is my understanding that you spoke to all of us yesterday to arrange this meeting, Mrs Bateman. Or has that slipped your mind too?”
Chuckles are heard around the room, making my fists clench. My hands are hidden under the table because if I don’t keep them there, I swear to God I’ll lay one of these fuckers out.
I give Arianna’s thigh a gentle squeeze to offer solidarity and keep her focused, but instead it makes her jump.
“Christ!” Arianna jolts forward before composing herself. Fanning her face with her hand, she cuts me a hard look before continuing. “Yes, well, as I was saying... Papà always said that I should call on you gentlemen should the need arise and...”
“Pardon me for interrupting, miss.” The voice belongs to a man with dark hair of someone forty years his junior. “You’ve only just taken over from your Papà, and you’re struggling to cope already? However, Papà is an eloquent name for Emiliano, eh gentleman?”
“No, no... it’s not that... it’s...”
“I think I can speak for all of us here that, among other reasons...”
His eyes track to me, and I silently imagine his slow, drawn-out destruction, but my face remains unmoved.
“...your inability to cope after mere days of being given the reins is not the best incentive for us to be on board with something that you still haven’t managed to outline.”
Come on, Arianna, I will. What the hell is the matter with her? First of all, she goes off on one in the cellar; didn’t speak a word to me on the way here, and now this?
“Arianna,” I hiss, hoping she snaps out of the weird inability mode she’s flipped into lately.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Red!” Arianna barks, her eyes flashing with irritation. “I’m trying to speak.”
Chuckles verge on full laughter erupt around the table at Arianna’s outburst, and heat colors my cheeks.
“Marital problems?” One man sneers. “Perhaps that explains why you can’t concentrate. Let me explain something to you, Mrs Bateman. Our allegiance was to Emiliano. Although we feel it is our duty to be accessible to any friend or relative of his, there are limits.”
There’s mumbles of agreement, but I’m too angry to concentrate.
“Emiliano’s lack of presence here says a lot too...”
Flustered, Arianna brushes a lock of hair that has worked loose from the bun she carefully piled on her head. Even her suit jacket has a stain on it. “Yes, I... I... erm...”
My anger at her and these men turns to horror as I see her eyes glinting with unshed tears. Oh Christ. Don’t lose it in front of them, for God’s sake.
I risk moving my hand under the table again, this time only making slight contact with her leg. “Arianna.” I need to remind her I’m here. That she’s here. “Come on! Speak.”
She’s blustering, choking, and it’s fucking obvious. It’s time for me to step in.
I clear my throat. “Gentlemen, I...”
“And that’s the other issue we have.” A pot-bellied man eyes me with ill-intent from the other side of the table.
“Aside from your clear inability to deal with your newfound position, Ms Galvatore - Bateman - whatever you call yourself, none of us here will be associated with you while you continue to be married to... him.”
My veins throb. I want to kill the lot of them.
“We’re asking you to see sense, Ms Galvatore.
You know your father would not ‘willingly’ agree to hand over his business to you and your.
.. your husband. He’s clearly been forced.
” His eyes track back to me. “Once you have rectified this unfortunate situation, then perhaps we might be willing to offer our assistance.”
“I...” Arianna pushes against the table to stand up. “Excuse me... I... I’m sorry... I...”
Knocking over a bottle of spring water, she bolts from the room, leaving the men around the table shaking their heads.
I also get up. I don’t bother saying anything. My poison-laden expression will have to suffice.
I fast-track out of the room in pursuit of my wife, furious - both with her and them. She’s made us look like fucking fools, and that isn’t something I appreciate.