Not what she expected
Chapter 35: Not What She Expected
Victoria Moreau had spent fifteen years manipulating powerful people.
Politicians.
CEOs.
Judges.
Crime bosses.
The wealthy were surprisingly easy.
Everyone had weaknesses.
Everyone had insecurities.
Everyone had buttons that could be pressed.
Finding them was the easy part.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Unfortunately...
Dr. Amara Queen was proving difficult.
A concerning development.
A very concerning development.
Because most people didn't greet potential enemies by insulting their height.
Yet somehow...
That had been Amara's opening move.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The restaurant sat in stunned silence.
Victoria stared.
Amara stared back.
Neither woman blinked.
Neither woman retreated.
Neither woman surrendered.
The usual.
Finally...
Victoria smiled.
Slowly.
Beautifully.
Dangerously.
"You're exactly as intelligent as I was told."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara adjusted her glasses.
The movement small.
Precise.
Controlled.
"And you're exactly as annoying as I expected."
The smile twitched.
Just slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Victoria hadn't expected resistance this quickly.
Most people became defensive.
Most people became curious.
Most people tried to figure her out.
Amara appeared completely uninterested in playing by normal rules.
The realization fascinated her.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
"May I sit?"
Silence.
Amara looked at the empty chair.
Then at Victoria.
Then back at the chair.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"No."
Absolute silence.
A waiter accidentally dropped a spoon somewhere nearby.
The poor man had perfect timing.
Victoria blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
Because nobody ever told her no.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Amara picked up her coffee.
Unbothered.
Completely.
The specialist laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound warm.
Genuine.
Unexpected.
"Now I understand."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara frowned.
"What."
Victoria leaned slightly against the table.
Studying her.
Observing her.
Learning.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"I understand why Lorenzo likes you."
The restaurant froze.
Immediately.
The betrayal.
The bringing-up-Lorenzo betrayal.
Undefeated.
Amara's expression didn't change.
Not visibly.
Not noticeably.
Not to normal people.
Unfortunately for Amara...
Victoria wasn't normal people.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because she caught it.
The tiny shift.
The microscopic reaction.
The almost invisible softening around the eyes.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Interesting information.
Useful information.
Dangerous information.
Across town, Lorenzo Vitale was losing his mind.
Professionally.
Naturally.
The moment he'd discovered Amara had left the clinic without telling him where she was going, he'd known exactly what happened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
One of his captains watched him pace.
Then watched him pace some more.
Then wisely remained silent.
Very smart.
Very, very smart.
Because Lorenzo looked one inconvenience away from declaring war on a neighboring state.
The betrayal.
The stress-induced betrayal.
Undefeated.
Meanwhile...
Back at the hotel...
Victoria sat down anyway.
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
Amara immediately looked offended.
Reasonable.
Very reasonable.
The specialist smiled.
"I've heard wonderful things about you."
Silence.
Amara looked unimpressed.
Naturally.
"I'm sure."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Victoria folded her hands.
Perfect posture.
Perfect composure.
Perfect control.
The kind of control that took years to master.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You're not curious?"
The question came honestly.
Surprisingly honestly.
Because most people were curious.
Most people wanted answers.
Most people wanted information.
Amara sipped her coffee.
Calmly.
Professionally.
Then:
"No."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Victoria stared.
Then stared harder.
Because that answer made absolutely no sense.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You aren't curious why I'm here?"
Amara shrugged.
The movement casual.
Dismissive.
Dangerous.
"If you wanted me dead, I'd already be dead."
A pause.
"If you wanted money, you'd talk to Lorenzo."
Another.
"If you wanted my business, you'd attack my clinic."
Silence.
Victoria listened.
Interested despite herself.
Very interested.
"So?"
Amara set down her coffee.
Then looked directly into the other woman's eyes.
The confidence there was absolute.
Unshakable.
Terrifying.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"So whatever you're doing..."
A pause.
"...it's personal."
Absolute silence.
For the first time since arriving in Chicago...
Victoria felt genuinely surprised.
Because she'd spent weeks studying Amara.
Weeks preparing.
Weeks planning.
And somehow...
Within five minutes...
Amara had started figuring her out.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The realization should've worried her.
Instead...
It made her smile.
Because suddenly this wasn't work anymore.
This was interesting.
Dangerously interesting.
Then a shadow appeared beside the table.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Familiar.
Both women looked up.
And there stood Lorenzo Vitale.
Silence.
Immediate silence.
The king had arrived.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Waiters moved away.
Guests looked elsewhere.
Even the air felt different.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Lorenzo's eyes immediately found Amara.
Checking.
Inspecting.
Ensuring she was unharmed.
Only after confirming she was fine did he look at Victoria.
And suddenly...
The room became much colder.
Victoria smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
Because she'd finally achieved her first objective.
The king was here.
And the game could truly begin.
End Chapter 35