The eting ended without ceremony.
Arianne gathered her docunts calmly as the board mbers filed out, their conversations resuming in low voices. No one lingered. No one pressed for her opinion again.
Lucas’s reminder during the eting had effectively drawn a line across the table.
She stepped into the corridor and paused.
Gio was already there.
He stood a short distance away, a tablet in hand. The mont he noticed her, Gio straightened and strode towards her, adjusting his pace to match hers.
"Your schedule has shifted," he told her quietly. "Three follow-up requests. I filtered two."
Arianne nodded. "Thanks."
They walked side by side, their steps naturally aligned. There was no need for explanation, no need to ask how he knew where to be. Gio had always anticipated rather than reacted.
Behind them, soone called Arianne’s na.
"Ms. Sumrs."
Arianne stopped. Gio turned with her, already positioning himself half a step closer.
One of the executives approached her.
"We’d appreciate it if you could take another look at the Orion projections. Just to confirm a few assumptions."
"I’ll review what was discussed today," Arianne replied.
The man hesitated, then nodded. "Of course."
As he left, Gio waited until they were out of earshot before speaking again.
"That makes four, Aria."
Arianne exhaled softly. "They’re moving quickly."
Gio nodded.
Not impatiently. Not aggressively.
They reached the elevator. Gio pressed the button and glanced at the screen on his tablet.
"I’ve adjusted your afternoon," he continued. "There’s an informal review scheduled. No invitation, but you were copied."
Arianne’s lips curled. "Already."
Gio t her eyes for a mont. "Do you want to decline?"
She considered it for a mont, then shook her head. "Not yet."
The doors slid open, and they stepped inside.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them wasn’t awkward. In fact, it never was. Gio had learned long ago when silence was preferable to reassurance. Arianne had already anticipated these invitations.
"They’re assuming your availability," he said at last.
Arianne rely humd.
"And authority."
She smiled faintly. "That’s new."
Gio frowned. "It isn’t."
The elevator stopped. They stepped out into the lobby, where employees and guests ca and went. A few of them glanced their way, but none bothered to stop her. After attending a few etings at the Rochefort Group, people had already beco accustod to seeing her.
Gio stood beside her, waiting.
"What else, Gio?" she asked, sensing his hesitation.
"Legal has started tagging your input," he finally answered after a mont of careful deliberation. "Not formally, but your na appears in the internal notes."
"As what?"
"Context," Gio replied. "They used you as a reference, but not an authority."
Arianne nodded. "That would be a problem soon."
Gio inclined his head in understanding. He had seen this expression on Arianne’s face years ago.
Back then, he had been younger. Newly orphaned, he was cast out by his brothers, who had no wish to have anything to do with him.
His mother, a married woman, had an indecent affair with Arianne’s father. Giovanni Fairchild was the product of that affair.
Gio can still rember that one rainy afternoon. After being chased away by his brothers, Arianne found him. She stood before him with a cold expression on her face, a large umbrella in one hand. She had taken him in without question.
It didn’t take long before he found out she was his father’s daughter. The legitimate daughter.
Arianne had not corrected the rumors. She had simply placed him beside her and treated him as if he belonged there. Over ti, people had stopped questioning it.
He had heard people say she was cold and unfeeling, but Gio knew better. His older sister wasn’t affectionate, but when she loved, she showed it in many ways.
With her, Gio never had to go to bed with an empty stomach. Never to endure the coldness of the night, because she provided a roof above his head. Never worry about dropping out of school because she had already settled everything.
He owed her more than loyalty. He owed her his place in the world.
Arianne had given him the freedom to choose what he wanted in life, but he chose to remain by her side. He’d willingly chosen a role where he could aid and protect her.
"I can push back if you want," he suggested.
"No," Arianne replied without hesitation. "Leave them be for now."
Gio accepted that easily.
When they reached outside the building, Gio opened the car door for her before circling to the other side. Once inside, he handed her the tablet.
"I’ve consolidated the request," he said. "You can decide which to acknowledge."
Arianne scrolled through them. Nothing was inappropriate. None had crossed a line so far.
"How long do you plan to stay?" Gio asked as Arianne handed him back the tablet.
When Arianne called him a week ago to say her departure would be delayed, Gio had already assud sothing must have happened. Sothing was stopping Arianne from leaving Montclair.
Arianne did not answer imdiately.
"I don’t know yet," she said a mont later.
Gio glanced at her, surprised by her uncertainty. He’d heard about the marriage proposal from the Rochefort twins from Aunt Estella. He’d expected Arianne to turn it down, yet she remained undecided.
"That’s unusual," he remarked.
Arianne let out a chuckle. "I know. It shouldn’t be."
She leaned back against the seat, feeling a bit more exhausted than usual.
"I intended to finish what I was asked to do and leave. That was the plan."
"And now?"
"The problem Alex left behind is more serious than what I anticipated. If I leave midway, the Rochefort Group would suffer without having any chance to recover." Arianne replied.
Gio understood. The mont the Rochefort Group showed weakness, others would take advantage of it. Without Alexander Rochefort, problems rose one after another.
"Gio?"
"Yeah?"
"If things shift," she continued, "I want to know before they decide for ."
"You will," he answered, understanding her intention. "Finn is keeping updated with the internal affairs."
Finn was Alex’s personal assistant, who was now working for Franz.
Arianne thanked him. She was grateful for how efficient he was.
She had not planned to stay.
But Montclair was already responding as if she had.
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