Page 40 of The Art of Ruin

Nico sets the reports down with deliberate care, aligning the edges once against the table before releasing them.

Most people missed the signs when Nico was angry, too.

I never have.

“Did Claire leave?” Nico asks.

Matteo nods once. “Bathroom. Probably to murder him herself.”

“Reasonable.”

The corner of my mouth almost moves before I stop it.

Matteo points at Nico immediately. “See? Thank you.”

“I didn’t say you were right.”

“You didn’t say I was wrong either.”

“Threatening investors creates paperwork,” I say.

“That sounds like an Adriano problem.”

“It becomes a Nico problem when the board starts panicking.”

Matteo shrugs, restless again already, fingers tapping once against the armrest. “Then maybe shareholders should stop talking to women like they’re decorative.”

Silence settles briefly after that.

Not uncomfortable.

Just heavy with the kind of understanding that didn’t need explaining between the three of us anymore.

Nico reaches for the acquisition file beside him. “What’s the damage?”

Finally. Something useful. I slide the folder across the table, watching Matteo sit up straighter despite himself. “Three shell companies started quietly purchasing minority shares six months ago,” I say. “Small amounts. Spread deliberately thin.”

Nico scans the figures quickly. “You think someone’s building a position.”

“I know they are.”

Matteo’s expression sharpens instantly, humor dropping away so fast it almost changes his face.

That was the other thing people misunderstood about him.

Chaos was often camouflage.

“Hostile?” he asks.

“Eventually.”

I reach for the cold espresso near my elbow and grimace slightly after the first sip. Bitter now. I drink it anyway.

“They’re probing going for a voting structure first. Looking for operational weaknesses and response times.” I tap the final page. “Whoever’s behind it understands patience.”

Matteo scoffs softly. “Cute.”

“Don’t underestimate patience,” I say. “People willing to move slowly are usually the dangerous ones.”