Page 171 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

“Exactly.”

Then Mara turns to me.

“Ask Andrea if he managed to get a recording of their conversation.”

I leave the room to call Andrea and return a few minutes later.

The moment I walk back into the room, silence falls.

Mara avoids my gaze.

Valeria stares at the table.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Valeria answers a little too quickly.

I don’t react.

I simply place my phone in the center of the table and start the recording.

The audio quality is decent. We can hear the background noise of a restaurant: clinking glasses, muffled conversations, soft music. An isolated table, probably chosen on purpose.

Bianca’s voice comes first.

“It’s done. I got it. Here.”

A dull sound follows. Probably a USB drive being set on the table.

A few seconds of silence pass.

“How did you manage that?” Gaspard asks, clearly stunned.

“I simply knew how to seize an opportunity when it presented itself.”

Then she explains how she saw Valeria leave the office early and how Louane gave her access to the lab without suspecting anything.

“Most importantly, don’t open it here. Who knows if she planted a tracker on it? Let Wald deal with that.”

For a few seconds, only the sounds of the restaurant fill the recording.

Then Gaspard speaks again.

“How’s the pregnancy going?”

“Fine. No nausea so far. I have an appointment next week.”

“Will Dante be there?”

“Yes.”

“You really want him there after what he did to you?”

Bianca’s tone hardens slightly.

“I have no intention of giving up on him.”

Gaspard lets out an irritated grunt.