روايات بقلم JOYY

❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈ Natalie ❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈I was still staring at Leonardo when the silence finally broke; Special Projects Coordinator.The title echoed inside my head over and over again like repeating it would make it sound less ridiculous.Nearly forty executives sat around the conference table staring at me with different degrees of confusion and disbelief.While few looked like they were actively questioning Leonardo’s sanity.I couldn't blame them, because I was questioning it too.Meanwhile, Leonardo looked completely unfazed by the chaos he had just created.Afterward, the meeting began almost immediately as the people discussed, I sat through the meeting understanding maybe a third of what was said.Numbers, Projections, names attached to departments I didn't know existed. I nodded when it seemed expected and said nothing otherwise, every now and then I caught someone looking at me.some of them looked curious while others looked irritated.A woman look

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo ┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ The smile disappeared from Linda's face so quickly it was almost amusing. For a brief moment she simply stared at me like she was trying to determine whether I was bluffing or whether I actually knew the answer already. Then she laughed. It sounded forced. “You really came all the way here to accuse me of leaking your contract?" I didn't answer. She shook her head and reached for her wine glass. "That's insane.” Still, I said nothing while the silence lingered. It always amazed me how uncomfortable silence made people. Eventually she looked away first. “You haven't changed,” she muttered. "No.” A bitter smile appeared on her lips. "Still convinced you're always right.” "No," I replied and that made her look at me. “I'm convinced facts matter." The apartment became quiet again. Linda folded her arms, "then present your facts.” I leaned back slightly. "You were with me the day I initiated the contract.

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo ┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈By the time I returned home, the interview had already done what I wanted; Confusion, doubts, questions.The media no longer knew which version of the story to believe and uncertainty was always useful to me.I sat in my office while Andrei stood across from me holding a tablet. “The interview helped better than I expected,” he said.I looked up briefly.“The company's stock recovered more than five percent before market closed.”"Just five?” I said."That's better than reduction," he said. “Also the media is buzzing.” He handed the tablet to me, I glanced at the screen. Articles were appearing faster than anyone could keep track of them.MORETTI FIRES BACK AF FHE CONTRACT SCANDALWHAT DID LEONARDO MRAN BY “DO YOUR JOBS"?IS THE RELATIONSHIP REAL AFTER ALL?A humorless smile touched my lips as I scrolled silently.Exactly as planned, people had stopped discussing the leaked contract and started discussing uncertainty instead.

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo ┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈I barely slept. Every time I shifted in bed, pain shot through my shoulder, reminding me that getting shot was considerably less enjoyable than I had made it seem.By sunrise, I had given up on sleep entirely.The door bell rang and the door opened as Palmira walked into my room carrying coffee and a medical kit.The moment she saw me standing by the widow she sighed dramatically.“Wonderful. The patient is pretending he's healthy again." "I'm fine.”"That's exactly what people say before collapsing.”I ignored her and sat down.Palmira set the tray down before unwrapping the bandage around my shoulder.The wound looked better than yesterday. Not good. Just better."You should be resting,” she muttered."I have work.”"You have a death wish.”I almost smiled. Almost.Palmira finished replacing the bandage before narrowing her eyes at me. “You have a live television interview in a few hours.”I nodded once in agreement. “Appar

┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈ Leonardo ┈◆┈┈◇┈┈•⊰⊱•┈◆┈◇┈┈A soft thud hit against my door before it flung open without waiting for permission.Gloria stepped inside with the usual confidence she carried everywhere, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor as her gaze moved between Natalie and I.A faint smirk pulled at the corner of her lips. “Well… this feels strangely domestic.”Natalie shifted awkwardly beside me while I leaned back against the couch, completely unimpressed by Gloria's timing.“You usually wait for permission before entering rooms," I said dryly."And you usually avoid getting shot,” she replied smoothly, her eyes dropping briefly to the bandage wrapped around my arm. "Yet here we are." Natalie looked between us carefully, like she was trying to understand whether we were arguing or simply talking normally.With Gloria the line has always been thin. “What do you want?" I asked.Gloria walked towards the bar area and poured herself a drink with the comf

❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈ Natalie ❈─────≪ °❀° ≫─────❈I stood in front of the window in my room with my arms folded tightly across my chesr, staring beyond the estate gates while the evening sky painted the grounds gold.From up here the estate looked peaceful, almost too peaceful for a place carrying as many secrets as this one did, yet the calm outside did nothing to settle the uneasiness growing steadily inside me.Leonardo's car still had not returned.My phone suddenly rang against the table beside me, pulling me out of my thoughts instantly.Mama.I answered before the second ring. “Mama," I breathed immediately."Stephen?” I asked quickly. "Is he back?”A softer chuckle came from the other end. "Yes he's home.”Relief crashed into me so fast my knees almost weakened beneath me. “Oh my God," I whispered, laughing shakily as tears filled my eyes. “Thank God." “He's exhausted and dramatic as always, but he's safe," Mama continued. “Now tell me about you. When are you co