A text from Craig.
'Craig??' Claire thought in complete disbelief.
Standing at the doorway, she looked back at Lucas, who had settled into bed, casually flipping through a magazine. Her gaze shifted to his phone, resting on the far side of the bed. It hit her—he couldn't have been the one who texted her.
Just as her mind was racing, Lucas looked up at her, a calm expression on his face.
"You alright?"
Claire swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah… yeah I'm fine."
'What game are you playing?' She wondered as she exited the room.
She headed down the stairs, into the preparation hall and joined Natalia on the exotic fabric sofa, still contemplating whether or not to open the text.
'Could be one of his kids just reaching out for help,' she thought, trying to convince herself that she was only overreacting. So she opened the message:
"Hey Claire, it's Craig. Can't talk on the phone right now, but I'll call you as soon as I can."
Claire still couldn't believe it. She made up her mind not to reply until whoever was on the other end decided to call.
The fact, however, that she didn't see his body or hear any reports on where he was buried, bothered her.
Claire slipped her phone back into her pocket, deciding to play it cool for the moment. She couldn't afford to lose focus—not with everything else happening. But in the back of her mind, the message troubled her thoughts.
'Could it really be him?' she wondered.
"Everything alright, Signora?" Natalia asked, noticing her distraction.
"Yeah, just… stuff," Claire said, forcing a smile. "And also, you know you don't have to call me Signora right?"
"I do, actually," Natalia replied. "The Don has commanded we treat you as his wife, both in private and in public."
"Oh," Claire muttered, a bit taken aback by Lucas's commitment to their contract. "Alright then, let's go over the script."
Natalia opened her notebook and smoothed out the pages. "So, for tomorrow's event—"
"Wait, tomorrow? I thought it was on the 16th."
"Umm, yeah, tomorrow is the 16th," Natalia replied with a soft chuckle.
"I'm so sorry," Claire said, laughing, embarrassed. "The days have gone by so fast."
"I understand, ma'am," Natalia said reassuringly. "So, for tomorrow's event, think about it being three times bigger than the previous one."
Claire exhaled with nervousness at those words.
'No pressure. No pressure,' She thought to herself as Natalia continued.
"You'll be meeting the Don's most important clients from around the world, and the goal is simple: make them fall in love with you. But I don't think that should be a problem," Natalia said jokingly, her innocent smile lighting up her face.
Claire chuckled lightly. "Oh, you're so cute," she replied.
'Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get Lucas to like me… and not, you know, murder everyone I know,' Claire thought silently.
Natalia continued, "Let's go through the biggest shots. First, there's Mr Ricci. He's one of Don Benetti's oldest associates. He and his father were close friends. He's very traditional, so it's advisable to address him with utmost respect. Keep your answers short and let him do most of the talking."
"Got it. Formal and quiet," Claire stated to indicate she was following.
Natalia nodded approvingly before she continued, "Then there's Signora Giovanni. She's elderly and probably one of the most powerful people you'll meet there. She's pretty sweet though so it won't take much for you to charm her."
'Oh she sounds lovely,' Claire thought.
Then Natalia continued, "But don't get too comfortable around her, because she's insanely intelligent and could easily use whatever you say against you if it benefits her."
'Well nevermind,' Claire silently concluded. It felt like she had to accurately calculate her every step. Like chess. 'I hate chess.'
"Great," She said out loud with a sigh. "Sounds fun."
Natalia smiled. "She's not as bad as she seems, just keep your guard up. But Don Bianchi—that's where it gets tricky. He's not exactly Don Benetti's biggest fan, so he'll probably spend the night trying to figure you out. You've got to be confident, but don't overdo it. He'll notice."
"What's his deal, anyway?" Claire asked curiously. "Why does he hate Lucas?"
Natalia lowered her voice a little as she answered, "It's the same old story: money and power. The Bianchi family has wanted control over the Arab sector for decades now. And now, Don Benetti seems to be the most likely to have it, so—"
"Hold on, hold on, I'm sorry to interrupt," Claire cut in. "But why do you always refer to Lucas as 'Don Benetti,' even when he's not around?"
Natalia's voice dropped even lower, almost a whisper, as she glanced around briefly. "I don't know who's listening."
Claire looked into her eyes and saw genuine fear. "Wow, are you really that scared of him?"
Natalia scooted closer to Claire, causing her to adjust a little. She spoke in what was now definitely a whisper, "I've seen him do some very bad things, Madam Benetti. He once…" Natalia paused, looking around the empty room to ensure it really was empty, and continued, "…he once gouged a man's eyes out and fed them to him. I used to think that only happened in movies. But I saw it myself and…and…" her voice cracked, and Claire reached for her hand, squeezing it softly.
"He's capable of very dangerous things, Claire. Please be careful," Natalia concluded as she shifted back to her original position, her professional expression taking back its place.
"Anyway," she continued, clearing her throat, "that's the summary of the people you should be expecting to meet at the event tomorrow. I'll be there to assist with anything you need, so don't worry."
Claire smiled. "Thanks, Natalia. You're the best."
They went over a lot of other things. Zarah joined them eventually for a review of her outfit and makeup. After a lot of work and snack breaks, their prep session finally came to an end.
Claire, who was already exhausted, excused herself and headed to her room. As soon as she shut the door behind her, she felt her phone vibrate. Another text from 'Craig'.
"Hey, it's Craig again. I won't be able to call. I think my phone is being tapped. Can we just meet instead?"
Her gaze immediately shifted to the top left corner of her screen to look at the time.
7:51 PM.
"Where are you? She replied.