Chapter 41: Make me your enemy
Katherine entered the study of her son and found him reading a file. She stopped when Adam without lifting his head asked, "What does Mother need? If she has come here to preach about Sara, then she shouldn’t."
Adam closed the file, lowering the pen atop it.
"No. I am here to talk to you," Katherine said. "I understand the agony you are in. Falcone Industries was the vision of our family which you took forward." She then lowered herself onto the chair, setting her cane gently to one side.
"Mother, years ago Jennifer broke my trust and ran off," Adam began. "And now her daughter has done the same. I trusted Sara more than anyone."
Katherine’s gaze softened. "She feared you, Adam. That fear drove her to make choices she shouldn’t have had to make. Don’t forget how you treated her or the kind of fears you planted in her since she was young."
Adam exhaled sharply, jaw tightening. "I only asked her to step down as CEO. I was even willing to protect her by marrying her to my best friend’s son. But Sara, being as stubborn as she is, wouldn’t listen. She kept asking me for time." He paused, his voice dropping lower. "And I made the mistake of giving it to her."
"You were going to marry her off to a man without even consulting her?" Katherine’s voice trembled between disbelief and anger. "Adam, what’s wrong with you? I’m certain Sara had a reason, a plan, before she signed the company over as a subsidiary to the Augustino Group. You didn’t even believe her when she swore she hadn’t committed any financial fraud. You know your stepson was behind it."
"Mom," Adam snapped. "Don’t accuse Diego without proof. The evidence is all against Sara. Let’s not talk about it anymore. You say I was going to make her marry against her will, but she did. De Augustino Family and I were rivals. But Sara went to Luca, who is known to twist the deals in his way."
Katherine furrowed her brows together, realizing her son was no longer in the favor of Sara.
Then, Adam said with a warning, "Mother, don’t bring up Sara in front of me again. This is the last time we talked about her."
Katherine shook her head and held her cane. Without uttering another word, she walked out Adam’s study, leaving him alone.
~~~~~
Frida clicked her heels impatiently against the marble floor, her eyes fixed on the phone screen. "Why hasn’t she said anything yet?" she muttered under her breath. Yesterday, she had sent Sara the pictures of Asher’s bruises, surely that should have sparked some kind of response. But nothing. Not even a single word.
Just then, the door to her office opened.
Her assistant stepped in, holding a folder.
"I’d like to be alone," Frida said sharply.
The assistant froze, then nodded quickly before retreating and closing the door behind her.
Frida exhaled, her nails tapping against the edge of her phone as she stared at the silent screen. She called Asher, but his phone was switched off
"He broke up with me because of Sara, and then vanished," Frida muttered, fist curling around her phone. "My stepsister doesn’t even care where he is. I thought she had a soft spot for Asher. I’m sure Luca is behind all this."
The phone rang before she could think further. She hit answer without checking the caller ID.
"Am I speaking to Miss Frida Falcone?" a calm, masculine voice asked.
"Yes. Who is this?" Frida shot back.
"Luca De Augustino."
Frida’s eyes widened as she registered the number, this wasn’t a mobile line but a landline. Her fingers tightened on the handset. "Why are you calling me?" she demanded.
"To warn you for one last time," Luca said, voice low and hard. "Stop contacting my wife."
Frida’s lips curled with disbelief. "You can’t tell me who I can or can’t call."
"Try it," he replied coldly. "Keep reaching for Sara and I’ll make sure your little business collapses. You’ve been poking around, showing up at my family’s house, suggesting my mother for the seperation of me and Sara. Make me your enemy and I won’t stop until you and your brother are begging in the street."
"Does Sara know you threaten people around?" Frida snapped.
"You won’t listen, will you?" Luca chuckled darkly, and hung up.
Frida stared at the silent phone for a few seconds before slamming it onto the desk. "Hah! How dare he threaten me? He thinks he owns the damn world!" she muttered through clenched teeth.
She leaned back in her swivel chair, eyes closing as she tried to calm the storm building inside her.
The door opened suddenly. Her assistant rushed in, holding a tablet. "Madam, Nicholas just called off the apparel funding deal with us!"
"What?" Frida shot upright, her pulse spiking. "That deal was finalised yesterday!"
The assistant hesitated. "He said... He doesn’t want to be involved with your-your company anymore."
Frida’s breath hitched. ’Luca...’ she thought, fury burning through her veins. "So this is how he plays his game." She ran her fingers through her hair and grabbed the phone.
Frida called back immediately, but no one answered. She again and again until it was finally answered.
"Hello?"
It was a woman’s voice.
"Luca! I want to speak to Luca De Augustino?" Frida asked with desperation.
"Who? You’ve dialed the wrong number," the woman replied curtly before hanging up.
"No! It’s—damn it!" Frida shouted, slamming her palm on the desk.
Her assistant flinched at the sudden outburst, eyes wide with fear as Frida stood there trembling with rage.
"Call Nicholas. Tell him I would like to see him personally," Frida said, quickly grabbing her handbag from the other side of the desk.
"Ma’am, his assistant has asked not to contact them ever again," the assistant replied.
Frida slumped onto the chair as a wry laugh escaped her mouth. "I worked so hard for this," she muttered.