“Tell him the press release is off the table. For now. We’ll revisit it after the dust settles.”
“What if the dust never settles?”
I turn to look back at her. “Then I’ll deal with it. The way I deal with everything.”
She nods, knowing better than to push. “Okay. And just so you know, whatever happens tomorrow, you’ve got people in your corner. Don’t forget that.”
I nod because I don’t trust myself to speak.
“Now go.” She stands up and flashes an encouraging smile. “Show them the boss is still the boss.”
The leadership team is assembled around the long mahogany table in the conference room. It’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop in the room. Patrick, my CFO, looks concerned, his eyebrows knitted together. Priya, head of marketing, taps her pen on the wood grain. Devin, general counsel, doodles in his notebook. And Sarah, my COO, the one who’s been holding things together while I’ve been at the hospital, stares out the window.
They all look up when I walk in. I can read the questions on their faces. The worry etched into their expressions. The uncertainty in their worried gazes.
“Thank you for coming together on short notice,” I say, taking my seat at the head of the table. “I know there’s been a lotof speculation this week. I wanted to address it directly to avoid any rumors from starting.”
“Is your father—?” Sarah starts.
I grip my pen tight and interrupt her. “As you already know from the news coverage, my father, Francesco DiMicheli, was targeted in an attack at the charity gala I attended the other night. I’ve always kept my family name private in my business dealings for obvious reasons, but now that the cat is out of the bag, I want to give you a status on his condition. He’s stable but still in a coma. The doctors are cautiously optimistic, but there’s no timeline for recovery.”
Silence falls over the room again, hovering like a dark cloud.
“In his absence,” I continue when nobody speaks, “I need to manage certain family obligations along with my responsibilities here. That’s going to continue for the foreseeable future.”
Patrick leans forward and looks around the table before he focuses his attention on me. “Adriana, we’ve also heard rumors in the news. About a wedding. Is there something we should know?”
I grit my teeth. Of course they have. Nothing stays secret in this world for long. It’s bad enough I was just outed as Francesco DiMicheli’s daughter.
“I’m getting married tomorrow.”
The words land like a grenade with the pin pulled out. Priya’s pen stops tapping. Devin’s head snaps up. Sarah’s eyes widen.
“So it’s true,” Sarah says.
“Yes. To Lochlan Molloy.”
More silence. And it’s heavier this time.
“The Molloys,” Devin says carefully. “As in?—”
“Yes. That family.” I keep my voice steady. Confident. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months. Privately. I’m sure you can understand why I kept it quiet, given my family’s business interests as well as his.”
The lie tastes like vinegar on my tongue. But it’s the lie I haveto sell. Even though my board is also under NDAs, I can’t tell them the truth. Jayne is so entrenched in my life that I can’t very well keep my secret from her. But everyone else? To have them hear that I’ve been forced into a marriage of convenience? At forty years old? To the son of a notorious mobster? It would undermine everything I’ve done to solidify myself as a power player in a legitimate business. I can’t even imagine the hit our stock would take if that got out. So I embellish and give more validity to this fake relationship than it actually deserves.
No, this is the only way. A little white lie to preserve all of our livelihoods.
Patrick clears his throat. “This seems kind of… sudden. The timing, I mean. With your father?—”
“The timing isn’t ideal. But after what happened at the gala, we didn’t want to wait.” I fold my hands on the table, trying to look like the picture of calm when my insides are in a complete frenzy. “Life is short. We’ve all been reminded of that.”
They exchange glances. I can see the skepticism. The questions they’re too polite to ask. Let them wonder. As long as they don’t know the truth.
“Nothing about this company will change,” I say. “I’m still the CEO. I’m still running things. My personal life won’t affect our operations. You have my word on that.”
“But your bandwidth—” Patrick starts.
“My bandwidth is my concern. I’ve managed worse.” I haven’t, but they don’t need to know that. “Sarah will continue as COO with expanded authority. Priya will handle day-to-day operations. Devin, I need you on standby for any legal complications that arise.”
