“Live data. Red means underperforming.” He turned to face me. “They have the same product but different behavior. Tell me the difference.”
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it, but he was serious. I cleared my throat, turned back to the screens, and stepped closer. I studied the lines, determined to understand even without the right tools.
“What does this mean?” I pointed at a specific spike.
He glanced at it. “ There was an auction. That’s a rise.”
I nodded and kept looking. After a long moment, I stepped back.
“I don’t know the technical terms,” I said, eyes still moving across the display. “But it looks like you’re sending too much into a market that’s already comfortable.” I pointed at the Hong Kong screen. “The rise came from the auction, you said so. Which means they spike when there’s noise, then go quiet.”
I felt his eyes on me, and I kept going.
“Hong Kong isn’t weak. They sold after the auction, and after that, it just stopped. It means they’re not slow because people won’t buy. They’re slow because whoever’s managing it doesn’t know how to keep the momentum going once the spotlight moves on.”
I turned and found his eyes narrowed slightly, reading me like whatever I said was useful.
“Am I right?” I asked.
The corner of his mouth moved. He closed the space betweenus, and when I stepped back, his hand came to my lower waist and kept me where I was.
“Sharp eye,” he said. “I like it.”
He lifted his phone with his free hand and made a call while holding my gaze. It was doing things to me, considering the way he held me.
“Get rid of the Hong Kong manager.” He ordered someone, and my heart stalled. “Find a replacement in twenty-four hours.” He hung up.
I gulped. What just happened? “Wait, does ‘get rid of the manager’ mean you fired them?”
He smiled, and before he answered, someone appeared at the entrance.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Caitlin walked in with her hands folded in front of her. The careful, respectful posture from earlier returned in full effect. But the man behind her pulled my attention. He looked familiar, and his hand sitting on her shoulder made my skin tighten. Caitlin looked scared.
“I wanted to apologize about yesterday,” she said when they stopped in front of us. “I didn’t know taking her to that boutique would put her in danger.”
“We were both in danger,” I said quickly, looking between her and Dmitri. “We already talked about it. And we are both okay.” The hand on her shoulder wasn’t loosening. “Can you let go of her? Dmitri, tell him to let her go. She already apologized.”
“What is this?” Dmitri asked.
“She had to apologize in person,” the man said, his grip not moving.
“She already did that. Can you stop hurting her?” I looked at Dmitri directly. “Tell him.”
Dmitri’s eyes moved to the man. “Your wife was also in danger. I thought I made that clear.”
His wife?
“Yes, boss.” He released Caitlin’s shoulder.
I stared. “He’s your husband?”
Caitlin forced the smile back onto her face. “Yes. This is Ivan.”
I looked at Ivan. Something about his face pulled at the back of my mind, trying to connect to where I saw him. “Have we met before? You look familiar.”
He ignored me completely and dipped his head toward Dmitri. “We’ll leave, sir.” He turned, and his hand went back to Caitlin’s shoulder, steering her.
