Page 10 of Innocent Bratva Twins

I’m allowing myself to cross dangerous lines here.

Fuck's sake, Nico. Pull it together.

I huff, my jaw clenching tightly as I sit up straighter in my chair and pull my laptop towards myself.Work. Focus on work.

But it’s impossible.

She’s right next door, and I’m already thinking up another excuse to go and talk to her.

I can’t stay away from her.

Chapter 4 - Serafina

The presentation is perfect. I’ve gone over it twice more just to make sure, even after Nico approved it. He’s obviously confident enough not to need it, but I wanted to understand the entire presentation so I didn’t look like a lost tart in a poppy field when I was sitting in on the meeting with him.

Glancing at my watch, I note we have exactly fifteen minutes.

“Nico?” I say his name as I walk into his office, and he looks up from his laptop. “It’s time.”

“Ahh. Shit. Yes, it is,” he groans.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, knitting my brows. It’s not like him to be this flustered or distracted before a meeting. He’s proven to be ahead of the game in pretty much every respect so far.

“Ugh, it’s just some issue at one of the warehouses, but my brother said he’ll head down there and sort it out. Let’s get going.”

I walk ahead of him towards the boardroom, where we are meeting with Swan and Associates, a husband and wife duo. Nico is not the only one in the office who has warned me that they can be ruthless. They’ll apparently cut you off mid-meeting if they aren’t interested.

That’s so much pressure. I’m really glad I’m not the one doing the talking today.

We get there a few minutes before them. I move around the boardroom, making sure the temperature is comfortable, the air flow is correct. There is already a jug of iced lemon water onthe table, and Nicole will come in and offer everyone coffee once the meeting has started.

When they arrive, Nico steps towards them with a confident, wide smile. He looks so incredible, like he could own the world if he wanted to.

“Mr. and Mrs. Swan. Welcome. Thank you for coming today.”

“Please, call me Penelope.”

“Jason.”

They each shake hands with Nico.

“This is Serafina.” He gestures towards me, and I greet them both, hoping my smile looks genuine, because I’m feeling nervous.

This is my first really big meeting with such high-up clients, and my stomach is filled with butterflies, dancing wildly.

I brush my hands over my crisp white dress. It stops just above my knees. I wore white heels to match. It has a high neckline, with cut-outs over my collar bones, long sleeves, and is tightly fitted; it makes me look like I’m wearing the dress version of a power suit. It makes me look like I know what I’m doing.

Nico pulls my chair out for me when I sit down.

Nicole comes in and asks who would like coffee. Both of the Swans say yes, so Nico and I say yes as well. It seems polite not to leave them drinking coffee alone.

Nico eases into the presentation in such a way that everything is natural and flows comfortably. I stay quiet and make notes here and there.

The Swans, so far, are paying attention, but not giving away any sign of interest.

A knock at the door draws our attention as we all turn to look. Nicole walks in with a tray of coffee and a tight expression on her face. This isn’t unusual, but her eyes are darker than they normally are, filled with worry.

“Sir,” she says, setting the coffee down, “I’m so sorry, but there is an emergency call for you.”