Page 54 of Rio (Knight Empire #3)

RIO

Dex and I have been working nonstop.

I didn’t want to get the others involved, not when this is going to piss the old man off bigtime. I don’t want him going after them the way he went after me, though after this, hopefully it will make him pause and think. If he’s capable of such things.

Dani’s been staying with Raquel and I’ve been hearing updates through Dex. Little slivers of information of how she’s holding up.

I’m still so cut up about her being fired. That news devastated me. I know how deep that must hurt. And just as bad, EcoGuardians, the people she genuinely respected, feel let down by her. I know how much they meant to her, and how much she meant to them.

It fucking sucks, all of it. What sucks most of all is how much damage the old man causes for the sake of propping up his own ego. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself, and he’d burn down someone’s life so he could stand taller in the ashes of theirs.

Just so he can convince himself that we’re all still dancing in the palm of his hand.

Well. Screw him.

I’ve called a board meeting, something that’s never happened before, not for something like this.

Maximum public stakes. Irreversible fallout.

A corporate reckoning. Dex and I rehearsed it over and over again until every step, every word is firm in my muscle memory, but still, the weight of what I’m about to do weighs heavily.

You don’t expose the old man and forget about it. But that’s the only way I can think of to turn this around. Funny how life shifts. Not long ago, it was me and my brothers fighting alongside Dex, to help Dani’s father.

Now it’s me and Dex fighting to help Raquel.

This seems like the perfect opportunity to expose the old man for what he is. Up until now we’ve never done anything like this, but he seems to be getting worse. He’s becoming more emboldened. Dude thinks he can manipulate us and bend us to his will.

He issued veiled threats and quiet warnings. Wanted me to turn a blind eye and shut the hell up. I can’t do that. This Eco resort isn’t just some glossy PR stunt. It’s a lie. A front for environmental crimes and, worse than that, it was the catalyst to bring down the woman I love.

Tomas has been helping me from the ground in Belize. He’s being brave, putting himself in danger, and I appreciate all he’s doing.

He’s tracked down internal emails, real evidence, showing that the old man ordered the falsified data. There are memos going back over a year, proving that Delport orchestrated an intentional cover-up.

We have documents detailing first-hand proof that directly contradicts the reports Raquel submitted.

She didn’t fail. She was set up and I have everything I need to expose the old man and I plan to do it publicly—not over some torturous Knight family dinner where we smile through gritted teeth and try to force the food down.

This one gets resolved in a board meeting. The proper way.

Vilma reached out to me, via Tomas. She warned me that she was taking a big personal risk, but when she heard about Raquel, she was upset.

She told me, “You didn’t get this from me.

I’m not doing this for you—I’m doing it for her.

Raquel deserves better than silence. And if I lose my job over this, so be it. ”

She said she still believes in EcoGuardians, but Raquel didn’t fail the NGO, they failed her. To keep her safe, I’ve asked her to act as a technical reviewer. That’s all. I’ve asked her to verify environmental inconsistencies in the data that the old man via the third-party, submitted.

She’s risking her job and reputation to do what’s right. Just like Raquel did.

Now I’m going to defend Raquel in front of the entire board.I can’t legally stream the board meeting live, because its a private and confidential, but I need to show Raquel that I did it. I stood up for her, and I stood up to the old man.

Dani’s been working to bring Raquel to New York, to meet Cari. To have a change of scenery. Dani’s arranged it so that the girls have a relaxing evening in, with wine and cheese and whatever the heck they want.

I’m going to publicly defend the woman I love and I don’t care if it costs me my position in the company.

I need to vindicate her. I need to restore her career—or at least salvage her name. Maybe she doesn’t want to go back to Tovey when all the Knights came to our home in S?o Paulo, the day before Dex and Dani’s wedding, and then at the wedding. She seemed nice. Sweet. The perfect young mum to little Brooke.

I hesitated, because—well—Rio’s in New York, but in the end, I agreed. I did need a change. When Dani told me Cari had offered to host us at Jett’s apartment, in the afternoon, I didn’t know what to expect.

“Doesn’t she work?” I ask. I recall Dani telling me about Cari’s flower shop.

“She’s taking time off today.”

“For me?”

“She’s lovely.” Dani tugs me toward the door. “We’re growing close. You’ll always be my bestie, Raquel, but it’s nice to have someone here too. Someone who gets it. Cari offered to host, and I thought—it’s perfect.”

I glance at the sleek apartment block as we approach. I’ve never been here. I’ve only ever seen the apartment block where Rio and his brothers live. This place also feels expensive.

I pause at the door. “What if Jett’s home, with his brothers?” Though Rio likely won’t be here. He and Dex are close.

Dani laughs. “Relax. They’re still at work. There’s no Jett. No Dex. No fancy black-tie dinner tonight, and that would be at their father’s penthouse. That’s not something we’d willing want to attend. Relax, hon. It’s only the three of us, a couch, wine, and too many carbs.”

“You promise?” I still feel nervous, and I don’t understand why. I was fine, until we landed in New York. Somehow knowing that I could run into Rio, makes me feel anxious.

“I swear. Now get in there.”

The door opens before we can knock. Cari stands there, smiling softly. “Hey, Raquel, welcome.” To my surprise, she leans in and gives me a warm hug which I wasn’t expecting.

“Thank you for inviting me over.” I hold out a bag with chocolates, wine and a cuddly toy for Brooke.

“You shouldn’t have, but thank you.” She takes the bag, and she and Dani hug. “Thanks, for convincing her.”

Convincing her? I’m not sure I heard right. I enter and look around the apartment Like Rio, Jett also has a penthouse. I can see a hot tub and a terrace outside. It’s all sleek and modern, and I’d expect nothing less.

“Where’s Brooke?” I ask. I want to see her face when she pulls out the cuddly elephant.

“She’s at school, and after that she’s going to her friend Eden’s for a playdate. We have the entire evening to ourselves.”

“I wasn’t sure about this,” I admit as we step inside. “But thank you for having me.”

Cari smiles. “We all need our girlie me-time, especially when the world’s been a little cruel.” Her voice is warm and kind with no trace of judgement or tension. I can see why Dani likes her so much.

It’s only early afternoon, which I find odd. I would have expected something like this in the evening, at the end of the working day.

The living room smells like freshly popped popcorn. There are bowls of M&Ms and pretzels, little platters of cheese and grapes, and three empty wine glasses.

“Red, white, rosé or champagne?” Cari asks.

“Champagne!” Dani cries.

“Let’s start with some wine first, and then we can move onto the champagne?” Cari gives her a look which I can only describe as cryptic. I start to wonder what is going on.

“Rosé,” Dani suggests, and Cari disappears into the kitchen, I presume.

I turn to Dani. “What is going on?”

“Nothing.” It’s when she smiles sweetly that I know I should be worried. Cari returns with the rosé and pours generously. “To healing, and new friendships.”

I clink my glass against hers, then Dani’s.

“To not being alone,” I add quietly. I’m so passionate in defending others, but when it comes to me, I’m too hard on myself.

Seeing their warm smiles, and the understanding in their eyes, I realize that it’s okay to lean on people.

That strength isn’t always about standing alone, but sitting beside the ones who won’t let you fall.

“Rom-com or breakup revenge?” I ask, feeling comfortable, and relaxed as I sink back into the oversized couch.

Cari looks at me. “You choose, and maybe we can watch that later.”

“Later?”

“Hon.” Dani turns to me. Here it comes. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I know when something isn’t quite right.

“It’s ready,” Cari says, fiddling around with a laptop and cables. I have a feeling we’re not about to watch something a rom-com.