“Antonio,” I repeat, carefully.
Malcolm nods, obviously not picking up on my tone. “Antonio Conti.”
Eleanor’s mouth tilts. “Quite the charmer, that one.”
David snorts quietly. “That’s one way to put it.”
I force air back into my lungs and let it out evenly.
“A charmer,” I echo, blandly. “In what way?”
Eleanor leans back, fingers laced on the table, expression composed. “He has that… polished confidence,” she says. “The kind that makes people talk more than they intended. He’s good at it.”
David glances up. “He didn’t say much in a business capacity. Not directly. But he made sure everyone felt noticed.”
Malcolm nods. “He’s the sort who could sell you your own watch and make you thank him for the opportunity.”
I let out a small, controlled breath that could pass for mild interest.
“That’s not inherentlya problem,” I say.
“No,” Eleanor agrees. “Not inherently.”
Malcolm’s gaze stays on me. “You weren’t there. So you didn’t get a read.”
“No,” I say, and, thankfully, it comes out even. “I didn’t.”
My stomach twists anyway, because I did. I got a read on him that has nothing to do with boardrooms and everything to do with breathless kisses, sliding hands, and the way he zeroed in on me the second I walked into the room.
Like he knew me.
Like he knew exactly who I was.
I keep my face blank.
David taps his pen. “Roberto was clear about their intent. They want the acquisition to be clean. They emphasized compliance.”
“And yet they have a brother who works the floor,” Eleanor says, voice mild. “And who enjoys working the floor.”
Malcolm gives a faint shrug. “It’s their style. High touch. Relationship-forward.”
I nod once, as if I’m filing it away like any other data point.
“So,” I say, voice steady, “we have a polished operation, a strong face in Roberto, a competent operator in Caterina, and a… persuasive personality in Antonio.”
Eleanor’s eyes sharpen slightly, pleased with the phrasing. “Yes.”
Malcolm leans forward. “Which is why I want your focus to stay where it belongs. You’re not swayed by personalities.”
I almost laugh.
No. No, I’m not.
“I’m not swayed,” I agree.
David looks at his notes again. “The question is whether their compliance posture is real or performative.”
“That’s always the question,” I say, and this part is true enough to anchor me.
