Chapter 169

The bright fluorescent lights overhead cast a sterile, pearlish sheen over the opulent office. Ari studied Sebastian, his gaze lingering on the trembling hands that clutched the armrests of the plush chair. The old man looked a decade older than his fifty-nine years, his skin like stretched parchment clinging to brittle bones. Ari glanced at his watch. ‘Now, will you tell me why you insisted on having this meeting? I’m rather pressed for time.’ Sebastian settled into the leather chair across from him, his every movement betraying the weakness that lay beneath his attempt at bravado. ‘Straight to the point, then,’ he began. ‘I know about you and Elodie.’ Ari kept his polite smile firmly in place. ‘That’s hardly a secret, Mr Fontaine.’ ‘Is it not?’ Sebastian scoffed. ‘Tell me, Mr Moretti, is your relationship with her genuine… or are you just playing a part?’ The question caught Ari off guard. He had anticipated many things from this meeting, but not a personal interrogation about his pr