Page 248 of Mario
Not much.
Barely enough for anyone else to notice.
I notice.
“Ricardo,” I say.
His gaze moves from me to her.
For one second, his expression does not change at all. Then something subtle passes through his eyes. Recognition first. Then assessment. Then something darker, gone before anyone would know it had been there.
“Julia O’Brien,” he says.
Her name sounds different in his voice.
Not warm. Not cold.
“Mr. Conti,” she says.
“Ricardo,” he corrects.
A faint pause.
Then she gives him the smallest polite nod. “Ricardo.”
I watch them both.
Julia’s composure is perfect. Too perfect. Her hands remain still at her sides, her chin lifted, her mouth calm. But the carefulness I saw in my office sharpens now, focused entirely on my brother.
Ricardo, for his part, looks at her the way he looks at problems he does not yet have enough information to solve.
“Julia will be starting on a probationary basis,” I say.
Ricardo’s gaze returns to mine.
There is a question there.
Several, actually.
He asks none of them in front of her.
“Then welcome to Conti Enterprises,” he says, looking back at Julia.
“Thank you.”
A perfectly professional exchange.
Dante rounds the corner and stops when he sees the three of us.
His eyes go first to Julia.
Then to his father.
“Dante,” I say. “Show Julia to HR.”
He nods and gestures to Julia to follow him.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Conti,” she tells me and holds her hand out to shake mine.
