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Hannah stepped into Il Club Delle Maschere, finding the dimly lit room humming with soft jazz, the murmur of hushed conversations, occasional outbreaks of laughter and the clink of crystal. She paused at the threshold, feeling a little uneasy at being there alone and wishing that Maria was with her. A server had seen her enter and approached, offering her a flute of champagne, which she accepted. She sipped it and moved deeper into the club.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Rossi among the peacocks, foxes and lions, but she couldn't immediately spot him. Instead, her gaze landed on a familiar figure near the bar - Reddy, Tanaka's CFO, wearing a simple black domino mask. He was leaning in close to a woman in a peacock mask, his expression intense. Hannah froze, her pulse quickening. He was one person she wanted to avoid at all costs. Or did she? She remembered Clare's instruction to find out why Reddy was rattled over their potential involvement with Tanaka.

She turned away quickly, melting into a shadowed alcove behind a potted fern. The champagne flute trembled in her hand. Why was he here? Was it coincidence, or was he following her around? She remembered the owl's question about Tanaka charting a course forward without its biotech holding. The idea echoed in her mind that this was what Reddy was so opposed to. Her breath hitched as she watched him gesture sharply, his companion nodding before slipping away into the crowd. He remained at the bar, nursing a drink, his eyes now scanning the room.

A low voice spoke near her ear, startling her. "Where's the other beautiful brunette?" Alessandro Rossi materialized beside her, a panther mask accentuating the sharp lines of his face.

"Maria had a dinner to attend," Hannah replied, keeping her voice steady. She gestured subtly towards the bar. "But look who did turn up."

Rossi followed her gaze, his expression unreadable behind the mask. "Reddy. How... predictable." He motioned for her to move away from the alcove and sit down in a nearby booth. "He knows that something's going on, but he doesn't know what. He's sniffing around, hunting for information."

Hannah kept her voice low. "My boss wants me to find out why he's so agitated. She thinks Tanaka's hiding something."

"He certainly is hiding something," Rossi murmured, his gaze still fixed on Reddy. "The question is, does he know that we know he's hiding something?"

Hannah watched as Reddy's eyes swept past their booth, lingering for a fraction too long. Her pulse hammered against her ribs. "He suspects that I do. He cornered me earlier - asked about you."

Rossi's chuckle was a low rumble. "People are always asking about me."

"I need to give my boss an answer," Hannah pressed, her knuckles white around the champagne flute.

Rossi leaned back, swirling his own drink. "Tanaka has a looming liquidity crisis, which they've largely managed to keep quiet. But it isn't down to mismanagement. It was orchestrated." He paused, letting the words sink in. "By him."

Hannah's gaze snapped back to Reddy. "He sabotaged his own company?" she whispered, incredulous.

Rossi put his mouth close to her ear. "Not sabotage for profit. For control. The divisions in Tanaka's board run deeper than you think. Reddy engineered the liquidity crisis on behalf of a faction that wants to force a new share issue - one that would consolidate power in their hands." His breath continued to warm her ear. "Your solution could make the share issue unnecessary. If they divest their bleeding assets the liquidity problem goes away - and they never get to their endgame."

"How deep is their financial rot?" Hannah whispered.

"It's largely an illusion to create instability and further fracture the

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