All In by Simona Ahrnstedt Read Free Book Online

into him there?
    That bothered her. She had met the man once and she was fantasizing about him already? What was she, twelve or something? At least she hadn’t googled him after lunch. Although she was still wondering what he was after. What did she have that he could be interested in? Her father hated him, she knew that. Until today she had never had any particular opinion of David Hammar. They moved in completely different circles. He was a handsome corporate pirate, mingling with American movie stars and British princesses, wreaking havoc on traditional companies. For her part, she was pretty much a bank woman.
    â€œHello?” J-O said.
    â€œOh, sorry,” she said. “If you need me, I’ll be here, of course. I haven’t decided on anything. I’ll take some vacation when I can.”
    â€œI may need you in BÃ¥stad.”
    Natalia nodded neutrally. Of course he would.
    J-O stood up from the highly polished conference table. Their office was in a historically listed building, built in the 1800s with period details, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and art in gilt frames. He glanced out the window at Stureplan and the roofs surrounding them. “I know you have your own plans for the future,” he said slowly.
    Natalia’s ears perked up. This was about something else, about her. Her most recent annual review had been about her long-term career goal being to eventually work for the family company. She’d always been open about that, that she wanted to build a career on her own merits, but that then she wanted to move on.
    â€œYes?” she said guardedly.
    She admired J-O, but they weren’t actually friends. Everyone had their own agenda in this world, and trust was a perishable commodity.
    â€œI heard you met with David Hammar today,” he said. “Is there anything you haven’t told me?”
    â€œIt was just lunch, nothing else,” she replied, completely caught off guard.
    J-O had a reputation of knowing everything that happened in the gossipy finance world. But still. How the heck did he know this? So quickly? “I hope you’re not spying on me,” she said, only half kidding.
    J-O shook his head. He crossed his arms in front of himself. “This is Stockholm. You can’t do anything without everyone knowing about it. What did he want?”
    â€œI don’t know,” she said honestly. “You know him better than I do.”
    â€œHe’s up to something.”
    Natalia nodded. “Presumably.”
    â€œKeep me posted. And plan on BÃ¥stad.”
    Natalia stood up, still a little taken aback. As she left the room, J-O turned back to the window again. His eyes locked onto some point outside.
    Â 
    They spent the rest of the evening focused on work. Someone fell asleep on the sofa. Someone ordered pizza. The interns, assistants, analysts, and other business folks came and went. Natalia chatted with clients and drew diagrams and yawned when no one was looking.
    She took a taxi home late in the evening. She slept for a few hours, showered, changed, and was then back in the office again just after dawn.
    J-O came in at 9:30, greeted her with a quick nod, and disappeared into a meeting. Phones rang, an assistant yelled, and her work once again took over Natalia’s thoughts.
    â€œNatalia!” one of her colleagues called, and then suddenly the whole workday had passed. “We’re starting the conference now!”
    She grabbed an apple and a pad of paper. “Coming,” she replied.
    It was already six o’clock, and they were far from done. It was going to be another long day of work. Just the way she liked it.

5
    Friday, June 27
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    D avid leaned back in his desk chair and stretched his neck. Up here on the top floor, he could sense more than hear the noise of the city. He glanced at his designer desk, cluttered with annual reports, quarterly reports, and accounting statements, before his eyes