Chapter 147: Business Disruption

June fixed her gaze on Rauf. She barely blinked as she stared at him as if she were trying to read into his soul.

Rauf, who was about to swallow his food, noticed it and paused. He lifted his gaze to her, making June instantly look away.

He cocked a brow at her. "Why are you staring at me?"

June copied him, cocking a brow too, though hers wasn’t as perfect as Rauf’s.

"What are you talking about? I was eating."

Rauf shook his head lightly. "I know you were looking at me." Then his lips curled in amusement. "Do you like what you see?"

June’s cheeks turned red.

If she were being honest, she loved what she saw. And ever since the kiss, she had been feeling hot and finding it hard to sleep at night.

June blamed it all on the pregnancy. Her hormones had been all over the place.

Noticing her flushed cheeks, Rauf continued, "If you want it so badly, you can have it."

June picked up the nearest cutlery and threw it at him.

Rauf moved slightly, avoiding being hit by the fork.

"Fine. I was staring at you, but it was only training."

That caught Rauf’s attention.

"What training?"

"I can tell you how many times you drank water while eating."

Rauf chuckled. It was hard to believe June was still training while eating. He could tell that getting this right was very important to her.

"Okay. So, what’s the colour of my wristwatch?" He quickly placed his wrist under the table.

June hadn’t paid much attention to that.

"Gold," she guessed.

Rauf lifted his wrist.

"It’s black. You still need to work on your skills."

Before they realized what they were doing, the dining table had turned into another training session. They ate while Rauf asked her questions about the things around them.

June was able to get some right, but she still made mistakes.

It was the clearing of a throat that finally broke their concentration.

Rauf turned toward the sound.

Henson stood there with an expression June had never seen on his face before.

"Boss, there’s a problem."

That immediately got Rauf’s full attention.

"What happened?"

Henson’s gaze drifted to June as if he didn’t want her hearing whatever they had to discuss.

"You can say whatever you want in her presence," Rauf said.

Getting the assurance from Rauf, Henson let out a deep breath.

"Boss, our suppliers have refused to supply goods to the club. We’re short on supplies, and regardless of the amount we offered, they don’t want to deal with us in any way."

Rauf frowned.

His business had been moving slowly but steadily forward.

And he had settled things with most of the suppliers himself. None of them should suddenly turn him down.

"Why?"

If the suppliers were suddenly refusing to supply them, then something must have happened.

"Boss, they gave no reason. In fact, they’re currently ignoring our calls."

Rauf’s frown deepened.

Who would dare refuse his orders?

If the suppliers were suddenly uniting to ignore him, then the issue wasn’t with the suppliers themselves. There had to be a different source entirely.

"Did you find out what’s happening?"

Henson nodded.

"Yes, boss. After looking into it, we discovered that a rival group is pressuring them to stop dealing with us."

Rauf had completely lost interest in the food before him, and June mirrored him.

She might not know much about his business, but she understood simple English and knew whatever was happening was affecting Rauf badly.

And if another powerful group was behind it, perhaps the Vassaris could help.

"Maybe we should ask Mother’s help."

Rauf glanced at her, shaking his head.

"We don’t need to. I can handle my business." Then he focused back on Henson. "Were you able to discover which rival group operates within that vicinity?"

Henson nodded.

"Yes, boss. The Monterrios."

Silence.

It was June who broke it.

"Are you talking about Dante Monterrio’s group?"

Henson nodded.

June’s face paled, and she turned toward Rauf.

"Do you think he’s targeting you on purpose? Maybe he discovered you’re connected to the Vassaris or something."

Rauf furrowed his brows.

"I don’t think so. This has to do with business. When I decided to bring my major operations to the state, I knew there were going to be some setbacks, but I never expected one from the Monterrios."

"So, are you saying this is just a coincidence?" June questioned, confused about the whole thing.

In her mind, this was clearly Dante targeting Rauf because of his association with her mother.

Rauf sighed.

"I really don’t know. In this business, I can’t just jump to conclusions." He turned toward Henson. "I need you to figure out if the Monterrios have any businesses running in that district. Also, find out how we can win the suppliers back."

Henson nodded.

"We can’t just sit here and be pushed out of the game," Rauf continued.

"Yes, sir."

When Henson left, June pushed the food away from her.

"If the Monterrios targeted you intentionally, what are you going to do about it?"

Rauf smirked.

"Of course, I’m going to fight back."

June sighed.

It seemed that regardless of how much her mother tried to hide her from the Monterrios, there was an invisible force pulling her back into their battle.

She leaned forward at the table.

"I can help you fight back."

For a moment, all Rauf did was stare at her.

Recently, he had already learned that telling June no was almost equal to encouraging her to continue.

So instead, he said, "This isn’t your battle. But if you want to help, you can help remotely."

June’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t expected him to agree immediately. She had already been thinking about what she would say to convince him that she could be useful.

So when Rauf said that, she couldn’t help but ask, "What?"

Rauf repeated himself.

"You’re really going to let me help?"

Though Rauf had said it twice, it was still difficult for her to believe him.

"Of course. As long as it’s only with information. I don’t want you facing the Monterrios."

His agreement to let her help was enough to curb any other thoughts in June’s mind.

"I won’t. If I’m going to be busy, I have no interest in facing the Monterrios physically."