False Affection
Padmé Amidala looked at the handsome man before her and smiled gracefully. "It's nothing, really. I invited you to dinner mainly because I truly lost my composure this afternoon."
Rush Clovis replied with equal poise, "You can't be blamed for that, Padmé. When it comes to matters of state, we cannot afford to let our guard down in the slightest."
As he spoke, the hand resting on the table naturally inched forward and lightly settled over the back of Padmé's hand.
Padmé's expression changed. She wanted to pull her hand away immediately, but remembering her mission, she endured it and merely warned him first. "Things aren't as they used to be, are they?"
Rush Clovis gave an awkward laugh, though he still withdrew his hand with gentlemanly grace. "I have always believed that this misguided war made us lose our better judgment and led us to make the wrong choices. In truth, there is no need for us to be so distant."
"The wrong choices? I'm glad you see it that way, Clovis, because you still have to explain the matter of the InterGalactic Banking Clan." Padmé's tone was exceptionally mild. Compared to her stern interrogation at the assembly that afternoon, this sounded more like teasing between friends.
Rush Clovis said calmly, "That is exactly what I wanted to discuss with you, Padmé. The InterGalactic Banking Clan is not what you think it is. They merely wish to protect their property. Take Kato Neimoidia, for example. It was once even turned into a battlefield. If General Sefrans Tann had not driven off the Republic fleet stationed there, even I would be bankrupt by now."
This time, Padmé Amidala was genuinely astonished. "Kato Neimoidia? You actually own property on Kato Neimoidia? That foremost Wealth World?"
"Yes. After all, holding