Chapter 5 - The Reckoning
The silence in the grand ballroom was absolute. Bianca backed away until her spine hit the heavy oak doors, her chest heaving, the realization of total, catastrophic defeat washing over her. The elite socialite, the woman who had sneered at everyone beneath her station, was completely cornered.
“What are you going to do to me?” Bianca whispered, tears of pure terror spilling down her cheeks, ruining her expensive makeup. “Kill me? Throw me in the lake?”
“I am not a murderer, Bianca,” Elena said, her voice dripping with calm authority. “Unlike you, I don’t solve my problems by pushing people into deep water.”
Dante stepped forward, snapping his fingers twice.
From the shadows near the terrace doors, two federal agents in dark suits stepped into the light, flashing federal badges. Behind them stood Marcus, holding a pair of heavy steel handcuffs.
“Agent Miller, FBI Organized Crime Division,” the lead agent announced smoothly, pulling a warrant from his jacket pocket. “Bianca Vitali, you are under arrest for conspiracy, wire fraud, securities embezzlement, and attempted homicide.”
Bianca let out a blood-curdling scream as Marcus grabbed her wrists and snapped the cuffs into place. “No! You can’t do this! Do you know who my father is? Do you know who my friends are? Dante, help me!”
Dante didn't even flinch. He watched with cold indifference as his former fiancée was dragged toward the side exit, her manicured nails scratching uselessly against the polished floor.
When the heavy doors clicked shut behind them, the ballroom fell quiet once more.
Dante turned his gaze slowly toward Elena. For the first time since they had met, the powerful mafia boss looked at her with genuine, unmasked respect.
“You planned this from the beginning,” Dante said quietly.
“I planned to protect myself,” Elena corrected, smoothing the lapels of her ivory suit. “And as for the estate... Villa Moretti has been running on fear and secrets for far too long, Mr. Moretti. That ends tonight.”
Dante walked over to the glass pedestal, picked up the manila folder, and looked at it for a long moment before closing it.
“The board of directors is meeting on Monday,” Dante said slowly. “We need a new Chief Operations Officer. Someone who knows every corner of this organization, possesses an unyielding intellect, and cannot be bought or intimidated.”
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Elena looked him straight in the eye, her expression unwavering. “My starting salary will need to be adjusted, Mr. Moretti. And my first executive order will be to fire every incompetent security guard who let Bianca walk onto that dock unsupervised.”
A faint, rare smile touched the corners of Dante’s mouth. “Consider it done, Ms. Rossi.”
