Chapter 3 - The Bloodless Corporate Execution
Julian’s face drained of all color. He pulled out his smartphone with shaking fingers, frantically opening his corporate banking application. Within three seconds, his knees buckled slightly, and he grabbed the edge of a nearby marble pillar to keep from collapsing.
"Th-this is impossible!" Julian stammered, staring wide-eyed at the screen. "All our accounts... they're frozen! The federal audits... the tax liens... everything's gone!"
"Not gone," a smooth, calm voice interrupted. Marcus, Dante’s chief legal counsel, stepped out from the crowd holding a thick leather briefcase. "Simply repatriated to their rightful owner, Miss Elena Vance, under emergency asset-recovery clauses tied to corporate fraud charges filed against you this morning, Mr. Montgomery."
Flashbulbs popped frantically from the corner of the room as reporters captured every single second of the public humiliation. Julian’s fake empire was crumbling into dust right before his very eyes.
Julian lunged forward in a blind, pathetic rage, his hand raised to strike Elena across the face. "You bitch! You set me up!"
He never even made contact.
In a fraction of a second, Dante’s hand shot out like a striking viper, gripping Julian’s wrist with a crushing, bone-splintering force. Julian let out a high-pitched shriek of pure agony as the bones in his wrist fractured.
Dante leaned in close, his mercury eyes reflecting absolute, merciless death. "Touch her again, and I’ll feed you to the lake fishes piece by piece."
With a flick of his wrist, Dante tossed Julian backward into a heap of shattered crystal glasses and spilled champagne. Two of Dante’s enforcers materialized instantly, dragging the screaming, disgraced man out of the ballroom by his collar while the high society crowd watched in terrified silence.
Elena stood frozen, her heart pounding furiously against her ribs. She had expected revenge, but the sheer, terrifying efficiency of Dante’s protection sent a shiver straight down her spine.
Dante turned back to her, his expression instantly softening from lethal predator to something unreadably complex. He offered her his arm, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand. "Shall we dance, Mrs. Moretti? Or would you prefer to watch the rest of your enemies squirm from the balcony?"
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Elena looked into his intense, piercing eyes, feeling a strange, intoxicating warmth bloom in her chest. She placed her hand in his. "Let's watch them squirm."
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