Chapter 5 - THE COLD WAR IN THE BALLROOM
Victoria Bellandi walked into the main ballroom of the estate like a queen inspecting a conquered territory. Her white cashmere coat was immaculate, her diamond earrings catching the light of the crystal chandelier, and her face held that practiced, flawless smile that had fooled the highest echelons of Chicago high society.
But the smile faltered when she saw Roman sitting in a large, leather wingback chair at the far end of the room. He looked regal, dressed in a sharp black suit that hidden his bandages perfectly, his posture upright and commanding. Hannah stood just two steps behind his right shoulder, holding a medical clipboard like a shield.
"Roman, darling!" Victoria cried, her heels clicking rapidly against the polished marble floor. "Thank God! Raymond told me you had vanished from the hospital. I was worried sick. The doctors said you were in a coma!"
She reached out to touch his face, but Roman caught her wrist in mid-air. His grip wasn't violent, but it was absolute. He held her hand right in front of his face, his dark eyes analyzing her expression with terrifying precision.
"You look beautiful, Victoria," Roman said, his voice smooth and steady. "White suits you. It’s the color of a perfect alibi."
Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly, her smile stiffening. "What a strange thing to say to your fiancée. I've been frantic, trying to protect your assets from the board while you were incapacitated."
"Is that why you transferred forty-two million dollars to your father’s shell company yesterday?" Roman asked, his tone almost conversational.
Victoria pulled her hand back, her expression freezing into a mask of pure patrician arrogance. She glanced at Hannah, her eyes flashing with venom. "I see your little hospital servant has been filling your head with stories. Roman, really, you're relying on the gossip of a low-wage nurse? She’s a thief. We found her trying to steal confidential medical files from your room."
"She didn't steal files, Victoria," Roman said, leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "She found the camera you hid in the roses. The one that was streaming data to an IP address registered to your private penthouse."
Victoria let out a brittle, sharp laugh. "This is absurd. I brought those flowers out of love. If someone compromised your security, it was your own people. Raymond said—"
"Raymond is currently being detained by my security detail at the shipping yard," Roman interrupted smoothly.
Victoria's breath caught. For a split second, total panic broke through her beautiful face.
"You think you're untouchable, Roman," she whispered, her voice losing its sweet veneer, revealing the cold, calculating syndicate daughter beneath. "But you're half-dead. You can't walk into that boardroom tomorrow without your heart giving out. My father has already secured the proxies from the other board members. By nine o'clock tomorrow morning, Moretti Shipping belongs to the Bellandis. There’s nothing you can do to stop it."
"There is one thing," Roman said, his voice dropping into a low, rumbling vibration. He reached out and grabbed Hannah’s hand, pulling her forward until she was standing directly beside his chair.
Hannah looked down at him in surprise, but she didn't pull away.
"The Moretti corporate charter states that majority shares cannot be transferred or contested if the CEO enters a legal family partnership within forty-eight hours of a board challenge," Roman explained, looking Victoria directly in the eyes. "The marriage contract I signed with you was a corporate agreement. It can be dissolved by a declaration of the family head."
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Victoria stared at him, confused. "What are you talking about? You can't dissolve the contract without paying the penalty fee—"
"I’m not paying a fee, Victoria," Roman said. He lifted Hannah's hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. "Because tomorrow morning, I’m marrying someone else. Meet the new majority shareholder of Moretti Enterprises."
