Chapter 3 - The Alliance of Convenience"So this wasn't a coincidence," I said, taking the glass of water from his hand, though my fingers brushed his and sent an electric jolt straight up my arm. "You weren't just standing near the service hallway by accident."
"I rarely do anything by accident, Victoria," Dominic replied smoothly, walking over to floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the Empire State Building piercing the night sky.
I took a slow sip of the cold water, trying to anchor my racing thoughts. The betrayal by Nathan and Emily still burned, but beneath the pain, a cold, sharp clarity was taking root. For years, I had played the supportive partner, the invisible engine behind success stories that belonged to everyone else. Now, looking out over New York with a billionaire retired crime boss turned real estate tycoon standing beside me, I realized the game had completely changed.
"If Nathan is finished," I said, keeping my voice level, "and his assets are frozen... what happens to the Blake-Wexler Foundation Gala accounts? My family's company still has pending contracts tied to that foundation."
Dominic turned slowly, a slow, appreciative smile curving the corner of his mouth. "Already handled. As of nine minutes ago, Bellardi Holdings acquired the controlling stake in the foundation. It is now officially the Blake-Bellardi Foundation. With you as sole executive director."
I choked slightly on my water. "Sole director? Nathan was the president—"
"Nathan was a thief wearing a rented tuxedo," Dominic corrected firmly, stepping closer until he was standing just inches away. "You designed the gala. You wrote his speeches. You built the network of donors who actually funded the projects. Nathan was just the pretty face standing at the podium taking the applause. I think it’s time the rightful owner took the stage."
I looked up at him, searching his face for any sign of mockery or deceit. There was none. Just absolute, unwavering certainty.
"Why are you doing this, Dominic?" I asked quietly. "Men like you don't rescue strangers out of the goodness of their hearts. What's the catch?"
Dominic reached out, his warm fingers gently brushing a stray lock of dark hair away from my cheek. The casual intimacy of the gesture made my breath catch.
"There are two catches," he said softly. "First, you need a partner to restructure your family's assets and dismantle Nathan's remaining corporate influence without triggering a public scandal that hurts your parents."
"And the second?"
"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock," Dominic said, his eyes locking onto mine with hypnotic intensity, "the board of the newly formed Blake-Bellardi Corporation holds its first emergency press conference. The press is going to ask questions about why Nathan Wexler was abruptly ousted from his own foundation. I need a co-chair who can stand beside me in front of fifty cameras and look every reporter in the eye without blinking."
"And you think that's me?"
"I know it's you," he murmured, his hand dropping from my face to gently take my hand—the one that was finally free of Nathan's ring. "So, Victoria... do we have a deal?"
I looked down at his hand, then out at the glittering expanse of Manhattan stretching out beneath us like a kingdom waiting to be conquered. The girl who had cried in the service hallway eighteen minutes ago felt like a lifetime away.
May you like
I slipped my fingers into his, gripping his hand firmly.
"Let's ruin him," I said.
