Chapter 5 - The Corporate ExecutionThe silence that descended upon the dining hall was absolute.
Julian stared across the table as if I had just handed him a death warrant. His color completely drained, leaving him looking sickly and hollow. He turned frantically toward our father, but Arthur Hart had slumped back into his chair, sweating profusely, realizing with terrifying clarity that his entire business empire had just been completely checkmated by his discarded daughter.
“You... you can’t do that,” Julian choked out, his voice cracking with panic. “That’s our capital! That’s the foundation of the Weston expansion project! Without those funds, the firm goes into immediate default by Friday morning!”
“Then I suggest you start packing up your office by Thursday afternoon,” Nikolai replied coldly, resting his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together.
Old Don Salvatore picked up the legal document, adjusted his reading glasses, scanned the notarized seals, and let out a low, gravelly chuckle.
“Clean. Brutal. Absolute,” Salvatore declared, tapping his cane against the floor. “Just like the old days. The council recognizes the transfer of assets. And more importantly... we formally recognize the engagement between Nikolai Moretti and Evelyn Hart.”
A chorus of solemn nods rippled around the table from the remaining council members.
Serena let out a sharp, hysterical gasp, shaking Julian’s arm. “Julian, do something! Tell them we’re the ones who matter! Tell them!”
Julian couldn't speak. He stood frozen, staring at me not with anger anymore, but with a terrifying realization of what he had thrown away. He had discarded a brilliant, strategic partner for a superficial trophy, and in doing so, he had handed the entire crown to his older brother on a silver platter.
“This dinner is concluded,” Nikolai announced, standing up from his chair and extending his hand toward me once more. “Victoria will escort our uninvited guests off the property.”
As Victoria and the security guards moved smoothly toward my father, Julian, and Serena to escort them out, I didn't gloat. I didn't smile. I simply looked at Julian one last time, letting him see the total, utter indifference in my eyes.
May you like
Being unchosen by them had been the greatest gift they could have ever given me.
Because it forced me to choose myself.
Related Stories
