Chapter 3 - Dismantling the ElitePatricia Aldridge pushed her way through the crowd, her face flushed with outrage and panic as she recognized the sheer gravity of Dante’s presence. In high society, lineage and power were currency, and Dante Salvatore owned the entire bank.
“There must be some mistake,” Patricia stammered, attempting a brittle smile as she addressed Dante directly. “Mr. Salvatore, surely you aren't aware of Miss Reyes’s... modest background. Her mother was a domestic worker, and she herself has spent her life scraping by on community college wages. She simply doesn't belong in these circles.”
The ballroom held its breath, waiting to see how the powerful syndicate boss would react to being corrected about his companion’s lineage.
Dante turned his head slowly, fixing Patricia with a look so cold it seemed to drop the room's temperature by ten degrees. “Mrs. Aldridge, lineage is something people talk about when they have no power of their own. My wife’s background is entirely irrelevant, unlike your family’s current financial standing.” He tilted his head toward Marcus’s father, who had turned pale in the corner. “Tell me, Arthur, how is that commercial real estate portfolio holding up since my logistics firm pulled its backing last Tuesday?”
Arthur Aldridge’s face lost every trace of color. The family’s multi-million-dollar development firm was on the brink of collapse, and only one syndicate-backed syndicate could pull the strings behind such a silent, devastating corporate execution.
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Marcus stared at Dante in sheer horror, finally connecting the dots. “You... you’re the investor who bought out our primary commercial debt. You engineered the margin calls.”
“I don't engineer failures, Mr. Aldridge,” Dante replied smoothly, his arm tightening around Elena’s waist. “I merely expedite karma.”
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