Chapter 27 - The Ultimatum
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The forty-eight-hour deadline expired at precisely 8:00 PM.
Vivian arrived at the gates exactly five minutes later. This time, Luca and I met her in the grand foyer. We didn't offer her the comfort of the library. We stood side-by-side, projecting an impenetrable, unified front.
Vivian walked in, flanked by two imposing men in dark suits who clearly weren't simple lawyers. Her eyes darted around the foyer, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
“I see you didn't bring the signed documents, Emma,” Vivian noted, her voice losing its previous smooth charm, replaced by a harsh, desperate edge.
“We aren't signing anything, Vivian,” I said calmly, crossing my arms.
Her face contorted in anger.
“Then you leave me no choice,” she hissed. “My lawyers will file the lawsuit tomorrow morning. The press releases are already drafted. You are going to lose everything.”
Luca stepped forward, pulling the thick red file from beneath his jacket. He tossed it casually onto the polished marble floor at Vivian’s feet.
“I don't think you’ll be filing any lawsuits, Vivian,” Luca said, his voice deadly quiet.
She looked down at the file, recognizing the Interpol seal stamped on the front cover. All the color drained instantly from her aristocratic face.
“I know exactly why you need three billion dollars,” Luca continued, stepping closer to her. “I know about your late husband. I know about the cartel. And I know that you are currently hiding from men who would gladly skin you alive to recoup their losses.”
Vivian took a shaky step backward, her two bodyguards tensing.
“You have no proof of that,” she stammered, though the sheer panic in her eyes betrayed her completely.
“I have enough proof to make an anonymous phone call to a certain holding company in Belgrade,” Luca countered smoothly. “If you attempt to sue my family, or if you ever breathe a single word of this to the press, I will ensure that the cartel knows exactly which luxury hotel in Manhattan you are currently sleeping in.”
Vivian stared at him, her chest heaving. She realized she had walked blindly into a trap she could not litigate her way out of.
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“You are exactly like Antonio,” she spat, tears of furious defeat welling in her eyes. “You are a monster.”
“No,” Luca replied coldly. “I am a father protecting his daughter. Now get out of my house.”
