Chapter 2

For the next week, I treated Dante coldly.

He thought I was just angry about his past actions and would get over it in a few days.

But when I threw away his gifts for the seventh time, he finally lost some patience and gave me a cold stare.

"Enough, Elena. My patience isn't endless."

I didn't have the energy to argue with him. The FBI's surprise audit notice arrived, and it looked like I'd be swamped from now on.

But then, during dinner, Dante pushed a pristine Hermès Birkin bag towards me.

"Happy anniversary, darling!"

That's when it hit me that it was our wedding anniversary.

Looking at the beautiful bag, my heart softened a little.

I remembered when Dante and I first got together, I had told him I loved the Hermès Snow White collection the most.

I hadn't expected him to remember.

But as soon as I opened the bag, I found a half-used lipstick inside.

It had clearly been placed there deliberately.

I said coldly, "It's already been opened. Why would you give a gift that's already been opened?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Dante's face. "Sofia just admired it out of curiosity…"

"That's enough," I cut him off. "You can go. I have more important matters to attend to."

I didn't have time for his games.

I needed to sort out all the accounts within seventy-two hours.

This was a critical time for the family.

"Elena, can you stop being so cold?" Dante frowned. "I genuinely want to make it up to you…"

"Then stay away from me."

I got up and left, leaving him alone in the empty dining room.

Three days later, after I'd finished the initial response to the FBI, my assistant Marco rushed into my office.

"Donna! Something's happened!"

His face was ashen.

"Speak," I said.

"All three of our Caribbean smuggling routes have been compromised," Marco's voice trembled. "The police knew every handover point, they didn't miss a single backup coordinate."

My fingers tightened suddenly. "How is that possible? Those coordinates were encrypted. Only I had access."

"And…" Marco swallowed hard. "Don Ricci accessed your encrypted account last month and gave Sofia the password. He said he wanted her to start her own business."

At that moment, I could barely believe my ears.

"Say that again?"

"Don said Sofia wanted to learn about the family business, so he gave her access to half of your overseas accounts," Marco lowered his head. "We tried to stop it, but Don's orders were…"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Three months of preparation, over a dozen partners, hundreds of millions of dollars invested.

All gone.

Ruined by his adopted sister, who he claimed "wanted to learn about the family business."

"Get the car," I said, standing up. "To the main house."

The conference room was filled with core family members.

Dante sat at the head of the table. When he saw me walk in, a flash of panic crossed his face.

"Elena, I was just about to call you…"

"Shut up."

My voice was ice cold.

"Three routes, seventeen locations, forty-three of our men arrested," I said, walking step by step towards the head of the table. "The estimated loss is over three hundred million dollars."

"Do you know what this means, Dante?"

He stood up, trying to explain, "It was an accident. Sofia didn't mean to…"

"Didn't mean to?" I sneered. "You gave the password to an account I encrypted for three years to someone with zero experience. Was that not deliberate?"

"Elena!" Dante's voice turned cold too. "Sofia is family. She wants to learn…"

"She's family?" I cut him off. "Then what am I?"

The conference room fell silent.

Everyone stared at us, no one daring to speak.

"You are my wife," Dante said, his tone devoid of any warmth. "But Sofia is my savior. I swore I'd look after her for life."

"So you used the family's lifeline for her to practice on?"

"It was just a small mistake!" Dante's voice rose. "Why can't you be more understanding? Sofia is just a twenty-two-year-old girl!"

Slap.

The sharp crack of a slap echoed through the conference room.

Dante clutched his face, looking at me in disbelief.

"You hit me?"

"I'll do more than just slap you," I said, turning to all the family members present. My voice was clear and firm. "Starting today, the Moretti family is officially reclaiming all industries managed by the Ricci family. The alliance is dissolved."

A commotion erupted in the conference room.

"Elena, are you crazy?" Dante grabbed my arm. "Do you know what dissolving this alliance means?"

I shook his hand off. "It means I don't have to watch you use my resources to appease another woman."

"It means I don't have to clean up after a man who treats family business like a game."

"It means…" I stared into his eyes. Every word was deliberate. "I don't have to endure your humiliation anymore."

Dante's face turned white. "You will regret this."

"The only thing I regret is marrying you."

I turned and left the conference room, my steps firm and sure.

Behind me, I heard Dante smashing things and the hushed murmurs of the family members.

Walking out of the hall, the night wind hit my face with a cool breeze.

I took out my phone and dialed a number.

"It's me, Elena Moretti."

I looked at the lights of the manor in the distance, the place that was once my home.

"Please prepare a divorce agreement for me."