Chapter 2

ISABELLA’S POV

Six Years Later

New York City hadn't changed much, it welcomed me with noise and the mingled scent of food and exhaustion.

It still looked and felt the same.

The same way it was when it swallowed me whole and spat me out with my life in shambles.

This city had broken me once, I wouldn't let it happen again.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Albert had died.

The man who made my life a nightmare was gone.

Yet his absence didn’t mean freedom.

It only meant the family and the company was still a battlefield.

I hadn't come back to heal or think on the past

I had come back to reclaim what was taken from me.

I had six years to rebuild, and now I was ready to reclaim what was mine.

I put my sunglasses on, and walked straight to the car that was prepared for me.

Inside the car, my strategist, Lucia Collins sat waiting for me.

She glanced at me, eyes steady.

“Bella,” she said, “I’ve prepared everything for you.”

She handed me a tablet.

“That is a list of Claire Moretti department stores in the city.” She said in a calm voice.

I knew what it meant. When Lucia sounded calm, the situation was already dangerous.

I scrolled through the tablet.

“Why are most of them in red ink?” I asked with a frown.

“Those are the ones that haven’t been doing well, little to zero profit in the past year.”

“That’s more than half of them,” I gasped. If it continues that way, they will all be gone by next year.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

I sighed heavily.

“How come no one has noticed or done anything about it?”

The foundation my mother built was in shambles, and no one seemed to be doing anything to stop it. No one cared.

“Also, there's a shareholders meeting scheduled for an hour to discuss the transfer of ownership of the New York flagship store.” Lucia said.

“If the board approves, it will be controlled by someone else entirely. Once that happens,” Lucia added quietly, “you lose leverage. Permanently.”

My stomach tightened. Losing the flagship would be like losing the heart of my mother’s legacy. I couldn’t let that happen.

I turned to the driver.

“Head to Moretti Luxe Group”

“Yes ma'am”

I stared out the window, watching skyscrapers flash past, the familiar streets reminded me of what I had lost.

I stared at my reflection in the window.

I smiled at the woman who stared back at me. A global fashion icon and founder of an international brand.

Every fashion magazine and blog had my brand name on it.

I was no longer the broken and helpless girl who had cowered out of the city after losing everything.

Now I was untouchable and ready to face the ghosts of my past.

Lucia continued working on her tablet, then suddenly she froze

“There's something you should know,”Lucia said carefully.

I turned to her. “What?”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“The largest shareholder in Moretti Luxe Group is…Ethan Dexter.”

Everything went still.

I stared at her, my ears ringing.

My chest tightened. I had not expected this.

Of all people, it had to be him.

The man who ruined everything.

“Ethan Dexter holds the largest share in Moretti Luxe Group,” Lucia continued. “That means he has significant control over the company.”

I scoffed but my chest burned.

“So my mother’s company has been failing under his watch.”

“We can’t afford to do anything rash, Bella. We need him on our side.”

“No,” I snapped, clenching my fists until my fingers hurt.

“I do not need him.” I said more to myself than to Lucia

The rest of the drive was silent.

My mind kept racing.

Ethan Dexter.

The man who destroyed my life was now standing between me and my mother’s legacy.

The car rolled to a stop in front of a familiar building.

Moretti Luxe Group.

My mother's company.

I stepped out of the car, adjusted my clothes, and lifted my chin.

Lucia walked beside me.

All eyes turned to me the moment I stepped into the lobby, conversations quieted and slowly the room filled with whispers.

“Is that Isabella Moretti?”

“I thought she left the country.”

“She owns a fashion empire now.”

I ignored them all and kept walking. I headed straight to the reception.

“I’m here for the shareholders meeting,” I said

The receptionist looked up, startled.

“Name?”

“Isabella Moretti.”

She froze.

“One moment, please.”

Before she could place a call, the elevator door opened.

A man stepped out.

Samuel Moretti, my half brother, walked towards me.

“Hello, little sister,” he said with a half smile.

Samuel’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Father may be gone,” he said quietly, “but don’t think that means you can just waltz back in.”

I lifted my chin, steadying myself.

“Hello, Samuel,” I replied calmly. “I'm here for the shareholders meeting”

“The meeting wasn’t scheduled with you in mind.”

“Yet here I am.”

He gestured to the elevator. “Shall we?”

The ride up was silent.

I walked into the conference room. Conversation stopped the moment I walked in.

I took an empty seat without asking.

“Let’s begin,” Samuel said, clearing his throat.

“I’d like to be included,” I said calmly.

A few heads turned towards me.

“And why’s that?” someone asked.

“I’ll be brief,” I said calmly. “I’m here because this company belongs to my mother and by extension, to me.” I crossed my legs.

“And I’m not going to sit idle and watch it be mismanaged anymore.”

Samuel leaned forward and whispered,

“You signed away your rights years ago.”

I tilted my head slightly. “Did I?”

His eyes narrowed, and he blinked, confused.

“This isn’t a plea,” I said. “It’s a warning. I’m not here to beg for my place back.”

Samuel scoffed, he hadn’t expected me to challenge him so calmly.

The door opened, and everybody turned towards it.

The man who walked in didn’t need any introductions.

Ethan Dexter.

He looked exactly as I remembered.

His eyes swept through the room and stopped when they landed on mine.

And for the first time in six years, we stared at each other face to face.