CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: DETHRONING ISABELLA

Rafael cast Isabella a sharp, irritated glance—one that needed no words. Isabella clenched her jaw, turned without another word, and stalked off down the hallway. She did not fail to reflect the storm going on in her insides on the sound of her heels clicking hard on the tiled floor.

Left in the thick silence, Rafael turned back to Natalie, who was smiling at him with a calm, confident glint in her eyes. That smile—so steady, so unshaken—unnerved him a little. Still, he drew in a breath, leaning into it.

'She is not Alina.' He reminded himself once more.

“I can fix this,” she said softly, her voice like silk over steel. She has reassured him of this several times, but she still felt like he needed it, the look on his face said so.

He gave a quiet nod. “Thank you,” he murmured, meaning it more than he cared to admit.

"You are welcome." Natalie said, her smile widening. Of course, he should thank her, she was his saviour. She would save him, lift him from the pit, only to hold him up and dash him hard against the rock later.

They entered the boardroom together. Eyes shifted toward them instantly, tension hanging heavy in the air. Natalie made her way to the seat directly across from Isabella, her movements deliberate. As she sat, her gaze found Isabella’s and held it with a predator’s grace. A smile flickered across her lips—mocking, patient, entertained.

The meeting began in a flurry of stern voices and sharp questions.

One of the senior board members leaned forward, voice tight with restrained fury. “Isabella, you jeopardized everything. You shared sensitive data with an outsider, and now we’re on the verge of collapse.”

“What do you propose we do now?” another chimed in. “With everything laid bare before the government, how do we survive this?”

The to grew hotter with every moment that passed by, with every question thrown at Isabella, with every finger of accusation pointed to her.

Isabella sat still, head bowed, lips pressed into a thin line. Her voice caught in her throat before she could even muster a response. Her silence only deepened the disapproval around her.

Across the table, Natalie reclined slightly in her seat, arms crossed loosely, her eyes never leaving Isabella. Every twitch, every tremble—she absorbed it like music to her ears. A smirk played at the corner of her mouth, quiet and lethal.

This was exactly what she wanted. Before she fell to rock bottom, she wanted to see her humiliated in every possible way, and she wanted to sit like this and watch all of it. Natalie would give anything, even a life to watch a scene like this replay again.

Isabella cleared her throat, steadying her voice as she forced her head up. “The information hasn’t been published yet,” she said, trying to gather control. “There’s still time. With some luck, maybe the authorities haven’t even seen it. Hopefully, we can still stop the publication."

A moment of silence followed her words, until Rafael leaned forward. “That’s exactly why Natalie is here,” he said pointedly. “She’s already working on a way to stop the publication before any damage is done.”

Isabella turned sharply to Natalie, her eyes blazing. But Natalie didn’t flinch. She met Isabella’s glare with calm amusement, then turned to the board.

“Gentlemen,” she began, her voice smooth and assertive, “I understand the gravity of what’s at stake. And while I admire the passion it takes to take initiative,”—her eyes briefly flicked to Isabella—“this is a reminder that delicate matters like these require experience, discretion, and a certain... finesse. It should not be left in the hands of incompetent folks.”

Isabella tightened her fists under the table.

A few murmurs rippled through the table. Natalie continued, “I have already begun the process of intercepting the leak. I know the players. I have leverage where it matters. This situation is not beyond saving—but it needs careful hands. Trusted ones.”

Isabella’s fingers curled around the edge of the table, knuckles white, but she said nothing.

One of the older board members leaned forward, folding his hands. “If Miss De Luca can truly clean this up before the damage spreads, perhaps it’s time we gave her more access. More involvement in core decisions. Clearly, she has a better grasp of our vulnerabilities than we thought.”

Natalie’s heart fluttered behind her composed smile. She dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment, but her eyes found Isabella’s—and held them with slow satisfaction. The storm raging behind Isabella’s tight-lipped expression was all the confirmation she needed.

Checkmate, almost.

This is what power can do.

It is incredibly unfathomable what power can do, if you have just the right amount, and know just how to use it.

The meeting drew to a close under a cloud of tension and unspoken words. The board members, though visibly shaken by the situation, were now swaying toward Natalie’s direction—her confidence a balm to their panic, her poise a sharp contrast to Isabella’s unraveling. Quiet murmurs filled the room as they began to rise from their seats, some nodding in agreement with the final decision to grant Natalie deeper access to the company’s inner workings.

Isabella sat frozen, chest rising and falling with tightly controlled breaths, while Rafael remained still, watching the storm that had just passed through them—one that left his loyalty and judgment hanging in a delicate balance.

From the corner of his eyes, he watched Natalie with eyes filled with utmost admiration.

Natalie stood with grace, collecting her bag as the last few words echoed through the room. She walked toward Rafael, who met her gaze with a complicated mix of gratitude and unease.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She smiled, leaning in just slightly. “You’re welcome. But this is only the beginning, Rafael. There’s still more to clean up.”

He nodded, not trusting himself to say more. His eyes flicked briefly toward Isabella, who refused to look their way.

Without another word, Natalie turned and exited the room. The atmosphere behind her was dense with silent turmoil and restrained rage.

Outside, Emma Swansea stood waiting, ever efficient and composed. She handed Natalie a file wordlessly as they walked side by side toward the elevator.

“Everything went as planned?” Emma asked once they were inside the car.

Natalie’s lips curved into a slow, satisfied smile as she sank into the seat.

“Perfectly.”

And with that, they drove off—leaving behind a boardroom still reeling from her quiet storm.

As they arrived home, Natalie stepped out of the car with her usual composure, the heels of her shoes clicking softly against the marble floor of her Milan apartment. She unbuttoned her jacket and handed it to a waiting staff member without a word, her focus already elsewhere.

She walked straight to her home office, her steps measured but purposeful. Emma Swansea followed close behind, tablet in hand.

“Emma,” Natalie said, not looking back, “reach out to the press. I want the publication halted immediately."

“Yes, ma’am,” Emma replied, already tapping rapidly on her screen.

Natalie pushed open the doors to her office, the soft scent of leather and old wood greeting her like an old friend. She moved to her desk, sat gracefully, and leaned back in her chair. For a moment, she simply stared ahead, the distant city lights spilling into the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Then, a slow smile stretched across her face—calculated, triumphant. A smile of a queen settling into her throne after a well-played game.

Satisfied, she whispered to herself, “Check.”

She had never thought revenge could be this fulfilling. The taste of victory lingered on her tongue like old wine.

This was just the beginning.

She could have simply finished him off from here, but it would also have been such a boring victory. She wanted to keep things interesting.

Let him feel indebted to her first, she wanted to crumble every ounce of his self confidence and make him dependent on her, while humiliating Isabella at the same time.

"Let's get ready for the next phase." She announced as she picked up her tablet.