Flashback!!!!!! [24 hours earlier]
I have been trying and planning since two weeks ago with Ms Chen, about this particular meeting,I entered the meeting room everyone stood up with respect.
"i know that everyone has tried their level best for this meeting and am sure we will make it out victorious as we always do"
" Yes sir " they all shouted
I nod my head but something about this meeting room feels different today,a little bit off, maybe its my mind playing tricks on me.
I sat at the head of the table, my espresso coffee at hand, sipping it ,trying to use it to cure my tiredness.
I haven't slept barely for 4 hours in two weeks but you wouldn't know it.because years of hard work have taught me to hide my tiredness, because in my world tiredness is looked at like being a failure.
To my right, my legal team, led by the ever-reliable Ms. Chen, are a hushed whispering and frantic keyboard clicks, reviewing the final details of the Moretti acquisition.
Across from them, five board members, old money types who still treat me with hatred in their eyes, fidget in their seats, eyes darting between me and the door.
They are here for the spectacle,awaiting for my defeat.
I glance at my Patek Philippe—8:00 am. Moretti is getting on my nerves.
Why is he late ,and here i was thinking that punctuality means something to a man like him but I was dead wrong.
I picked up the proposal booklet. The noise of the booklet quietly filled the room.
The numbers are undeniable. Moretti's empire, built on old-world traditions and, let's be honest, outright criminality, is crumbling.
Park Capital has circled for months,
patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Like a vulture waiting for a dead body to arrive before it eats , now with a combination of strategic investments, carefully placed leaks, and a little good old-fashioned pressure, the deal is almost sealed.
But I know bringing Dante down isn't going to be easy. I know and am prepared for whatever will happen.
He thinks he owns the world, everyone and everything in it… but he doesn't know that he doesn't control the world inside this office,he doesn't control my world.
Today, he'll learn the hard way. This isn't Naples; this is Manhattan. Here, the law talks.
I suppress the thought of unease creeping through my mind .
Moretti is unpredictable, and unpredictable is dangerous—but that also means that he may have a bad temper,and with that kind of temper he can make mistakes when he least expects it.
I've heard the stories of him being ruthless, efficiency, unwavering and loyal,from what I heard he is a man who commands respect through fear… and money.
From what I've heard and from the look of it , Dante doesn't care about the law because he makes the law. I don't dwell on that. Fear is short-term but the consequences is long term.
The doors to the boardroom hissed,when they swung open, the scent of leather and rain floods the room.
God I love that scent
Dante Moretti enters, and the air grows cold. Everyone else bows instinctively, eyes lowered—but not me. I meet Dante eye to eye.
Why was his golden eyes drawing and pulling me like a magnetic force.He isn't what I expected.
The surveillance footage and paparazzi photos hadn't done him justice.
He was taller than I imagined, and far more handsome than the frenzy suggested.
His suit is dark, tailored perfectly, yet casual. No tie, top button undone.
Sleeves rolled up, revealing a tattoo that snakes around his forearms, disappearing beneath the cuffs. Tattoos.
I hadn't really expected that. He kept on surprising me.
he looks hot but not as hot and handsome I want, Alistair focus,you are supposed to destroy him not look at him like he is your entire world .
Shu… and why does he looks like a mafia about to go to war. Why is he dressed like a thug in a corporate meeting?mtchewwww
He moved with the grace of a predator that has already found its prey.
Two men followed him from behind , faces impassive, eyes constantly scanning bodyguards, of course he is calculating like a Maniac that he is .
I am sure he already knows that am not going to kill him or anything related to that so why bring this many body guards to a corporate meeting
The room falls silent. Ms. Chen stoped typing.
The board members straighten, their backs on their seats ,their earlier eagerness replaced by real tension.
Dante sits beside me. No hostility, no overt threat—just assessment, calculation and seduction ,I refuse to be intimidated.
I've faced CEOs, politicians, even shareholders who hated me. I'm not about to be scared into submission by a fake mob boss.
Dante inclines his head slightly, a gesture of respect… or amusement.
Silence stretched across the room , thick and uncomfortable.
I resist filling it with meaningless talks.
Let him make the first move so I can exploit any mistake.
Finally, one of his men spoke, smooth but firm.
"Mr. Park, we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us."
I raise an eyebrow.
"I assumed you understood the terms of the acquisition. My lawyers sent over the final documents last week."
He stays silent, eyes fixed on me. It's unnerving.
I feel a strange heat rising in my tummy,a flicker of something I can't quite name. Annoyance, perhaps. Or something else entirely.
Or an intention to straggle him for thinking to highly of himself"
The numbers speak for themselves,Moretti Enterprises is stealing money.
" This acquisition is the only viable option."
I pause, waiting.
But he simply sat there, gaze unwavering, expression unreadable.
A bead of sweat trickled down my temple. I wipe it away with my handkerchief.
"With all due respect, Mr. Park," he finally says, voice low and rumbling, the room vibrating , or maybe it's just me.
"You misunderstand the situation."
I lean forward, hands clasped on the table.
"I assure you, Mr. Moretti, I understand perfectly."
He smiles, a slow, predatory curve of his lips.
He thinks he can intimidate me but I have been preparing myself for this for weeks
"Do you? I don't think you do." He lets silence hang in the air.
"This negotiation… is over."
He hadn't shouted words , he didn't slammed the words, but they hit like a physical blow.
Heat surges up my spine, anger hot and sharp.
Wait what?
"What the hell are you talking about? You think you can just walk in and dictate what happens and what doesn't happen?
This isn't your world, Moretti.
You don't call the shots here."
His smile widens, just a bit
.
To scare me but am not scared,maybe a bit
"Perhaps not. But I do have a say in what happens to my family."
Family. His weakness. His loyalty to them is legendary, bordering on pathological.
Seriously,I have a family too you know.
"Your family's interests are best served by accepting this deal,"
"I'm offering you a generous payout. More than you'd get anywhere else."
He shakes his head slowly, eyes never leaving mine.
"You don't understand, Mr. Park. This isn't about money."
I scoff. " What do I not understand,Dante please explain it to me "
"Everything as always been about money, Moretti. Don't insult my intelligence."
His expression hardens.
"You think you can buy anything, don't you?
You think you can come in and take what you want, with your useless good for nothing lawyers and your clever spreadsheets."
He leans forward, his breaths touching my face,voice dropping to a near whisper.
"But some things… some things can't be bought."
seriously why is he talking to me like a child
shivers ran down my spine. I really don't like where this is going.
Shu ,even if i don't like where this all thing is going I cannot back down, not now ,not after everything i have been through to make this work
"I think you'll find everything has a price, Mr. Moretti,It's just a matter of finding it."
He stares, long and unflinching. Then he stands.
The room falls silent.
"I've said all I have to say," he says flatly.
"I won't waste any more of your time."
He walks toward the door, followed by his bodyguards. A wave of uneasiness flooded in my tummy.
I had expected a fight, a negotiation, a battle of wills.
But I hadn't expected… this. It was too calm like a rain before a storm
At the door, he pauses, turning back to me. His smile is slow, creepy, and it sent chills down my spine.
"Enjoy your empire, Mr. Park," he says, soft but clear. "while it lasts ."
Was he threatening me?
Then he was gone.
Doors close behind him, leaving me alone in the silence of the boardroom.
I sat for a long moment, mind racing. What just happened?
Did he concede defeat? Or is this something else entirely? I
don't know and that scares me more than anything.
I look around at my lawyers, the board members, and everything that symbolize my control. It all felt… fragile.
The board members looked at me with the look of I expected that failure
I stood, legs unsteady, holding the table for a moment. I walk to the window and look out at the city I thought I owned.
Lives, lights, and shadows stretch before me. But tonight, the shadows seem to whisper.
And I know, with a growing sense of dread, that something has shifted.
The game has changed. And I have no idea what the new rules are… though I know what I planned has already backfired.
I don't even know how many hours has passed since Dante confronted me ,to the extent that I did not notice boardroom being emptied quickly.
I barely noticed the shuffling feet, the hushed whispers.
My mind was replaying the last few minutes over and over, Dante's words echoing in the sterile air: This negotiation is over.
Not a threat, not exactly. More like a statement of fact. And that's what unnerved me the most.
" Shut the fuck up and get out of here this meeting is over "
" Sorry sir" they all shouted
I scrubbed a hand over my face, trying to shake off the image of his eyes—that unnerving intensity that seemed to see right through me.
I needed to regain control. Reassert dominance. I can't afford to let Moretti rattle me.
I pushed myself to my feet, the leather of my chair creaking softly. I needed to wash my face, clear my head.
I headed for the restroom, i just need to get Dante out of my head ,I needed to get his scent off me, because I smelt like him .
When I reached the restroom,it was too quiet for a normal day in my company but I put that thought away .
Maybe everyone was to embarrassed by that useless Dante
I splashed cold water on my face.
The shock cleared the fog in my brain, if only for a moment. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, searching for weakness,
maybe something that I thought I felt for him ,even if it was for some seconds
some hint of the uneasiness swirling inside me.
I looked the same as always: composed, confident, in control. But me and myself knew that it was fake .
I lean closer to the mirror, adjusting my tie, when I saw him.
Dante Moretti stood behind me, impossibly close.
I hadn't heard him enter.
Hadn't sensed him at all. It's like he appeared out from nowhere.
Seriously does really he have the power to disappear into anywhere he wants, Alistair focus,this useless guy nearly gave you an heart attack
My heart skips a beat ,thump thump. I straighten, muscles tensing.
"w..w..What do you want, Moretti?"
He doesn't answer.
He just stood there, staring at my reflection.
Silence stretches, thick with tension.
I can feel the scent and power coming out off him, a force filling the small space.
I fought the urge to step back. I won't give him the satisfaction.
"You're making a mistake, Park," he says finally, low and gravelly. "You don't know what you're dealing with."
I scoff. "I know exactly what I'm dealing with. A desperate man trying to cling to a dying empire."
His lips curl into a faint smile. "Empires rise and fall, Mr. Park. But family… family is forever."
His hand hovers just beside my reflection
.
"Don't touch me"
but the proximity is almost more intimate than physical contact.
"My empire is not falling apart Alistair"
"What the fuck do you mean by that statement "
" It was all a trap to get you here ,a trap that you without me doing to much "
My eyes widened in horror,
"explain what you mean by that" ,as I walk backwards until my back hits the mirror.
A jolt of fear ran through me.
I clench my fists, forcing myself to stay composed.
"Get out the fuck out Moretti,"before I call security."
" Before you do that let me ,tell you a little secret or let's say am answering your questions"
"Five years ago," he said quietly, "I saw you at a gala."
My breath hitched despite stopping myself.
"Your parents were distracted. You weren't." His eyes flicked to the mirror. To me.
"You were laughing with a girl Eliana. Then something snapped."
My blood ran cold.
"You lost control," he continued calmly.
"Chairs overturned. Glass shattered. People panicked." A pause.
"Your parents restrained you before you could hurt anyone."
I couldn't move.
"That was the moment," he said. "I knew."
"Knew what?"
His gaze locked onto mine in the mirror
.
"That you were mine."
The words didn't sound dramatic. They sounded decided.
"Everything you've done since then," he went on, unhurried, "every promotion, every deal, every illusion of control"
He leaned closer. I felt his breath at my ear. "I allowed it."
My back hit the mirror.
"I didn't come for your empire to help mine, Alistair," he murmured.
"I built a lie big enough to bring you to me."
Silence.
Then, softer—almost intimate:
"You made it very easy."
I slapped myself to wake up from this nightmare, maybe I will wake up to my mom's cooking, cause I don't think I could survive this monster.
"What kind of a psychopath are you? "
"The one that loves you dearly"
Then I perceived a very strong pheromone from him ,it was stronger than how it was in the meeting room my vision blurs.
A waves of dizziness washes over me. I stumble, reaching out for something to steady myself.
The last thing I see before the darkness closes in is his hand, still hovering beside my reflection, a silent claim.