Chapter 6 - The Fall of the House of Mercer
At 8:55 AM on Friday morning, the executive lobby of Mercer Tower was packed with security guards, news camera crews, and nervous board members.
Bella stood inside the private holding room adjacent to the main boardroom. She wore an elegant black tailored dress, her diamond wedding band noticeably absent from her left hand.
Mateo stepped inside, holding an iPad. "Dante just entered the building. He looks terrible. He brought two private security guards, but facility staff stripped them of their credentials at the front desk."
"Let him come up alone," Bella said softly, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
The door burst open moments later.
Dante stumbled into the room. His clothes were unpressed, his eyes wild and bloodshot, his jaw covered in rough stubble. He looked like a shell of the confident billionaire who had stood in their master bedroom three nights ago.
"Bella," he choked out, stepping toward her. "Bella, please."
Bella didn't step back. She stood her ground, her gaze cool and steady. "You have five minutes before the board vote begins, Dante."
"Cancel the vote," Dante begged, his voice cracking as he reached for her hands. "Please... we can fix this. We can go away. We can leave the city, go to Switzerland, raise the baby... I was confused. I was angry. I was foolish!"
Bella looked down at his trembling hands, then slowly looked up into his desperate eyes.
"You weren't confused, Dante," she said softly, her tone carrying an overwhelming weight of sadness. "You meant every word you said in that bedroom. You hated that I was smart. You hated that I protected you. You wanted a woman who would make you feel like a giant by staying on her knees."
"I was wrong!" Dante sobbed, tears finally breaking past his eyes. "I don't care about the throne! I don't care about the board! Just don't destroy me, Bella... please... don't leave me with nothing."
Bella gently pulled her hands out of his grip.
"I didn't destroy you, Dante," she whispered. "I just stopped saving you from yourself."
The heavy chime of the boardroom clock echoed through the hallway. The double doors opened, and Gabriel Vance stepped out, looking at Bella with a respectful nod.
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"The board is ready for you, Mrs. Romano," Gabriel announced, deliberately using her maiden name.
Bella smoothed down her dress, turned her back on the weeping man who had once been her world, and walked into the boardroom to claim her empire.
