Chapter 2 - The Setup
The revelation hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
Roman had not brought Vanessa to my party simply to break my heart.
He had orchestrated a cruel public spectacle to intentionally force my hand.
He knew my pride would never allow me to stay quietly by his side after that display.
"He wanted me to leave," I whispered into the dark, quiet cabin of the car.
Dante kept his eyes entirely focused on the road as we merged onto the desolate interstate.
"A clean divorce from you would have cost him exactly half of his legitimate assets."
Dante's jaw tightened as he aggressively shifted gears.
"But a wife who abandons her marriage in a dramatic, hysterical fit is much easier to discard entirely."
We pulled into the underground concrete garage of a sleek, glass high-rise building.
Dante led me to a private, steel elevator that required a biometric thumbprint to operate.
The heavy doors opened directly into a massive penthouse overlooking the glittering city skyline.
"You will be safe here for tonight," Dante promised, handing me a crystal glass of cold water.
I walked slowly over to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The city looked incredibly peaceful from up here, but I knew it was an illusion.
Down below, Roman's ruthless soldiers were tearing Chicago apart looking for me.
"What do you actually want from me, Dante?" I asked without turning around.
"I want the financial ledger your father hid before Roman had him killed."
I spun around so fast that the water sloshed violently over the rim of the glass.
"Roman told me my father died in a tragic car accident."
Dante walked calmly toward a sleek flat-screen television mounted on the far wall.
He picked up a silver remote and turned the television to the local news channel.
The breaking news banner flashed in bright red letters across the bottom of the screen.
The Drake Hotel was currently surrounded by dozens of heavily armed federal agents.
The breathless reporter stated that massive financial fraud had just been uncovered inside the Castellano empire.
"Roman did not just want you out of the picture, Evelyn," Dante said softly.
May you like
The anchor on the television suddenly held up a highly detailed photograph of my face.
"He desperately needed a scapegoat for the FBI, and the fleeing, fugitive wife is the perfect target."
