Chapter 2 - The Silent Partner
The ballroom fell into a stunned silence as Vivian continued to wave the signed contract in the air.
She looked at my father with an expression of pure, unadulterated arrogance.
She truly believed she had just outsmarted one of the most powerful billionaires in the country.
"You really think you can destroy us?" Vivian mocked, her diamond necklace sparkling under the lights.
My father simply adjusted his charcoal overcoat and let out a dark, hollow chuckle.
He turned his head slightly and nodded to his attorney.
The attorney stepped forward, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Mrs. Blackwood, I highly suggest you read the name of the parent company that owns your new silent partner," the attorney said calmly.
Vivian frowned, snatching the document and aggressively flipping to the final page of the contract.
Her eyes scanned the fine print at the very bottom of the signature line.
The color instantly vanished from her face, leaving her looking completely sick.
The silent international holding company was a direct subsidiary of Vale Private Investments.
My father had orchestrated the entire acquisition through a shell company just to test her loyalty.
"You just legally signed away ninety percent of your family's entire corporate empire to me," my father stated with brutal precision.
The champagne glass in Vivian's hand slipped from her trembling fingers and shattered violently against the marble floor.
Ethan suddenly rushed forward and fell to his knees right in front of me.
"Lena, please, I love you," he begged, grabbing the hem of my dress with desperate hands.
I looked down at the man I had once planned to spend the rest of my life with.
I felt absolutely nothing but disgust for his pathetic cowardice.
"You did not love me when she was slapping my face," I replied coldly, pulling my dress out of his grip.
My father placed a protective hand on my shoulder and told the Blackwoods to vacate the premises.
The engagement party had officially transformed into a hostile corporate takeover.
Just as my father and I turned to walk away, Ethan suddenly scrambled to his feet.
His pathetic, tear-stained face twisted into a cruel, desperate smirk.
"You cannot destroy us, Lena, because you are legally bound to this family's debt," Ethan shouted across the room.
May you like
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, blue folder.
"Did you forget about the liability waiver you signed for my mother last month?"
