He Pretended to Have Nothing to Test His Blind Date—Then One Plus

Thiago pulled the secure satellite phone from his pocket, expecting a routine update from the FBI director confirming Elias’s total incarceration.

Instead, the screen displayed a heavily encrypted, untraceable incoming call.

Thiago frowned, stepping slightly away from Cassie to answer it, his corporate instincts suddenly flaring.

"Bellacort," Thiago answered, his voice returning to the cold, authoritative tone of a ruthless CEO.

The voice on the other end of the line was not the FBI director.

It was a woman’s voice, chillingly calm, smooth, and dangerously familiar.

"Congratulations on surviving the night, Thiago," the woman said, her tone dripping with polite venom.

Thiago’s blood ran completely cold as he instantly recognized the arrogant voice.

It was Vanessa Langford, the high-end Manhattan real estate broker who had humiliated him at Marino's Table two nights ago.

"Vanessa?" Thiago growled, completely confused as to how she had acquired his highly classified personal number.

"I have to admit, you played the pathetic, broke repairman beautifully," Vanessa laughed softly. "I almost believed it myself, until I ran your face through my elite client database."

"How did you get this number?" Thiago demanded, his hand instinctively gripping the wooden railing of the deck.

"Elias Vance was a terrible CFO, but he was an incredibly useful idiot," Vanessa explained coldly. "He was so desperate to steal your company that he didn't realize who he was actually working for."

Thiago’s mind raced frantically, trying to connect the impossible dots.

"You orchestrated the hostile takeover?" Thiago asked in disbelief. "You're a real estate broker."

"I am a broker for the Moretti syndicate, Thiago," Vanessa corrected smoothly. "I buy the warehouses they use to move the drugs you refuse to transport."

Cassie watched Thiago's face drain of color, sensing the sudden, terrifying shift in the atmosphere.

"Elias failed, Vanessa," Thiago stated firmly, trying to regain control. "He is in federal custody, and the company is completely secure."

"Oh, Thiago, you still don't understand," Vanessa sighed mockingly. "Elias wasn't supposed to succeed in killing you. He was just a loud, messy distraction designed to pull your security forces away from the city."

Thiago froze, a deep, sickening pit forming in his stomach.

"What did you do?" Thiago whispered.

"While you were busy playing action hero in the woods," Vanessa said, her voice turning completely ruthless. "My men successfully bypassed your corporate firewalls in Manhattan."

Thiago heard the sound of typing on the other end of the line.

"I didn't want to kill you, Thiago. I just wanted your medical cold chain infrastructure," Vanessa continued. "And as of sixty seconds ago, I successfully transferred the legal ownership of every single warehouse, transport truck, and storage facility in Bellacort Systems directly to a blind trust controlled by the Moretti family."

Thiago couldn't breathe.

She hadn't just attacked him; she had legally stolen his entire multi-billion dollar empire right out from under him.

"You're a very wealthy man with no company left to run," Vanessa sneered. "Enjoy your early retirement with the little waitress."