Chapter 6
The heavy mahogany door was pulled shut by one of the bodyguards, sealing the room. The metallic click of the lock sounded like a gavel falling in a courtroom.
Preston let out a pathetic, high-pitched gasp, shrinking back down onto the crimson sofa. "Dad? Dad, what's going on?"
Warren could not speak. The sixty-six-year-old patriarch, who had spent his life bullying corporate boards and leveraging dirty money, suddenly realized he was locked in a cage with an apex predator. He stared at the two broad-shouldered capos standing in front of the door, their dark suits contrasting violently with the bright, cheerful colors of the bridal suite.
"Giulietta, please," Warren finally choked out, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. His signet ring caught the sunlight, but there was no power left in it. "Let us not do anything rash. This is a day of celebration. We are merging our families."
"We are not merging anything, Warren," Giulietta said, walking gracefully toward the vanity. She picked up a tissue and calmly dabbed a microscopic bead of sweat from her perfect, rosy forehead. "A merger implies a partnership of equals. You and your son are not my equals. You are my acquisitions."
"Acquisitions?" Preston stammered, his eyes darting frantically between Giulietta and the armed guards. "We own half the shipping ports in the city! You need us! The contract is already signed!"
"The contract is exactly why you are still breathing," Giulietta replied, turning to face them. She leaned back against the vanity, the picture of relaxed, terrifying elegance. "The ink is dry. The assets of the Hale family have been legally, irrevocably transferred to the Marconi trust."
"That was contingent on the marriage!" Warren shouted, a sudden, desperate anger overriding his fear. "If you don't say those vows, the transfer is null and void! My lawyers will tear you to pieces!"
"Your lawyers," Giulietta smiled, a cold, predatory curving of her lips, "work for me now. As of eight o'clock this morning, they accepted a very generous retainer from my father to restructure your entire holding company."
May you like
Warren stumbled backward, collapsing onto the arm of the sofa next to his terrified son. "You... you bought them out. You planned this."
"I planned to secure my family's future," Giulietta said smoothly. "You planned to beat me with a golf club. Only one of us succeeded."
