THE SHADOW OF BELLARDI

Front pages of every major tabloid showed the crystal-clear photograph of Dominic Bellardi kissing me in the middle of the Grand Sterling ballroom. Headlines screamed across newsstands: THE GODFATHER'S CLAIM: BLAKE HEIRESS DITCHES WEXLER FOR BELLARDI EMPIRE.

I sat in the dining room of Dominic’s penthouse in Upper East Side, wearing a silk robe his housekeeper had provided, sipping black coffee. The apartment was a fortress of floor-to-ceiling glass, Italian marble, and priceless artwork.

My phone on the table had been vibrating continuously for three hours. Sixty missed calls from Nathan. Forty from my sister Emily. Twelve from my stepmother, Victoria.

Dominic walked into the room wearing a crisp charcoal suit, setting a leather folder down beside my breakfast plate.

"Your family is gathered in the lobby downstairs," Dominic said casually, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Security is holding them at the desk."

"My stepmother too?" I asked, my tone dropping into a cold register.

"Victoria Blake, yes," Dominic confirmed. "She appears quite distraught that her favorite daughter’s corporate payday was derailed last night."

I set my coffee cup down with a sharp click.

When my father died, Victoria had systematically tried to isolate me, favoring Emily in every aspect of life. They had treated me like an unpaid executive manager for the family trust, pushing me to marry Nathan so their personal allowances would remain untouched.

"Send them up," I said, looking up at Dominic.

Dominic raised an eyebrow, a subtle glimmer of approval in his eyes. "Are you ready for this, Clara?"

"I've spent four years bowing my head to keep the peace, Dominic," I said, standing up and tightening the belt of my robe. "Today, I start taking what's mine."

Two minutes later, the private elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse foyer.

Victoria marched out first, wearing an expensive fur coat, her face contorted in theatrical outrage. Emily followed close behind, her eyes red and swollen from crying, while Nathan slunk in behind them, looking like a man awaiting execution.

"Clara!" Victoria shrieked, pointing her diamond-ringed finger at me. "Have you lost your mind?! You humiliated this family on national news! You kissed a criminal in front of the entire board!"

"Good morning to you too, Victoria," I said calmly, standing beside Dominic, who remained seated, swirling his espresso.

"Clara, please!" Nathan burst out, taking a desperate step toward me before Marco stepped into his path, blocking him effortlessly. "It’s all a mistake! Emily and I... we were tricked! She told me you were planning to break off the engagement anyway!"

"I what?!" Emily yelled, turning on Nathan. "You told me you loved me! You said she was just a glorified accountant!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Victoria barked, turning her furious gaze back to me. "Clara, you will sign a public apology immediately. You will state that you had a temporary nervous breakdown, and you will return to Nathan so the Hudson Yards deal can move forward. The bank frozen our family accounts this morning!"

I looked at my stepmother, then at my crying sister, and finally at the spineless coward I was supposed to marry.