Chapter 5 - The War for Hudson YardsWith Nathan, Victoria, and Emily dragged into federal custody for questioning, the media storm surrounding the Blake-Wexler scandal reached a fever pitch.
Over the next two weeks, I moved into Dominic’s penthouse permanently—not as a captive, but as a partner. Together, we launched a hostile takeover of the Hudson Yards project.
Every morning, I sat across from Dominic in his high-rise office, analyzing blueprints, restructuring debt lines, and meeting with international investors who had previously refused to speak with Nathan.
I quickly realized why people feared Dominic Bellardi. He was ruthless, brilliant, and possessed an uncanny ability to see through corporate deception in seconds. But toward me, he was fiercely protective, treating my strategic insights with deep, genuine respect.
"You were wasting your talent playing assistant to that boy," Dominic remarked one evening as we stood on his terrace, looking out over the illuminated New York skyline.
"I thought supporting him was what love meant," I confessed, leaning against the marble balustrade, the cool evening wind blowing my hair across my face.
Dominic stepped beside me, placing a heavy, warm coat over my shoulders. "Love doesn't require you to make yourself smaller, Clara. Real power magnifies the person beside you."
I looked up at him, my heart doing a strange, unfamiliar flutter. Over the last fourteen days, the line between our fake public arrangement and our private reality had begun to blur. His touch was always deliberate, his gaze always intense, and every time he spoke my name, it felt like a vow.
"The board vote for Hudson Yards is tomorrow," I said, changing the subject to hide my rising pulse. "Nathan’s legal team filed an emergency motion to freeze our takeover."
"Nathan’s legal team is being funded by an old enemy of mine," Dominic said, his expression darkening slightly. "Salvatore Vance."
I frowned. "The real estate mogul?"
"The man who ran the Jersey syndicate Nathan owed money to," Dominic clarified. "Salvatore thinks he can use Nathan’s remaining stock to gain a foothold in Manhattan real estate. He’s holding a private auction tonight at his estate in Long Island to liquidate Nathan’s shares."
"Are we going?" I asked, my eyes lighting up with a sudden, dangerous resolve.
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Dominic looked down at me, a slow, dark smile spreading across his handsome, silver-haired features.
"My brave girl," Dominic murmured, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "We aren't just going. We are going to buy his entire life."
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