He Framed Me and Took My Career,I Took His Empire

Bianca lifted her gaze to Dante, searching his face as though she could see straight through to whatever was left of his conscience. Her eyes were bleak with despair, but her voice held steady, grief and resolve wound tight together. "Absolutely not. I will never give up my career." "If you won't help me clear my name, then I'll find the evidence myself." Even if she had to leave, she would leave with her reputation intact. She turned without waiting for his reaction and walked toward the door. She didn't make it two steps past the threshold before she saw Viviana Caruso. Viviana stood in the hallway holding a box of pastries from the bakery on Mulberry Street, her gaze sliding over Bianca with undisguised satisfaction, her tone bright with the kind of cheer designed to cut. "Oh, Counselor Bellandi, you're still here? I came to see Dante. I wanted to thank him personally for renewing the retainer with our firm this year." The words drove into Bianca's chest like a cluster of needles, each one small enough to ignore on its own, unbearable together. She turned to Dante. "You already signed a new pact with the firm? Why didn't I know about this?" Viviana pressed a hand to her lips in exaggerated surprise. "You really didn't know? It just happened. The Vitale Family's aide signed the renewal with the firm a few minutes ago." "But it doesn't matter whether you knew or not. Dante specifically requested that I replace you as their lead counsel. The Vitale Family's affairs have nothing to do with you anymore." Bianca's heartbeat faltered. She stared at Dante, unable to process what she was hearing. "Is what she's saying true?" Dante pulled Viviana behind him, shielding her as though Bianca were the threat. "Bianca, Viviana isn't like you. She needs this retainer to establish herself at the firm." "You have plenty of cases. You won't miss this one. Besides..." His gaze flicked over her face, his tone flat, almost clinical. "Your situation still isn't resolved. If the Family keeps you on as counsel, it reflects poorly on us." The signet ring on his thumb was perfectly still. He wasn't weighing the decision. He'd already made it. Bianca studied his face and realized, for the first time, that the boy she remembered no longer existed behind those eyes. Perhaps this had always been who he was. Perhaps the Dante Vitale she thought she knew had never been real. She still remembered the day they first met. She had been proud and solitary by nature, and her classmates had made her pay for it. They spread rumors with gleeful abandon: her money came from a sugar daddy, her designer bags were gifts from a patron, even the awards she'd won in competitions were bought with her body. She became the entire school's favorite target. Back then, Bianca believed the truth would speak for itself. She refused to dignify the lies with a response. But the rumors only grew. Those people started showing up at her classroom door to hurl insults to her face. Not a single classmate spoke up for her. Even her teachers believed the accusations and wanted to suspend her pending an investigation. It was Dante who stepped forward. He didn't just vouch for her. He went out of his way to obtain a recording of the very people who had set her up. In that moment, Dante Vitale had been nothing short of a god in her eyes. And now he was standing with the people smearing her name, helping them do it. Worse, he knew she'd been framed, and he was using the frame-up as his excuse to hand everything she'd built to the woman who had orchestrated it. Bianca's breathing turned ragged. She felt as though the ground had been pulled from beneath her, her body swaying, barely upright. She dug her nails into her palms hard enough to leave marks, forcing herself not to show a shred of weakness in front of Viviana. She was about to argue her case when her phone rang. It was Vincent Rinaldi. "Bianca, what the hell did you do?!" "Vittorio Marino's sealed files have been leaked. All of them. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to the case?" "Marino says you were the only person who had access to those books. His people are here at the office right now demanding answers. Get back here. Now." The color drained from Bianca's face. She didn't spare Dante or Viviana another glance before rushing out. Viviana watched her retreating figure, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips. Her fingertips drifted to her pearl earring, adjusting it with a delicate turn. "Dante, you promised you'd help me. Right?" Dante looked at the expectation shining on Viviana's face and nodded without thinking. Bianca barely made it through the firm's doors before Vittorio Marino was in her face, jabbing a finger at her. The knuckle of his right index finger cracked once before the first word left his mouth. "You still haven't explained those photos, and now our files have been leaked? Counselor Bellandi, are you trying to destroy us?!" "We trusted you with those sealed books because we believed in you. Is this how you repay our trust?!" "Is this your idea of professional ethics? Did you cut a deal with opposing counsel to take us down?!" "I'm telling you right now, if this isn't resolved, I will make sure you never work in this city again!" Bianca swallowed everything churning inside her and kept her voice level. "Mr. Marino, I give you my word. I will get to the bottom of this." "But please believe me. I did not leak those files. Give me time, and I will find out who did..." Before she could finish, a voice cut through the room. "No need to investigate. I know exactly who leaked them." Bianca turned and found Viviana standing right behind her, a laptop cradled in her arms. "Counselor Bellandi, I've always looked up to you as a role model in the profession. I never imagined you were this kind of person. Colluding with opposing counsel for personal gain, deliberately leaking Marino's sealed files." "You don't deserve to call yourself a lawyer." Bianca locked eyes with her, her brow drawn tight. "Viviana, if you're going to make accusations, you'd better have proof." "I have never colluded with opposing counsel, and I have never leaked those files." Viviana let out a cold scoff. "Of course you'd deny it. But lucky for us, I have a witness." The words had barely left her mouth when the door swung open and Dante walked in. The back room at Rinaldi & Associates went quiet the way rooms did when a Don entered. Two associates near the window straightened without being told. Dante crossed the room to stand before everyone. "I can testify. Those sealed files were leaked by Bianca."

The moment those words left his mouth, the last shred of warmth in Bianca's heart vanished without a trace. She never imagined Dante would go this far for Viviana. A sharp sting flooded her eyes. Her throat locked tight, and she forced herself to stay standing. The conference room had gone quiet in the way rooms only went quiet when blood was in the water. Even the bodyguard posted by the far door had stopped shifting his weight. Dante glanced at Bianca, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "I apologize for my wife's conduct. I'll personally bear all losses suffered by the Marino crew. Please... forgive her." Before he even finished, Vittorio Marino hurled the stack of documents straight at Bianca. The papers hit her chest and scattered across the floor, and not one person in the room moved to pick them up. "Personally bear it? With what?" "Forget the case involving two hundred million in claims. Marino Holdings' stock price tanked today alone. How exactly do you plan to cover that?" He cracked the knuckle of his right index finger, the sound sharp as a pistol slide in the silence. "Bellandi, and you had the nerve to call yourself some undefeated attorney. What a joke. You'll be hearing from my lawyers." Tears pooled at the rims of her eyes. Her throat was raw and parched. She clenched her jaw so hard her teeth ached, every breath a trembling sliver of pain. Bianca's voice shook as she spoke. "Mr. Marino, I'm begging you, trust me just this once. I swear on my career, I had nothing to do with this." "Give me two days. I will find the truth." Vittorio cut her off, his patience spent. "Bianca Bellandi, you really have no shame." "Your own husband already admitted it, and you're still trying to weasel your way out? Instead of groveling here, you'd better start thinking about how you're going to handle the investigation." He shoved her aside and stormed out. The bodyguard at the door stepped back to let the capo pass, then resumed his post as if nothing had happened. Vincent Rinaldi fixed Bianca with a vicious glare. "Bianca, do you have any idea how much trouble you've brought down on this firm?" "Well? How do you propose we fix this?" Bianca turned and looked around. Every single colleague was pointing, whispering, their voices carrying just enough to reach her. "So Bianca's been sleeping with clients to land her cases. Guess that explains a lot." "She always looked so prim and proper. Turns out she's been playing all kinds of games behind closed doors. Poor Mr. Vitale, marrying someone like that." "I always said there was no way someone that young could be that good. Dirty tricks, obviously. Disgusting. Can't believe I've been working alongside her." Bianca stood trapped between Vincent and Viviana, forced to absorb every whisper and sneer. The fluorescent hum of the conference room lights seemed to grow louder, filling the space their respect had vacated. Viviana's lips curled upward, her eyes bright with undisguised mockery. Bianca looked at Vincent. She had always been composed, but now her voice was nothing but tremors. "Vincent, we've worked together for years. You don't trust me either?" Vincent looked at her, then at Viviana, and spoke in a low, measured tone. He removed his glasses and polished the lenses with his pocket square, taking his time. "Bianca, the evidence is right in front of us. I'd be a fool not to believe it." "This isn't just about Marino's people needing answers. The firm needs answers too." Viviana smiled faintly. "If you ask me, Vincent, the simplest solution is to let Counselor Bellandi leave the firm." "It's the only way to keep her from dragging the rest of us down." The words hit Bianca like a physical blow. She couldn't believe Viviana intended to destroy her completely. She opened her mouth to speak, but Dante cut in first. "That works. I'll compensate Marino and the firm for their losses on her behalf. But I have one condition." "After she's gone, Viviana takes her position." His signet ring was perfectly still against his thumb. No rolling, no fidgeting. Just a man who had already decided and saw no reason to pretend otherwise. Vincent considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Bianca, for the sake of our years together, I'll let you resign on your own terms." Bitterness surged through her chest. Just like that, in a handful of sentences, they had decided her fate. A sit-down she hadn't been invited to, conducted right in front of her face. Not the husband she had devoted herself to. Not the colleague she had trusted with her life. Not a single one of them had spared a thought for how she felt. All they wanted was to push her out the door fast enough to make room for Viviana. Something seized Bianca's heart and squeezed. The bitterness spread through her veins like poison. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her face was white. She bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain forcing her mind back into focus. "On what grounds are you convicting me without hearing my side?" "You all know perfectly well who's really behind this. Don't even think about pinning it on me." "Marino wants to investigate? Fine. I'll cooperate fully. But until that investigation is complete, I am not leaving this firm." She reached for her phone. Viviana hadn't expected that. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she looked at Dante with a silent plea. Her fingertips went to her pearl earring, adjusting it in one quick, reflexive motion. In the next second, Dante snatched the phone from Bianca's hand and smashed it against the floor. The crack of glass against marble echoed through the room like a gunshot, and every person in it flinched except Dante. "Bianca, enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already?" "Stop making a scene. Come home with me quietly, or things are going to get worse for everyone." He was threatening her. The Acting Don of the Vitale Family, the man who wore her ring and shared her bed, was threatening her in front of people who answered to him. Vincent stared at Bianca, his voice flat and detached. "Bianca, whether you stay at this firm is no longer your decision. If you won't resign, I'll have no choice but to terminate you." "And when that happens, your reputation in this city will be finished." A chill settled deep inside her. She looked at Vincent, the man who had once fought beside her, who had been both mentor and friend. He wore a different face now. When she first joined, this firm had been a failing practice on the verge of shutting its doors. She had worked around the clock, hunting down cases, building connections with made men and legitimate clients alike, pulling it back from the brink and growing it into what it was today. Rinaldi & Associates survived because she had made powerful people believe it was worth protecting. Back then, Vincent had taken her hand and told her the firm was as much hers as his. That they would watch it thrive together. But somewhere along the way, he had changed. And now he was siding with outsiders to force her out. For the first time in her life, Bianca felt completely lost. Without her realizing when it happened, Viviana had turned every person around her. Bianca was truly, utterly alone.

Bianca's throat felt stuffed with cotton, dry and raw. Her fingers curled slowly into her palms, and her chest seized as though something had clamped down around her heart, squeezing until the air refused to come. After a long silence, she looked at Dante and Vincent, her voice low and steady: "Fine. I'll resign from the firm." She wanted to see exactly how far Rinaldi & Associates would get without her. Dante visibly relaxed when she agreed. He reached for her hand: "Bianca, don't worry. Even if you're not practicing law anymore, I can take care of you." Bianca's expression didn't change. She sidestepped his hand, swallowing the pain, her tone flat: "I don't need you to take care of me." He'd already made his choice. There was no point pretending to care now. Dante's throat bobbed. He stared at Bianca, dazed. The love that once filled her eyes had been replaced by something vast and empty, and it stung like looking into the sun. His chest tightened with a dull, suffocating ache. Why? He'd always loved Viviana, hadn't he? He'd only married Bianca on impulse, out of spite. Now Viviana had achieved her dream. She'd gotten what she wanted, taken Bianca's place. He should be happy. So why did the look of disappointment in Bianca's eyes cut so deep? It was probably just responsibility. That was how Dante consoled himself. Right. Responsibility. He had married her, after all. Helping Viviana scheme against her like this was, admittedly, unfair. But it didn't matter. They were still husband and wife. He'd make it up to her later. The thought loosened the knot in his chest for a moment. He was about to say something when Viviana cut in: "Dante, come shopping with me." "I'm about to get promoted, so I should pick up some gifts for the team." Dante glanced at Bianca: "Bianca, Viviana's still new in Astoria. I need to look after her." Bianca's voice was even, the sorrow in her eyes fading into something blank: "It's fine. Go." Dante blinked. Normally, whenever he mentioned spending time with Viviana, Bianca would argue with him. No matter how many times he insisted they were just friends, she never believed him. Why was she so agreeable today? He looked into her calm, unreadable eyes, and an inexplicable unease crept through him. He started to explain without thinking: "Don't worry, I'll come straight home after we're done. I won't be long—" Before he could finish, Viviana turned to him with a wounded expression: "Dante, I know you're worried Bianca will get the wrong idea. It's okay, I can go by myself." She managed a tight, brave smile: "I'm used to being alone." She turned and walked out, leaving behind a lonely silhouette. Dante's face crumpled with sympathy, and he hurried after her. In his mind, Bianca was the wife who would always forgive him. Whenever they fought, she'd find her own way to let it go without him having to lift a finger. Viviana was different. She was high-maintenance. One wrong move and she'd sulk for days, exhausting everyone around her. So he'd rather disappoint Bianca than risk upsetting Viviana. Bianca stood rooted to the spot, motionless. Her entire body had gone rigid and cold. Sweat beaded along her spine. She bit down hard on her lip, but it did nothing to stop the chill spreading through her. She watched the two of them leave and let out a bitter, quiet laugh. She must have been blind all these years, believing Dante actually loved her. How had she forgotten? Every single time she and Viviana clashed, Dante had taken Viviana's side. Every single time. She cast a cool glance at Vincent and said quietly: "You've wanted me out of this firm for a long time, haven't you?" Guilt flickered across Vincent's face. Before he could respond, Bianca cut him off: "You got what you wanted." "I hope you won't regret today's decision." Without waiting for an answer, she walked alone to handle her resignation paperwork. The staff at Rinaldi & Associates were stunned when they learned she was leaving. They'd watched Bianca pour years of her life into the firm, building its reputation case by case until half the made men in Astoria trusted no other counsel. No one expected her to leave so suddenly. But given the whispers circulating the past two days, the shock faded quickly, replaced by quiet sympathy as they looked at her. Bianca clenched her fists, forcing herself to ignore the pitying glances. Once the paperwork was done, she walked out of the firm for the last time. Back at the compound, she called Elena Bellandi first: "Mom, I've decided. I'm coming with you and Dad. Offshore, wherever the family keeps safe ground." Elena paused for a beat, then her voice brightened: "Really? You've finally come to your senses. Your father and I were so afraid you'd be stubborn and insist on staying in Astoria." "Don't worry, sweetheart. You can still practice law from there. You don't have to chain yourself to one firm, one family." "What about Dante? Is he coming with you, or staying behind for now?" Bianca's voice dropped: "Mom, I think I need to get a divorce first." "Could you and Dad help me with the paperwork to get settled?" "And the Vitale Family... have the Bellandis pull their support. The money, the shipping access, the political cover. Once the divorce is final, I won't have anything to do with the Vitale syndicate." Dante had always believed he'd built the Vitale operation on talent alone. Fine. She'd let him prove it. Without Bellandi money and protection behind him, she'd see how long his empire lasted. Elena was surprised, but she'd always respected her daughter's decisions. She didn't press for details, only offered careful reminders: "Your marriage is your own business. Your father and I won't interfere. We'll have our people handle the withdrawal." "If anything comes up that you can't handle, tell us." Her mother's words thawed something in Bianca's frozen chest, just slightly. She nodded: "Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of it." She'd barely hung up when a message came through from a colleague at the firm: "Bianca, we want to thank you for everything you've done for us over the years, so we'd like to throw you a farewell party." "We've booked a villa on the south side of Astoria for tonight. We're planning a get-together, maybe stay the night. Are you free?" Bianca had planned to slip away quietly, but these colleagues had always been good to her. After tonight, she might never see them again. She couldn't bring herself to refuse. After a long moment of thought, she agreed. She packed up a few things and headed to the villa. What she hadn't expected was Viviana. Viviana stood in the center of the crowd, her fingers laced through Dante's, her gaze landing on Bianca with a glint of smug provocation: "Bianca, I never thought you'd actually show up to my promotion party." "I knew Dante wouldn't lie to me."

Bianca instinctively looked toward the colleague who had sent her the message, only to find the woman staring at Dante with guilt written all over her face. That told her everything she needed to know. Dante had actually gone this far for Viviana. The man who had always been too proud for deception had learned to lie. The grief in her chest was a steel needle, piercing her heart one slow millimeter at a time. Dante walked up to Bianca, his voice low and flat. The ambient noise of the private dining room fell a half-step quieter as he moved, the way it always did, soldiers and associates adjusting without thinking. "Tonight is Viviana's welcome dinner. She's still new, and some of the people at the firm might not respect her authority. You're here to lend her credibility." Bianca swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat, gave him one look, and turned to leave. But Dante seized her arm. "Bianca, what do you think you're doing? If you walk out now, where does that leave Viviana?" "You're her sister-in-law, for God's sake. Would it kill you to show a little generosity?" Sister-in-law? That was the exact excuse Dante had used to force her into bringing Viviana into the counsel's office in the first place. Whenever Bianca clashed with Viviana, he dragged out the same line, insisting she was the elder, the one who should yield. Even now, he still hadn't exhausted that card. Bianca couldn't take it anymore. She wrenched her arm free. "I'm no sister-in-law of hers!" "Have you forgotten? Not once, from the very beginning, has she ever called me that." She turned to leave without waiting for his reaction, but something caught her eye: the bracelet on Viviana's wrist. Bianca's heart slammed against her ribs. That bracelet was part of her mother's gift when the marriage alliance was sealed, the only keepsake her late grandmother had left behind. Bianca closed the distance to Viviana in three strides and grabbed her arm. "Where did you get this bracelet?" Viviana let out a shriek, struggling wildly. "Counselor Bellandi, what are you doing? Let go of me!" Bianca's voice was ice, her entire body radiating cold fury. "I asked you a question. Why is this bracelet on your wrist?" Before the words had fully left her mouth, a hard shove hit her between the shoulder blades, and a sharp pain tore through her arm. She lost her grip on Viviana and went tumbling down the steps. Dante had Viviana in his arms, his frigid gaze fixed on Bianca where she lay. "Bianca, don't push it. I gave that bracelet to Viviana." Bianca's leg had struck the edge of a step. The pain was blinding, as if the bone had cracked. Hearing those words, she forced herself upright, both hands pressed hard against her chest, and every humiliation she had swallowed over the years finally erupted. "That was my mother's gift to me! What right do you have to give it away? Give it back!" Irritation creased Dante's brow. His signet ring sat motionless against his thumb. "It's just a bracelet. Viviana liked it, so I let her have it. What's the big deal, Bianca? You're being incredibly petty." Viviana put on a wounded expression, her fingertips drifting to her pearl earring for the briefest adjustment. "Dante, since Counselor Bellandi doesn't want me to have it, I'll just give it back. Please don't fight over me." Dante stroked Viviana's hair, his voice soft with affection. "Don't worry about it. I gave it to you, so it's yours. She's always been stingy. Just ignore her." Bianca's eyes were bloodshot. "Stingy? Do you honestly think I don't know how much you've given her over the years?" "I let everything else slide, but not this bracelet. If you won't return it, I'll call the police. It was given to me when our families joined. You had no right to dispose of it." Dante hadn't expected a reaction this fierce. For a moment, he just stood there. Viviana had taken a liking to Bianca's jewelry before, and every time he had simply let her have it. Bianca had never once made a scene. Why was this time different? Seeing the dark resolve on her face, he finally relented. "Fine. Stay and see Viviana through the rest of her welcome dinner, and I'll give the bracelet back." Bianca looked into his unyielding eyes and accepted, because she had no other choice. She knew Dante. Once he set a condition, he never went back on it. The fact that he was willing to return the bracelet at all was already a concession. When Viviana realized Dante truly intended to give the bracelet back, a flash of venom crossed her eyes as she looked at Bianca. So Dante still had some feelings for Bianca after all. She would have to find a way to make him despise her completely. The dinner began. Bianca sat and watched as Dante attended to Viviana's every need at the long table, the low murmur of associates and their wives filling the private room of the restaurant the Family kept on retainer. Picking out the best dishes for her. Peeling shrimp for her. Refilling her wine. Pouring her water. A bitter ache spread through Bianca's chest. He had never done any of those things for her. Not once. She had always assumed it was simply his nature, that he was too proud to bother with small gestures like these. Now she understood. She simply wasn't worth the effort. It didn't matter anymore. She had made her peace with it. All she had to do was endure until the dinner ended, take back her grandmother's bracelet, and walk away, leaving Dante to Viviana for good. She would never insert herself between them again. After a few rounds of drinks, the air inside felt suffocating. Bianca slipped out alone to clear her head. The terrace overlooked the lit pool below, and the November air carried the faint smell of chlorine and distant cigarette smoke from the soldiers posted by the cars. She had barely reached the pool when a hand closed around her arm. Viviana stood there with a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile. "What's Counselor Bellandi doing out here instead of inside? Couldn't stand watching me and Dante together? Thinking of running?" "I suppose it makes sense. You only got him because I went abroad. Now that you see how devoted he is to me, it must be unbearable." "You really are shameless, you know that? He obviously doesn't love you, yet you cling to him like a barnacle. If I were you, I'd have been gone a long time ago." Bianca glanced at her, expression blank. "I am leaving. Just not yet." "I'm still waiting for you to return my bracelet." Viviana ran her fingers along the jade on her wrist, a glint of malice in her eyes. "And what if I said I have no intention of giving it back?"

Bianca's voice was ice-cold. "Then I'll have no choice but to call the police." Viviana laughed, sliding the bracelet off her wrist as she did. "Oh, right. How could I forget? You're the famous Counselor Bellandi. Getting a little bracelet back can't be that hard for you." "But then again..." She glanced at Bianca, then slowly extended the hand holding the bracelet out over the swimming pool. "What if this bracelet just... disappeared? Calling the police wouldn't do you much good then, would it?" Bianca's eyes locked onto Viviana's hand, every muscle in her face pulled taut. "You wouldn't dare." Viviana's expression twisted with malice. "Wouldn't I? It's just a bracelet. Your own husband gave it to me. Even if I accidentally broke it, what are they going to do, throw me in jail?" Her fingers began to loosen. Bianca lunged forward and grabbed her arm. "Don't!" "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Just give me the bracelet back!" It was the last thing she had of her grandmother's. She would not stand by and watch it be destroyed. Viviana's smile widened, bright and vicious. "That's more like it. When you're begging someone, you should act like it." "Now get on your knees. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll give it back." Bianca stared at her, stunned. She hadn't imagined Viviana would stoop to this. When Bianca didn't move, Viviana raised the bracelet over the water again. "I'll count to three. If you're not on your knees, it goes in." "Three!" "Two!" "One!" "I'll kneel!" Bianca clenched her jaw, stripped herself of every shred of dignity, and sank to her knees on the cold tile. The noise of the party beyond the terrace wall carried on, laughter and clinking glass, while a woman born into one of Astoria's oldest bloodlines knelt at the feet of a house attorney who had slept her way to the table. Viviana burst out laughing. "Oh my God, I never thought I'd see the day. The great Counselor Bellandi, so proud, so untouchable, kneeling at my feet like a dog." "Bianca, I told you a long time ago. I'd take everything from you. Do you believe me now?" "Your husband, your career, all mine. And now your dignity is under my heel. What do you have left to be proud of?" "If you know what's good for you, you'll crawl away from Dante and never come back. Otherwise, I'll make things so much worse." Grief, humiliation, and fury crashed through Bianca all at once. She forced herself to hold still, to not fight back. "Fine. Now can I have the bracelet?" Viviana held the bracelet out to Bianca with a careless flick of her wrist. Bianca's eyes lit up. She reached for it. The next second, Viviana yanked her hand back and flung the bracelet into the pool. It hit the water with a small splash, sending ripples fanning outward. The emeralds caught the underwater light for one brief second before sinking. Bianca froze for half a heartbeat, then threw herself in after it. She'd forgotten she couldn't swim. Viviana watched Bianca thrashing in the water and turned to leave. But a shout rang out from somewhere behind her. Her eyes darted, calculating, and she jumped in after her. The freezing water swallowed Bianca inch by inch. Just as her lungs were about to give out, someone hauled her to the surface. She barely had time to gasp before Dante's palm cracked across her face. "Bianca, you've gone too far! You know Viviana can't swim, and you pushed her in? Are you trying to kill her?!" Viviana sobbed in Dante's arms, her voice thin and trembling. "Dante, please don't blame Counselor Bellandi. It's my fault. I shouldn't have shown my face around her and upset her..." Cold seeped through every cell in Bianca's body. She was shaking so hard she could barely form words. "I didn't push her. She threw my grandmother's bracelet into the pool. I went in to find it." "I don't know why she ended up in the water." Before she could finish, Viviana cut in. "Counselor Bellandi, I know you don't like me, but you can't just make things up like this." "Dante already promised to return the bracelet to you. Why would I throw it away right in front of you?" The gathered guests were buying every word. Soldiers, wives, associates in evening dress, all watching with the careful attention of people who knew better than to intervene in the Don's business. Bianca pressed on, desperate. "She really threw it in. Send someone down to look. If it's not there, I'll apologize to her on the spot." She turned to find a staff member. Dante stopped her. "Bianca, when did you become such a liar?" Something cracked inside her. Even someone as strong as Bianca felt the sting of being accused again and again of things she hadn't done. "Dante, I have never lied. If you don't believe me, just wait until I get the bracelet out of the water..." The words died on her lips. She stood frozen, staring, the shock plain on her face. Because Dante had just pulled her grandmother's bracelet from his jacket pocket. His signet ring was perfectly still against his thumb. He looked at her, his expression heavy with disgust. "This is your grandmother's bracelet, isn't it?" "Viviana gave it to me before the party even started. Asked me to return it to you. I didn't think I'd need it as evidence." "Bianca, you keep saying your grandmother loved you more than anyone. But now you're using her bracelet as a prop to frame Viviana." "You are a complete disappointment. Since you care so little about this bracelet, let's put it out of its misery. At least then you can't use it to hurt anyone else." Something dark and final crossed his face. He hurled the bracelet at the ground. It shattered into pieces, just like her heart. "No!" Bianca dropped to her knees, scrambling across the ground like a woman possessed, gathering every fragment she could find. The terrace had gone silent. No one moved. No one helped. Dante glanced down at her with flat, empty eyes. "Pathetic." Then he gathered Viviana in his arms and walked away. Bianca clutched the broken pieces to her chest and wept. She wept until she couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't feel the shards slicing her palms open, blood running between her fingers. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I'm so sorry..." "It's all my fault. I couldn't even protect the one thing you left me..." In the darkness, her phone screen flickered to life. A message from her mother. Bianca, your extraction paperwork is finalized. Your father and I will be waiting for you at the airfield the morning after next. Something stirred in the numb wasteland of her chest. She could finally leave.

Bianca stumbled back to the compound and packed her things like a marionette, every movement hollow and mechanical. All she wanted was to leave this place that had given her both boundless joy and unbearable pain, and never come back. But the moment she reached the front door, two soldiers seized her arms and forced her into the back of a black sedan. Bianca fought with everything she had. "What are you doing? Let go of me!" She was no match for them. They dragged her through the hospital's service entrance and threw her to the ground in a private corridor that smelled of bleach and money. Every bone in her body screamed on impact. She forced herself to lift her head, and there stood Dante, his face dark as a storm. The signet ring on his thumb was perfectly still. He stared down at her, his voice cutting through the sterile air. "Satisfied now?" "How did I end up with a wife this vicious? You'll stop at nothing to get rid of Viviana. Aren't you afraid of what's coming for you?" Bianca frowned, unable to understand what he was talking about. Dante caught the confusion in her eyes and scoffed. "Don't tell me you didn't know Viviana has a clotting disorder." "You heartless woman. You deliberately scratched her wrist underwater. She's still bleeding and they can't stop it." "You're a lawyer, Bianca. Don't you know that killing someone means paying with your life?" Bianca rushed to defend herself. "How could I have scratched her? Have you forgotten? I can't even—" Dante cut her off before she could finish, impatience carved into every line of his face. "Viviana got hurt because of you. You're going to take responsibility." "Take her in. Draw her blood. However much Viviana lost, that's how much comes out of her." A deafening buzz filled Bianca's skull. She never imagined Dante could be this unhinged. Her chest caved inward, as though something had clamped down on her lungs and refused to let go. The soldiers closed in. Bianca thrashed against their grip. "Dante, this is illegal!" "You can't do this to me!" Dante walked over and crouched in front of her. His fingers seized her chin, tilting her face up. His eyes were pure malice. This close, he didn't look like a husband. He looked like a man deciding whether to let someone live. "Now you want to talk to me about the law?" "Why didn't you think about consequences when you were hurting Viviana?" "Take her in." They dragged her into the operating room. She fought every inch of the way, and none of it mattered. The needle slid into her vein, cold as ice, and the pain tore through her as though it had pierced her heart. She felt her blood leaving her body. And with it, the last trace of love she had ever held for Dante Vitale. She told herself to endure it. He wouldn't actually let her die. He was the Don. Even he answered to something, even if it was only the inconvenience of a dead wife and the questions that followed. But the minutes crawled by, and no order came from outside to stop. Bianca felt herself being hollowed out. Her body grew so weak she couldn't even keep her eyes open. Somewhere beyond the door, she could hear the low murmur of men who obeyed without asking, and the silence of a hospital wing that had been cleared for a man who owned the building. A bitter ache rose in her chest. Was she really going to die here today? She wasn't ready. She had been so close to starting over. Meanwhile, in the hospital corridor, a doctor stood before Dante, sweat dripping from his forehead. Two soldiers flanked the hallway behind them, arms folded, watching nothing and everything. "Don Vitale, your wife has already had 1500cc drawn. She's at her absolute limit. If we continue, something will go very wrong." Dante barely glanced at him. "How's Viviana?" The doctor hesitated, stammering. "Miss Caruso, her wound is quite deep. She's still in emergency treatment." Under Dante's withering stare, the doctor wiped his brow and forced the words out, his voice shaking. "But rest assured, Miss Caruso is no longer in critical danger." Only then did the edge in Dante's gaze soften, just barely. His thumb moved once against the signet ring, then stopped again. The doctor ventured carefully. "Then... your wife..." Dante considered this for a moment, his tone flat. "Keep going. Draw the full 2000cc." "If I don't teach her a lesson this time, there's no telling what she'll do to Viviana next." The doctor opened his mouth to protest, but under the weight of Dante's stare, the words died in his throat. In this city, this hospital ran because the Vitale Family allowed it to run. The man swallowed and walked back toward the operating room. Bianca woke in a hospital bed. She was so weak she couldn't sit up. She reached for her phone to call her mother and knocked over the glass of water on the nightstand. A familiar hand appeared, offering her a cup of warm water. Bianca forced her eyes open. Dante's face filled her vision, inches away. He looked rested. He looked like a man who had slept well while she bled. He propped her up and brought the cup to her lips. "I know you're still upset, but you went too far yesterday." "If I didn't teach you a lesson, how would I face Viviana?" "Come on, don't be angry. I'll take you to visit your parents in a couple of days. That should make up for it, right?" Bianca listened to his magnanimous tone and, for the first time, felt a wave of pure disgust at herself. How pathetically small had she made herself, that Dante Vitale believed a visit to her parents was a grand enough favor to offer? Grand enough to cancel out having 2000cc of blood ripped from her body. When she didn't respond, Dante took her silence for surrender. He smiled and ruffled her hair. "I knew my Bianca would be a good girl." "The person you should really be thanking is Viviana. She knew perfectly well you scratched her on purpose, and she still chose not to press charges." "So to show your gratitude, don't you think you should hand over all your professional contacts and resources at the firm to her?"

Bianca was so furious she almost laughed. No wonder he'd shown up to "take care of her" today. He'd come to collect her professional resources for his precious childhood sweetheart. She sat rigid on the hospital bed, not moving a muscle, forcing down the emotions threatening to erupt from her chest. After a long silence, she lifted her gaze to meet Dante's eyes and spoke, each word deliberate: "My resources. I'd sooner burn every contact I have than hand them to her." Dante hadn't expected such defiance. His expression darkened instantly. "Bianca, I suggest you think this through. You've already walked away from the firm. Those contacts are useless to you now." "You hurt Viviana. Compensating her with them is the least you can do. Don't be so petty." A sharp pain lanced through Bianca's chest, and for a moment the world narrowed to nothing but that ache. Viviana had spread lies and framed her, costing her everything she'd built at the counsel table. These two had shattered her grandmother's keepsake. Last night, they'd nearly killed her on the operating table. And now Dante was telling her she needed to hand over her professional network to Viviana on a silver platter, to atone for crimes she never committed. What a joke. Bianca's lips twisted into a cold, humorless smile. "Why should I compensate her?" "Give me one reason." The words had barely left her mouth when Viviana burst into the room, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Dante's sleeve, her eyes brimming with wounded innocence. "Dante, please don't upset Bianca because of me. I know she hates me. Of course she'd refuse to share her resources." "Bianca, this is my fault. I shouldn't have come between you two. Hit me, yell at me, I can take it. Just please don't be angry with Dante. He works so hard running this Family all by himself." "I'll go. I'll leave and never bother you again..." She made a show of struggling toward the door. But for someone so desperate to leave, her eyes kept darting back to Dante, and her feet hadn't moved an inch. Bianca watched the performance with cold detachment. Not a ripple of emotion stirred inside her. Dante, however, pulled Viviana into his arms, his voice aching with tenderness. "Viviana, you've done nothing wrong. Why would you leave?" "She's the one being difficult. Don't worry. I'll get those resources for you today." He turned to Bianca, his face like a storm cloud, and his voice cut through the room: "Since you insist on being unreasonable, I see no reason to spare your dignity." "Bianca, don't forget. The final draft of your federal defense thesis is still in my hands. If you won't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to release it for everyone to 'study.'" Bianca's eyes went dark. Her voice rose. "You wouldn't dare." Her fingers curled inward, nails biting into her palms. Something tightened around her heart like a wire, and a suffocating pressure flooded her chest. That thesis was the culmination of years of work with her advisor. It was their shared achievement. Defense strategies, case precedents, sealed-filing techniques that half the counsel in Astoria would kill to get their hands on. She'd never guarded herself against Dante. She never imagined he'd turn it into a weapon. Whatever warmth remained in Bianca's heart went cold. She'd misjudged him. She could accept that now. When she looked up again, her eyes were empty. Completely, utterly empty. "Fine. I'll hand the resources over to Viviana. But I want to watch you delete every copy of that thesis with my own eyes. And you'll sign an agreement guaranteeing you'll never leak it." Dante shrugged, unbothered. His signet ring sat motionless against his thumb. "Sure. No problem." "I'm not that low." He studied Bianca's composed expression, and a flicker of unease stirred in his gut for no reason he could name. She wouldn't leave the Family over this, would she? The thought lasted barely a second before he dismissed it entirely. She loved him too much. She'd never leave. He'd just have to smooth things over afterward. That would fix things. With that settled in his mind, his gaze toward Bianca softened a fraction. "Come on, Bianca. Don't sulk. From now on, just stay home and be a good wife." "Once you've recovered, we'll start trying for an heir. It's what my mother's always wanted." "Oh, and since you're going to be keeping the house, I'm bringing my mother here from the old compound. She was thrilled when she heard you'd agreed to have children. Make sure you treat her well." Bianca thought of Dante's mother, Carmela Vitale, and a wave of revulsion washed through her. Carmela had always adored Viviana. The moment she learned Dante had married Bianca instead, she'd treated her like a homewrecker who'd stolen her son from his true match. A bloodline interloper, not a proper Vitale bride. The woman's tongue was vicious, and her real goal had always been to break Bianca down. Washing her feet. Waking at five in the morning to cook for her. Being forbidden from eating at the same table. Every ritual dressed up as tradition, every cruelty wrapped in the language of respect for the matriarch. In the early months of the marriage, Bianca had swallowed more humiliation than she could count. Thankfully, Dante had sent his mother back to the family compound before long. Otherwise, Bianca wasn't sure how much longer she could have endured it. Dante noticed her silence and frowned with displeasure. "My mother has some old-fashioned ideas, sure. But she's still your mother-in-law. Grin and bear it." "She arrives tomorrow at three. Make sure you're at the station to receive her." Bianca laughed to herself. A bitter, silent laugh. Funny how she'd never noticed what a devoted son Dante was. He opened his mouth to say more, but his phone rang. Luca Conti's number. She couldn't make out the other end of the conversation, only catching fragments: "pulling out"... "leaving the country." Dante barked a few quick instructions to Viviana and rushed out of the hospital room. His soldiers fell into step behind him before the door swung shut. The second he was gone, Viviana dropped the act. She swept a triumphant look over Bianca, her voice dripping with contempt. Her fingertips drifted to her pearl earring and adjusted it, a small, satisfied motion. "Bianca, oh Bianca. A wife reduced to this. How do you even show your face?" "If I were you, I'd have had the sense to leave a long time ago." Bianca glanced at her, her tone flat and unbothered. "And I never imagined a mistress could be this shameless about it." Viviana's face twisted with rage. She fixed Bianca with a vicious glare. "Don't get cocky. Carmela arrives tomorrow, and she happens to adore me. Once she's here, your life will be a hundred times worse than it is now." "Look forward to it." With that parting shot, Viviana swayed out of the room on her heels. Bianca watched her go and let out a quiet, scornful breath. Carmela Vitale was a force of nature. Viviana, did you really think you'd fare any better under that woman's roof? But none of that was Bianca's problem anymore. She looked away, picked up her phone, and called her mother, asking her to send someone to the hospital. She didn't dare tell her parents about the night before. She said only that she'd fainted from a fever. Matteo and Elena were skeptical, but Bianca held firm, and in the end they didn't press further. Early the next morning, Bianca squared the edges of the documents on the bedside table until every line was exact, sent everything she'd prepared to her attorney, blocked Dante's number, and boarded a plane without looking back.