Chapter 48

I stood in front of Damien's sleek, glass-and-steel office building, the bitter wind whipping through the streets of the city. The plan had been simple: confront the man who'd ruined everything. But as I stepped into the elevator and ascended to his penthouse, the knot in my stomach tightened. Jace had done his job. He'd found him. Now, it was my turn to do mine.

When the elevator doors opened, I didn't waste time. Damien sat behind his polished desk, an air of arrogance that I could almost taste. He didn't bother looking up when I entered, his fingers moving idly over the papers in front of him. He already knew why I was here.

"Who are you?” He asked defensively. 

But he knew who I was. Surely he must have known. But he liked to play pretend. Sure, I could play that game too. 

“Who else? I’m Nicholas’s wife.” 

“Cleo," he said, his voice smooth as silk, "I assume you're not here to play nice."

"You assume correctly," I snapped, stepping closer. "You’re the reason he’s in jail you know that?” 

Damien shrugged. 

“Nicholas is in jail because he misappropriated funds and committed fraud.”

“Oh you know very well that’s a lie,” I answered immediately.

“Why would he do that? You two were once close. Good business partners. He was far richer than you why would he steal from you?” 

I asked and Damien clenched and unclenched his jaw.

“Beats me. But he did it. He betrayed our friendship and partnership.”

“No, you betrayed your partnership and your friendship. Nicholas parted ways from you a long time ago but you decided to charge him now?”

Damien laughed.

“Oh well… I didn’t have the evidence then. But I do now.” 

Cleo narrowed her eyes at him. 

“You made a mistake, Damien. You putting Nicholas in jail. You know what that means, don't you?"

He finally looked up, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You think you can intimidate me? Just because you have money? Or you’re his wife. I don’t know if they told you, but I'm not so easily threatened."

I leaned in, my voice dropping low and dangerous. "Well consider yourself lucky because I'm not here to threaten you. I'm here to offer you a deal." I placed the envelope I'd brought with me on his desk, and his eyes flickered to it. "More money. Enough to make you tell the truth. Let’s be real you have no case, the court will throw out the case during the first hearing when our lawyers beat yours in Court. This is just a waste of our time and yours."

Damien leaned back in his chair, a smirk pulling at his lips. "You think I'm in this for money? I've had more money than I could ever spend. Your little offer is nothing compared to what I'm really after."

I clenched my jaw. "Little offer?! And what's that, then?"

He leaned forward, his smile turning wicked. "I'd never believe you could afford my price."

I stood tall, refusing to let his words rattle me. "I don’t think you know who I am?  I know my brother got to you, but I wonder just how much he must have lied to you. Alex might have lied to you about his role in the Fontana empire. But honestly he is nothing more than a figure head. I am the only legitimate heir of my father and I stand to inherit everything he has. He may head the company but I’m the one who is truly in charge" I let the words hang in the air, waiting for him to process them.

He blinked, his smug expression faltering for a fraction of a second. "You? The true heir? You're out of your mind."

"You're not the first person to underestimate me," I said, my voice icy. "But I can assure you, I'm the one who's going to have the last laugh. Think carefully, Damien. You're standing on the edge of a cliff, and I'm the only one with the power to pull you back."

He scoffed, pushing his chair back as he stood. "You think you've got me cornered, Cleo? You think I'm going to fold just because you claim to be richer than your brother?”

“Do you even know what your brother offered me to lie against Nicholas?! What he promised me in exchange for helping him? You think you can buy my offer? You think you can do that?”

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I pulled my phone from my pocket, my fingers tapping the screen with purpose. I held it up, making sure he saw the blinking red light indicating it was recording.

"As I was saying," I continued, "you might want to reconsider your position. I’m afraid now after all you have said I’m not in any way inclined to make you an offer.  I've been recording everything you've said. If you don't play along, I'll make sure this goes to the right people."

Damien's expression faltered, but it was only for a moment. He was calculating, trying to figure out what my next move would be. I didn't give him a chance.

I dialed my lawyer, my fingers cold against the screen. When he answered, I spoke without missing a beat. "I've got something for you. Something that'll be useful in getting my husband out of jail. Work on setting the bail, and make sure he's out before the trial starts."

The lawyer didn't hesitate. "Understood, Ms Fontana. We'll make sure he's out."

As I hung up, Damien's face turned pale. "You can't be serious. You think you can do this?"

I smiled, the power surging through me. "I already did it. What are you going to do about it?” 

“I give your silly case a week. It’s gonna be thrown out soon. Maybe you should have accepted my offer while I was feeling generous.”

“Too bad. Now you get nothing and a defamation suit from what you said about my husband.” 

With a final glance, I turned and walked out of his office, feeling the weight of victory in every step. Alex could lie, manipulate, and try to hold on to his little silly illusion of control for as long as he liked. But it was clear now—I was the one in control.