C9 Chapter 9

DANTE

Liam's face fills my computer screen, and he looks about as amused as I expected.

"You got married," he says flatly.

"Engaged," I correct. "The wedding is in three weeks."

"To Aria Sinclair. Marcus Kane's fiancée. Who you just meet yesterday?

"Last night, technically." "And she is his former fiancée," I correct. "She's mine now."

"Jesus Christ, Dante." He runs a hand through his hair. "Even for you, this is insane. What the fuck are you doing?" The man works for you."

I lean back in my chair, completely calm. "I am going to marry her, you've been telling me for years I should settle down, and now I am doing so."

"I meant find someone you actually care about, not acquire a woman like she's a fucking merger."

"Who says I don't care about her?"

Liam stares at me. "You met her twelve hours ago."

"I've known about her for six months." I open a file on my computer—the comprehensive background check I commissioned when Marcus's emblazonment was first detected, "Aria Sinclair. Twenty-six. She is at the top of her class at Columbia Business School. Former marketer at Winston & Associates and now marketing director at Ashford Enterprise. No criminal record. No scandals. Smart, driven, but underestimated by everyone around her."

"You had her investigated."

"I investigate all of my employees' lives. You know that." I scroll through the file. Photos of Aria at company events, always professional, always slightly overshadowed by whoever she's with. "Marcus bragged about her constantly. About her connections, her talent, and how she was going to be a perfect corporate wife."

"So you decided to take her from him?"

"I decided to offer her a better option when the time came." I closed the file. "And he's been embezzling from the company."

Liam's expression sharpens. "You have proof?"

"Irrefutable. Viktor's been documenting everything for the past eight months. Small amounts at first, getting bolder. Marcus thought he was clever, hiding it in vendor payments and expense reports." I pulled up a file on my screen. "He's stolen approximately $2.3 million from Ashford Enterprise." "Also, he's been feeding information to Richard Blackwood about our expansion plans."

"Fuck."

"Exactly. I was building the case anyway, planning to press charges next quarter. But then I heard about what he did to Aria..." I closed the file. "This is better. More comprehensive."

"So you're destroying him personally and professionally."

"I'm giving him what he deserves. And giving Aria the satisfaction of watching it happen from a position of absolute power."

"Then fire him. Press charges. Why the elaborate scheme with Aria?"

I stand, moving to the window. From here, I can see into the dining room where Aria sits, sipping coffee, looking like she belongs in my world.

"Because Marcus didn't just betray me," I say quietly. "He destroyed her. Systematically. Deliberately. For three years, he played her, using her, planning to humiliate her. And her own sister helped him do it."

"So this is about revenge? For her?"

"This is about justice." I turned back to the screen. "And yes, revenge. Marcus thought he could steal from me, betray my company, and walk away unscathed. He was wrong."

Liam is quiet for a long moment. "And Aria? What does she think this is?"

"Mutual benefit. I got a wife for a year. She gets the resources to destroy everyone who hurt her."

"Does she know you've been watching her for six months?"

"No."

"Dante..."

"She doesn't need to know. What matters is that I can give her everything she needs. Protection. Power. Revenge. And when the year is over, she'll walk away with ten million dollars and complete freedom."

"Unless you fall for her."

I laugh at that. Actually laugh. "I don't fall in love, Liam. You know that. Christina made sure of it."

His face softens slightly at the mention of my ex. The woman who tried to destroy me five years ago when I refused to marry her.

Who leaked company secrets and spread vicious rumors and nearly tanked a billion-dollar deal?

Who taught me that love is just another weakness to be exploited?

"This isn't like Christina," Liam says carefully. "Aria didn't come after you. She's a victim in all this."

"Which is exactly why this will work. She needs me as much as I need her." I check my watch. "The announcement goes live in thirty minutes.

"What about the sister?" Liam asks. "Vivienne?"

"Also handled. I've already made some calls. By the end of the week, every brand she works with will have received certain information about her character. Her influencer career will be finished."

"You're scorched-earthing an entire family."

"I'm protecting what's mine." The words come out harder than I intended. "Aria is under my protection now. Anyone who hurts her answers to me."

Liam was quiet for a long moment. "You care about her."

"Like I said, I care about justice."

"Dante..."

"She's my fiancée, Liam. Of course, I'm going to protect her." I turn back to the screen. "Now, I need you to make sure Marcus doesn't do anything stupid when he sees the announcement. No contacting Aria. No, trying to spin narratives. If he so much as looks at her wrong, I want to know about it."

"What are you planning to do with him?"

"Publicly fire him. With cause. Let everyone in the industry know exactly what kind of man he is." I smile, cold and satisfied. "His career in finance is over. He'll be lucky to get a job managing a fast-food restaurant when I'm done."

"And if he tries to fight back?"

"Then I press charges for embezzlement and let him explain to a jury why he stole $2.3 million from one of the most powerful companies in New York." I check my watch. "The announcement goes live in twenty minutes. Make sure security is ready. Marcus might try to come up here."

"He wouldn't dare."

"He's desperate. Desperate men do stupid things." I close the laptop. "I need to go. I'm taking Aria to meet my mother."

Liam's expression softens. "How is Isabelle?"

"Dying." The word tastes like ash. "The doctors give her six months, maybe less. But she's fighting. She wants to see me married before..." I don't finish the sentence. Can't.

"I'm sorry, Dante."

"Don't be. Just make sure Marcus stays in line." I end the call before he can see the emotion I'm barely keeping in check.

My mother is dying. And I'm using a fake engagement to give her what she wants in her final months.

The guilt I feel should be worse than it is.

Liam sighs. "You're playing with people's lives, Dante."

"No. I'm playing chess. And I'm very good at it." I close the laptop. "Oh, and Liam? Clear my schedule for the next three weeks. I'm planning a wedding."

"This is insane," he mutters.

"This is necessary."

I ended the call and returned to the dining room. Aria is still there, staring at her phone with an expression I can't quite read.

"Problem?" I ask.

She looks up, and I see it... the steel beneath her vulnerability. The strength she doesn't realize she has.

"The announcement just went live," she says, showing me her phone.

I take it, looking at the article. The photos are perfect... Aria is glowing in the Valentino dress, the ring prominently displayed, my arm around her in a clear statement of possession.

The headline reads:

BILLIONAIRE DANTE ASHFORD ENGAGED TO MARKETING EXECUTIVE ARIA SINCLAIR

Below it, a smaller subheading: the CEO's surprise announcement comes amid rumors of corporate shakeups at Ashford Global.

Perfect.

"How do you feel?" I ask, handing back her phone.

She's quiet for a moment, then a slow smile spreads across her face. It's not the sweet, professional smile from her social media photos. It's darker. Sharper. And dangerous.

"I feel," she says softly, "like I just declared war. And I'm going to win."

I smiled back, feeling a dark satisfaction settle in my chest.

Yes. She's going to be perfect.

Absolutely perfect.