Ariana’s POV
The boardroom was cold, too cold, it made my muscles ache from the cold, and for so reason today felt odd, like sothing was about to happen, and I couldn’t stop it.
lissa had called this eting, saying she had an announcent, an important one, and everyone was here.
The board mbers.
The lawyers.
The accountants.
I looked around the room.
At the faces.
So were familiar, while others were strangers; most of them had worked for Dante.
For years, they had been loyal to him and faithful, but now they worked for lissa.
They had no choice.
She had fired anyone who questioned her.
lissa sat at the head of the table
In Dante’s chair, the chair he used to sit in when he ran this company.
"Dante isn’t here," Ares whispered with his voice, which was low and only I could hear. "That’s strange. He never misses these etings."
I looked around again.
He was right.
Dante wasn’t here.
His chair was empty.
His place at the table was vacant.
No wheelchair.
No sign of him at all.
Where was he? What was he doing? Was he okay? I pushed the thoughts away. I couldn’t think about him; it’s none of my concern.
lissa stood up and smoothed her blazer.
She adjusted her necklace and looked at everyone in the room with her eyes stopped on for a mont, just a mont, but I saw the hatred there and jealousy.
"Thank you all for coming," she said with a smooth voice. "I know this eting was called on short notice, but I have an announcent that couldn’t wait, an announcent that will change the future of this company."
Whispers spread around the table.
People looked at each other.
Confused.
Worried.
lissa had been running things for months.
What could be more important than that? What could be bigger than the changes she had already made?
Ares leaned closer to . "Whatever it is, don’t react. Keep your face neutral. Don’t give her the satisfaction."
I nodded and took a deep breath.
I schooled my features into a mask of calm.
lissa waited for the whispers to die down. Then she continued. "As you all know, I’ve been serving as CEO since my husband’s accident. It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a challenge. A responsibility I didn’t ask for but took on out of love for my family and loyalty to this company."
Lies.
All lies.
Fucking liar!
She had pushed her way into that position.
She had manipulated.
Threatened.
Blackmailed.
"But I’ve realized that I can’t do it alone," she said. "This company needs strong leadership. Experienced leadership. Leadership from soone who has spent their whole life in the business world and soone who knows how to navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Soone who has the vision to take this company to the next level."
"Therefore," lissa said, "I’ve decided to step down as CEO. Effective imdiately."
Gasps around the table.
Murmurs.
Shock.
No one expected this.
lissa had been clinging to power like a lifeline. Why would she give it up now? What was she getting in return?
"But I’m not leaving the company without leadership," she continued. "I’ve found soone to take my place and soone I trust completely. He has the skills, the experience, and the vision to lead this company into a new era."
She looked toward the door and smiled.
"Please welco the new CEO of lendez Industries. My father. Ricardo lendez."
The door opened.
Ricardo walked in.
My world stopped.
Her father?
But how?
No, that’s not possible... It’s a lie
I stared at him, the man who had raised , who had lied to , and had stolen from .
I felt like I had seen a ghost. In so ways, I had the ghost of my past. The ghost of the man I used to call father.
The ghost of the man who had made my life a living hell.
Ares’s hand tightened on my knee. "Stay calm," he whispered. "Don’t react. Don’t give them anything."
But I couldn’t stay calm.
Ricardo walked to the head of the table and stood beside lissa. He looked at the board mbers and smiled.
"Thank you, lissa," he said with a voice that was smooth and confident, as he belonged here."It’s an honor to be here. To be trusted with this responsibility. I promise you all that I will do everything in my power to lead this company to greatness. To increase profits. To expand our reach and to make the Russo na synonymous with success."
Fucking cheat!
And lier!
He turned to look at lissa with eyes that were proud. "lissa has done an incredible job under difficult circumstances. She’s kept this company afloat when it could have sunk. She’s made tough decisions that others were afraid to make. She’s been a true leader, and I’m proud to call her my daughter."
How is he her father?
This all isn’t making any sense... am I missing sothing? Or what?.
The word hit like a slap.
lissa smiled and looked at Ricardo with sothing that might have been love or maybe just admiration or maybe just the satisfaction of knowing she had won.
"I know this is sudden," lissa said. "And I know you have questions, but I assure you, this is the right decision for the company. My father has decades of experience. He’s turned struggling businesses into profitable empires. He’s the leader we need to take Russo Industries to the next level."
Ricardo stepped forward and placed his hands on the table.
"I know so of you have concerns about my past," he said. "I won’t pretend that I haven’t made mistakes; I have, and I spent ti in prison. I paid for my cris, but I’ve learned from my mistakes, I’ve grown and changed....And I’m ready to use my experience to help this company succeed."
"I’m not here to make excuses," he continued. "I’m here to work, I’m here to lead, I’m here to make Russo Industries the most successful company in the country, and I can’t do that without your support, trust, and belief in ."
He was good.
I had to give him that.
He was a master manipulator.
He knew exactly what to say.
How to say it.
How to make people believe him.
"Are there any questions?" lissa asked.
The room was silent, no one spoke... no one dared to.
"If there are no questions," lissa said, "then I’ll consider this matter settled. My father will begin his duties imdiately. I’ll stay on as an advisor for the transition period, but effective today, Ricardo lendez is the new CEO of Russo Industries."
She smiled, and so did Ricardo.
The door pushed open, snapping out of my train of thought. I looked up with my heart stopped.
My breath caught in my throat.
Dante walked in.
Not in a wheelchair but actually standing tall, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and black tie.
He looked like the old Dante.
The Dante who runs this company.
Ares smirked, joining him, making my brows furrow in confusion
No one moved.
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
Dante’s eyes found mine.
He looked at just for a second and long enough for to see sothing there.
Hope.
Then he looked away.
He looked at lissa and Ricardo in disgust.
What the hell is going on?
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