Chapter 9 - The Meeting
Exactly one month after the party, Dominic and I met at a neutral, highly secured location in downtown Chicago.
I sat at a sleek glass table, wearing a sharp, elegant white pantsuit. Dominic walked in, flanked by guards. He looked exhausted, haunted, and deeply broken.
He sat across from me and immediately slid a thick, leather-bound portfolio across the glass table.
"Claire," Dominic pleaded, his deep voice thick with raw emotion. "This is the deed to the Lake Forest estate in your name. This is a blind trust with fifty million dollars. I eradicated the men who threatened your father. Your brother is completely safe. I love you. I was a blind, arrogant fool, and I will spend the rest of my life proving my loyalty to you. Please. Come back to me."
He had brought me an empire on a silver platter.
I looked at the portfolio. Then, I reached into my designer purse and pulled out a single, thin manila envelope. I slid it across the table, directly over his millions.
Dominic frowned. He opened the envelope with trembling hands.
Inside were fully finalized, court-ordered divorce papers, already signed by a judge. Clipped to the front of the divorce decree was a certified bank check made out to the Russo syndicate for the exact amount of my father's original gambling debt.
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"I don't need your estate, Dominic," I stated smoothly. "Adrian Cross helped me secure an independent corporate position in exchange for the ledger. I bought my father's debt out myself. You don't own my family anymore."
👉 Dominic realized his money was completely useless, and I was about to issue the final, devastating command of our marriage.
