Chapter 7 - THE MISTRESS’S RECKONING
While the Romano empire was disintegrating, Claire Bennett was sitting in her luxury apartment in the Upper East Side, watching the evening news in absolute terror.
The television screen displayed live footage of federal marshals carrying boxes out of the Romano Group headquarters on Wall Street. The chyron across the bottom of the screen read:
ROMANO GROUP COLLAPSES: MASSIVE ASSET SEIZURE UNDERWAY BY VALE GLOBAL HOLDINGS
Claire’s hands shook so violently she nearly dropped her wine glass.
For two years, Claire had calculated every move with cold, tactical precision. She had met Dante at a charity gala, recognized his wealth and power, and deliberately seduced him, believing that she would eventually replace Serena as the wife of New York’s most powerful corporate mobster.
She had envisioned a life of penthouses, private jets, high-society galas, and endless black-card shopping sprees.
She had even gloated to her friends in private group chats, calling Serena “the boring placeholder wife” who would be dumped as soon as the baby was born.
Her phone rang sharply on the coffee table.
Claire snatched it up, hoping it was Dante telling her that he had secured emergency funds.
It was not Dante.
It was her landlord’s property management company.
“Miss Bennett,” a cold, professional female voice spoke through the speaker. “We are calling to inform you that your lease for Penthouse 4B at 840 Park Avenue has been terminated effective immediately.”
Claire’s breath hitched. “What?! What are you talking about? Dante Romano pays that lease through his corporate account!”
“Romano Group’s corporate account has been frozen by federal order,” the manager replied dryly. “Furthermore, the actual property owner—Vale Real Estate Management—has issued an immediate notice of breach. All private accounts associated with you have been flagged for asset recovery regarding misappropriated corporate funds.”
“You can't kick me out!” Claire shrieked into the phone. “I have rights!”
“You have until six o'clock tonight to pack your personal clothing, Miss Bennett,” the manager said coldly. “After six o'clock, the locks will be changed, and private security will deny you entry to the building.”
The call disconnected.
Claire dropped the phone onto the sofa, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
Before she could process the terror, another notification popped up on her screen.
It was an alert from her bank application:
NOTICE: ACCOUNT FROZEN BY COURT ORDER PENDING JUDICIAL REVIEW.
Every single account she held—the primary checking account where Dante deposited her fifty-thousand-dollar monthly allowance, the savings account where she kept her emergency funds, even her credit cards—had been frozen.
A soft knock sounded at her front door.
Claire rushed to the door, tearing it open, expecting to see Dante.
Standing in the hallway was a crisp, professional young woman wearing a dark grey business suit, holding a courier pouch.
“Claire Bennett?” the woman asked smoothly.
“Yes! Who are you?”
“I am a process server representing Vale Global Holdings,” the woman said, handing her a thick manila envelope. “You are being formally sued in the Supreme Court of New York for civil recovery of stolen corporate assets, including but not limited to jewelry, vehicles, and real estate acquired using funds embezzled from Vale Global subsidiaries by Dante Romano.”
Claire stared at the thick legal documents in total, paralyzed horror.
“Total damages sought,” the process server added politely, “amount to four million two hundred thousand dollars. Have a nice evening.”
The woman turned and walked toward the elevator.
Claire clutched the papers to her chest, her knees giving out beneath her as she collapsed onto her hallway floor.
The diamond necklace she wore—the twenty-thousand-dollar Cartier piece Dante had given her in Paris—felt suddenly like a heavy, burning iron collar around her neck.
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She had spent three years trying to steal another woman’s life, power, and husband.
She had failed to realize that the life she was trying to steal belonged to a woman who could erase her existence with a single phone call.
