Bound To The Syndicate

Chapter 2: The wrong room

DALIA

I stared at my signature, the ink still dark against the paper.

Just one signature, and the last piece of my father's legacy was gone.

I rummaged through my bag for my phone, copied the number, took a deep breath, before dialing it.

At the last ring, someone picked up.

“Hello.”

I cleared my throat. “Dalia Marlowe, I'm reaching out to Mr. Moretti, I have made up my mind.”

“Your call will be forwarded to his personal assistant shortly.”

Under five seconds, the call was forwarded to his personal assistant.

“Miss Marlowe.” That was all he said.

I rubbed my palms together. “I have decided to sell the company.”

“Very well. I will forward the address to you shortly. Be there by 5 p.m.,” he said and hung up.

I scoffed under my breath as my screen flashed with an address.

The Aurelius Club?

My stomach sank.

It was the most exclusive lounge in Valmere City, where entry strictly required a membership card that cost more than dining there. I didn't have one, and I couldn't spare a hundred thousand with loans still hanging over me.

My phone chimed again. His assistant's message said to text him when I arrived. It was as though Mr. Moretti had read my mind.

Since the company would be sold today, I needed to tell the staff first. I called a meeting, and they gathered downstairs. Many had worked for my father since he started the company, and my chest ached at the thought of how they would take the news.

I had no choice.

Maybe one day, when I had rebuilt my life, I could buy it back.

Little did I know....

“Everyone, I called for this meeting to discuss something very important.”

They began murmuring among themselves.

“I'm so sorry to break this news to all of you, but I have to. The company will be sold out today. I know this is sudden, but I have deliberated on it and I think this is the best decision to make. The company is crumbling, and it has outstanding loans to settle. Now, I won't be forcing anyone to remain in the company. If you wish to leave, I won't hold you back, but if you wish to stay, the new CEO will introduce himself sooner or later.”

“Why are you suddenly selling the company?”

“We have vowed to do all it takes to revive the company!”

“How could you suddenly do this?”

“Chairman Marlowe will never make such a decision! How did you decide selling the company is the best thing to do?”

“How can you discard our efforts just like that?”

“I quit!”

“I quit too!”

Many dropped their files on the floor and went to collect their things. I just stood there, wondering if I had done the wrong thing.

My vision blurred, and it felt like I had only thought about myself and never considered their feelings.

The rest stayed, torn between leaving and staying, their gazes fixated on the floor as if diamonds glowed beneath it.

I still had an hour before leaving for The Aurelius Club, so I returned to the office and packed my father's belongings into a box. In a few hours, his memory would be erased from this office.

My eyes welled with tears because this was my goodbye.

I gave the box one last glance and walked out without looking back.

It no longer belonged to Marlowe, it now belonged to Moretti.

I couldn't say goodbye to the angry staff, or I might just call the whole thing off. I flagged down a taxi and went home.

At five, I stepped out of the cab and walked toward the gates of the gigantic building. The place was heavily guarded.

Billionaires traded billions here and sealed deals no one spoke of. I had never imagined I would step into this club, not to dine but to trade.

As ordered, I texted Mr. Moretti's assistant. A few seconds later, a security guard swiped his card at the gate, and it opened for me.

I exhaled and went in, and my breath left me. The place screamed luxury. I snapped out of my daze, followed my phone's directions, and took the elevator up.

What?

Marble stretched endlessly under the soft golden light, and everything looked so expensive that I became painfully aware of my modest clothes.

I checked the room number again and walked until I found the matching door. My senses immediately forgot to tell me to knock.

I twisted the knob like I owned the suite, and the door swung open. I stepped in with my gaze lowered, then froze.

Something was not right.

I looked up, and my heart nearly stopped. Everyone had paused mid-action, every head turned toward me.

At the head of the table sat a man who made the air feel heavier. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with jet-black hair and a face carved into sharp, cold lines. His eyes were the darkest thing I had ever seen, locked on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

No one said a word.

No one dared to move.

I had entered the wrong room!

A man bent slightly, and whispered something in his ear, and adrenaline rushed through me, but he never took his eyes off me.

There was something cold in that gaze. It had everyone visibly shaken in their seats.

Then my gaze dropped to the table, and my heart lurched. Weapons lay in neat rows beside thick stacks of cash, dark briefcases, and a small scale, things I had only ever seen in movies.

I looked back at him, and his expression grew darker.

Those eyes......

Then it clicked!

I had just stormed into Roman Vescari's Den!

The most feared and ruthless Mafia in Valmere City!

I bowed slightly, my body quivering like a bucket of cold water had been poured on me. “I think I entered the wrong room. I will leave now.”

As I turned to leave, a cold voice echoed through the room.

“Not so fast, Dalia Marlowe.”

My heart stuttered, the hair on my skin rising like he had just commanded them.

That was Roman's voice!

Wait..... He knew my name?

Did he really think I would spend another second in that room after hearing him call my name?

I didn't dare look back, but I could feel those eyes on me. My heart slammed against my ribs and every instinct screamed to run, so I did.

I shoved the door open and bolted down the hallway, nearly colliding with a tall man in a grey suit.

“Miss Marlowe,” I flinched when he called my name. “Mr Moretti has been waiting for you.”

Relief hit me so hard, my knees almost gave out.

“Right! I.... I lost my way for...for a moment.” I stammered, trying to catch my breath, and he simply nodded.

As he led me to the suite, I kept glancing back, expecting a dozen men to flood the hallway, but no one came.

Still, I prayed silently, hoping I would leave with my complete body.

We arrived at the suite, and it had the exact number but a different wing number.

I had mixed up the wing numbers.

Mr. Moretti sat quietly sipping his tea while his lawyer took a file from his bag.

“Mr Moretti.” I greeted him, trying to steady my emotions.

Mr Moretti simply nodded and offered me a seat. I bowed slightly and sat.

“Miss Marlowe, I'm Tony McCall, Mr Moretti's lawyer and I will be the one attending to you.”

Ten minutes later, I had signed the necessary paperwork and the company now belonged to Mr. Moretti.

Just like that, I had sold my father's legacy for thirty million.