Revenge Is Mine

14: Waiting Game

Chiara Moretti

I honestly woke up feeling pretty good.

For the first time in a while, I didn't wake up with that tight, heavy knot in my stomach. Usually, my mornings started with a rush of anxiety, a quick check over my shoulder, and the exhausting mental prep of putting on my Viviana mask but today was different.

Maybe it was the quiet time I spent in the library with Alessandro yesterday. Just sitting there with him, sharing a glass of wine, and realizing that I will always have him by my side. He grounded me, he made me feel safe, and because I felt safe, I walked into the company building this morning feeling completely untouchable.

The moment the elevator doors opened to my floor, my good mood hit a slight bump. My receptionist was sitting at her desk, looking incredibly stressed, nervously biting the end of her pen, while Marco sat in one of the waiting chairs in the lobby.

I almost laughed out loud, he looked like an absolute trainwreck.

It was only nine in the morning, but Marco looked like he had been awake for three days straight, his suit was deeply wrinkled, his tie was stuffed into his pocket, and his hair was sticking up in weird directions. He was bouncing his knee so fast it looked like it was vibrating.

The second he saw me step off the elevator, he jumped up from his chair.

"Viviana!" he gasped. His voice was hoarse, like he had been screaming or crying.

I didn't even stop walking, I just looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Marco. What a surprise."

"Please," he said, stepping right into my path. He actually reached out like he wanted to grab my arm, but he stopped himself at the very last second. He was literally shaking. "I need to talk to you right now. It is a matter of life and death, Viviana. Please."

I looked him up and down. I let my eyes slowly take in the dark bags under his eyes, the sweat on his forehead, and the absolute panic written all over his face.

He was completely broken.

"I have a very busy morning, Marco," I said, my voice completely flat and uncaring. I walked right past him.

"Viviana, wait!" he called out, sounding totally desperate.

I stopped at my office door and looked back at Clara. "Clara, please bring me a black coffee and hold all my calls for the next few hours. I have some paperwork to catch up on."

"Yes, Ms. Marino," Clara nodded quickly.

"But I just need five minutes!" Marco pleaded, following me to the door.

"Sit down, Marco," I told him, looking at him like he was a stray dog tracking mud onto my clean floor. "If I find some free time today, I will let you know. Until then, stay out of my way."

I walked into my office and shut the door right in his face. I walked over to my desk, set my bag down, and let out a long breath. I wasn't really busy, I had already cleared my schedule for the entire morning. I just wanted to be petty, I wanted him to sit out there in the lobby and sweat. I wanted him to stare at the clock and feel his chest tighten with every single second that passed.

I took off my suit jacket and draped it over my chair. Clara came in a minute later, quietly dropped off my hot coffee, and quickly left again, making sure the door was shut tight.

For the next three hours, I just hung out in my office. It was crazy to think about just two years ago, the sound of Marco's footsteps used to make my heart race, trying so hard to be the perfect wife, terrified of making him mad.

But look at us now. I was sitting in a million-dollar office, drinking coffee, and doing absolutely nothing, while he was trapped in the waiting room, practically crying for my attention. The power shift felt amazing.

I watered the small plant in the corner of my room, and I scrolled through some news articles on my laptop. I even took a moment to just look out the glass windows, watching the cars drive around the city below.

I glanced at the clock on my wall, and it was almost one in the afternoon. He had been out there for over four hours.

I walked over to my desk, pushed the button on my phone, and called Clara. "You can send him in now," I said casually.

"Right away," she replied.

Less than ten seconds later, my office door practically flew open, and Marco rushed inside. He looked even worse than he did this morning. His face was pale, and he was sweating through his white shirt. He looked around the room wildly before locking his eyes on me.

"Viviana," he breathed out, practically running up to my desk.

I stayed in my chair, completely relaxed. I didn't offer him a seat. "You look terrible, Marco. Did you sleep in your car?"

"I don't have time for small talk," Marco stammered. He grabbed the edge of my desk with both hands. His knuckles were totally white. "Please. I am begging you. You have to unlock the fifty million euros."

I slowly crossed my arms and leaned back. "I told you, Marco. That money is frozen until you explain the missing funds in your overseas accounts."

"I can't!" Marco shouted, his voice cracking. He sounded so pathetic. "I can't explain them right now! It will take months to clear the paperwork with the international banks, I need the money for the company."

"That sounds like a personal problem," I said coldly. "I am not running a charity for failing businessmen, my money stays exactly where it is until I feel safe."

"I will make you safe!" Marco begged. "I will do whatever you want! Just tell me what you need to feel secure about the investment. I will fire my whole financial team, and I will change the board of directors. I will give you total access to all the daily operations. Please, Viviana. Name your price."

I looked at him. "You want me to name my price?" I asked.

"Yes," Marco nodded quickly, swallowing hard. "Anything."

"You have proven to me over the last few days that you have absolutely no control over your own life," I told him, picking up a pen from my desk and turning it over in my fingers. "Your girlfriend is a wild liability who attacks investors, your financial books are a complete disaster area and now you are standing in my office begging."

Marco opened his mouth to defend himself, but I held up my hand to stop him. "I do not trust you, Marco," I said bluntly. "You are reckless and I do not risk fifty million euros on reckless men. If I am going to unlock that money and save your failing business, I need a guarantee that my investment is safe and firing your accountants isn't going to cut it."

"Then what?" Marco asked. His voice was a raw, terrified whisper. "What do you want?"

I dropped the pen on the desk. "Control," I said simply.

Marco blinked. "Control?"

"If you want my fifty million euros transferred to your accounts by this afternoon, you are going to give me the company as collateral. I want fifty-one percent of the company's shares signed over to my name and I want the controlling stake. If I become the majority owner, I make the final decisions. You will work for me."

The room went completely silent.

Marco stopped breathing. The little bit of color that was left in his face completely drained away. He looked like he had just been hit by a truck.

"Fifty-one percent?" he choked out, his eyes wide with absolute horror.

"That is the deal," I said smoothly, showing zero mercy. "You sign over the controlling rights to the company, and I will unlock the cash you need. If you don't agree, you can walk right out that door, and I will take my money somewhere else."

Marco just stood there. His mouth was slightly open, but no words came out. His mind was clearly short-circuiting. He had spent years plotting, lying, and killing to steal this company from my family. It was his entire identity, it was his crown.

And now, he realized the only way to save his own life from the mafia was to give his crown away to a woman he barely knew.

"You..." Marco stammered, taking a shaky step back from my desk. "You want my company."

"Take it or leave it, Marco," I said, turning my attention back to my laptop screen, acting like the conversation was already over. "The clock is ticking. What is it going to be?"