Chapter20
1425 Words
CHAPTER 20
The afternoon sun bathed Belle’s office in soft golden light, but her mind was fixed on logistics.
The room was littered with planning sheets, glossy invitation drafts, and a half-empty bottle of sparkling water she’d been nursing for two hours. On her screen, a spreadsheet displayed the finalized guest list for her CEO signing-in ceremony. Ambassadors, political figures, shareholders, legacy staff… and even a few celebrities from the philanthropic circle.
Belle adjusted her blouse collar, sharp and white like her focus. This wasn’t just an event — it was her chance to step into her father’s shoes with the entire board watching.
“Should we invite Governor Hayes?” Emma asked, leaning over Belle’s shoulder.
Belle considered it for a moment. “He supported my father during the Pharma Merge talks. Add him.”
Emma nodded, tapping quickly on her tablet. “What about the CEO of Sterling Oil? Word is he’s been buying into biotech.”
Belle shrugged lightly. “Add him too. If he’s buying in, let him watch the future unfold from the front row.”
Emma smiled. “Boss energy.”
Belle gave a small smirk, but her eyes drifted back to her screen — the official statement draft she was reviewing.
It read: “In honor of the Bailison legacy, I accept this appointment with unwavering commitment to innovation, transparency, and ethical growth.”
She highlighted ‘transparency’ and hesitated.
Was she being transparent?
Was anyone?
A sharp ping pulled her attention away.
Emma’s phone lit up from her desk. She walked over casually, unlocked it, and froze.
Belle looked up. “Something wrong?”
Emma’s brows furrowed, lips pressed together. “I just got sent a file... anonymously. No message, just this.”
She turned the screen to Belle.
It was a forwarded email chain — brief, but clear. A thread between two Bailison stakeholders and an unnamed ‘third-party buyer.’ The content wasn’t explicit, but the language was... suggestive.
Words like ‘strategic post-signing liquidity’, ‘confidential transfer upon executive seat confirmation,’ and the kicker: ‘arrangement discussed directly with Mr. Hamilton.’
Belle blinked slowly. “Mr. Hamilton?”
Emma didn’t answer.
Belle took the phone from her and reread the chain. Then again.
“I definitely saw this coming.” Belle whispered, more to herself than to Emma.
Emma sat down across from her. “At first, I thought it was nothing. I checked into it — nothing's been signed yet. No shares have moved. But I made some calls to our legal team on the sly.”
“And?”
Emma swallowed. “According to the company bylaws, no stakeholder can officially sell shares until there’s a sitting CEO.”
Belle nodded slowly. “So the second I sign in... he can start buying.”
Emma’s silence was confirmation enough.
“He’s been laying the groundwork this whole time,” Belle said quietly.
Emma leaned forward. “Belle, you know I’m not trying to cause drama. But this? It’s deliberate. He’s courting the power behind your back. Preparing to take the one thing you’ve been fighting for since your dad died.”
Belle’s eyes lifted, fierce and unreadable. “Do you know who sent this?”
“No. But... it came from James’s old line.”
Belle laughed bitterly. “Of course it did. He wants me to turn on Adam. He’s pushing me toward it.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean it’s a lie.”
Belle stood, turning toward the window. The skyline of New York stretched far and glimmering beyond her. Her crown was almost in reach — but she could already feel the tremor of a war shaking beneath the glass.
She crossed her arms.
“If Adam really plans to move against me... he’s going to learn something.”
Emma stood beside her. “What’s that?”
“That I may have married him on paper…” Belle said, her voice like ice. “But this company? I will never be anyone’s puppet queen.”
___
The city hadn’t even woken up yet.
New York’s early skyline stretched grey and breathless outside the penthouse windows, but Belle had been up for hours. The final dress fitting for the signing-in ceremony was later that morning, and her phone hadn’t stopped buzzing with RSVP confirmations, press inquiries, and a reminder from Emma to “smile more, worry less.”
But this meeting was far more important than any ceremony.
Her coat swept behind her as she stepped into the quiet, dimly lit restaurant tucked away in the West Village. The space was closed to the public — Belle made sure of that. She needed privacy, she needed safety.
And she needed someone no one would ever suspect.
He was already seated in the corner booth. Salvatore Grimaldi.
He looked like time hadn’t changed him at all – still sharp-eyed and strong-jawed, dressed in a heavy wool coat and navy scarf, like the kind of man who could have built a kingdom with bare hands and a promise.
“Belle.” His voice was warm, textured. “You look taller than the last time I saw you. Though I was still taller then, so I guess it doesn’t count.”
Belle smiled faintly and slid into the booth opposite him. “Thanks for coming. I know it’s early.”
He waved a hand. “If your father saw me sleeping while his daughter called, he’d rise from the dead just to smack me.”
Her smile faded gently at the mention of her father. Salvatore noticed but said nothing.
“So,” he said, folding his hands. “You called me. You asked for secrecy, and now we’re here. What’s this about?”
Belle didn’t speak for a moment. Then she opened her handbag, took out a small black envelope, and slid it across the table.
He opened it. Inside was a list of five names – familiar ones.
“All Bailison Group shareholders,” he said. “Solid ones, too. Legacy men. What’s this?”
“They’re selling,” Belle replied. “But not to just anyone. Adam, my husband; has been quietly talking to them. Building promises. Once I’m officially signed in as CEO, he’ll be legally allowed to start acquiring their shares. One by one.”
Salvatore frowned. “And you don’t want that to happen?”
“I can’t let it happen,” she said, her voice steady. “Because if it does, he’ll control the company from the inside out. I’ll just be a puppet.”
“And you want me to buy them instead,” he said slowly.
Belle nodded. “Yes. I need you to start working on it immediately after the ceremony, but everything needs to be prepared now. I’ll make sure the legal permissions are aligned. The sellers will be ready. They just won’t know who’s really buying.”
Salvatore narrowed his eyes. “Belle… I’m not part of this company. No one even knows I exist in your corporate world. So why are you asking me?”
“You’re the only one I can trust,” she said. “And the only one Adam won’t see coming.”
He tapped the envelope lightly. “You know what you’re asking me to do, right? It’s not illegal but it is dangerous.”
Belle met his gaze without flinching. “I know.”
He stared at her for a moment, then exhaled through his nose.
“You’ve grown into a fighter,” he said. “You used to run away from your shadow.”
“I’m done running,” she replied.
Salvatore folded the list carefully and slid it back into the envelope. “Fifteen percent?”
“Minimum.”
“Then I’ll start setting up the shell corporations. Clean names, no ties to you.”
“Thank you,” she said, voice quieter now. “You’re saving something my father spent his whole life building.”
“Your father would’ve been proud of you,” Salvatore murmured, standing. “But also furious that you married a man like Adam.”
Belle smirked. “He doesn’t know the half of it.”
He slipped his coat on and adjusted his scarf. “And what about Adam? What happens when he finds out someone beat him to the punch?”
Belle’s eyes darkened slightly. “Then he’ll learn something he’s never been taught.”
Salvatore raised a brow. “What’s that?”
She smiled. “To never underestimate the power of a desperate woman.”
- Writer
