I heard the faint click of a door shutting. He’d stepped out.
“How have you been?” he asked, his tone softening. “And how’s Adele?”
“Adele still asks about you,” I said. “She misses her Uncle Alexander.”
His laugh warmed the line. “Oh, I miss my little chipmunk too. Tell her I still have her drawing framed in my office—the one where she said I looked like a ‘business dragon’.”
I laughed.
“Now, tell me what’s happening.” Crane’s voice turned serious again. I’ve been seeing all the buzz around Ravencrest Global. Looks like the wolves are out again.”
“That’s exactly why I called,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I need you to reach out through your network. I’ll send you a list. A few board members are being swayed by Ethan and Selene. I need them reminded where real stability lies, where long-term profit comes from. Subtle pressure, not open confrontation.”
He hummed, intrigued. “You know, I do love a good corporate war. Consider it done. I’ll make the right calls.”
“Thank you, Crane.”
“Anything for you and Adele.” There was a pause. “But Isabella…if things get too messy, you know there’s always a place for you back in Zürich. You always have a place on my board.”
I smiled faintly, but there was quiet defiance in my voice. “I’m not running again.”
“It’s not about running, Isabella. It’s about being safe. In a corporate war, no one cares about four-year-olds. They take whatever piece they can from the chessboard.” He sighed. “But I admire you for fighting back. It’s one of the many reasons you’re a great person—and a great mom.”
“That means more than you know.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he murmured.
“I will.”
When the line went dead, I let out a deep sigh, closed my laptop, and called it a night.
By the time the sun came up, I’d secured commitments from five board members who’d been on the fence. Not enough to guarantee victory, but enough to shift the balance. Enough to make Ethan and Selene sweat.
The vote was in six days.
Six days to shore up support. Six days to dig up more dirt on Ethan and his failing pack. Six days to figure out Selene’s endgame and expose it before she could execute whatever twisted plan she had.
Six days to save Dimitri’s position and protect my daughter fromthe vipers circling us. I told myself it was only about Adele, about justice.
But deep down, I knew—it was also about him.
Because for all the anger I carried, I still loved him. And watching them try to tear him down felt like watching my own heart being dragged through the dirt.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dimitri’s POV
I leaned back in my office chair, right after signing over the majority of my shares under a pseudonym—a protection in case things went wrong. But I doubted they would. Ethan and Selene thought they were so clever. Thought their little coup attempt was bold and unexpected. Thought they’d caught me off guard with their motion for impeachment.
It was almost amusing. Almost.
If it wasn’t for the fact that they’d tried to kill my daughter, I might have actually enjoyed watching them scramble, watching them make moves they thought were brilliant but were actually predictable. Transparent.
I’d known about Ethan’s ambitions for years. Known about his failing pack, his desperate need for resources and power. Known the exact moment he’d started sniffing around Ravencrest Global, looking for weaknesses to exploit.
And I’d let him in.
Let him buy Crescent Valley Development. Let him think he was being clever, gaining a foothold in my company. Let him believe he had a chance.
