Chapter 3 - Turning the EstateThe discretionary log sat on the mahogany desk like a ticking bomb. Dante flipped through the pages with a slow, agonizing deliberation, the crisp sound of the paper slicing through the tension in the room. Arya remained on her knees by the wine stain, her hands clasped tightly together, while Mrs. Caruso stood rigid by the door, sweat beginning to bead along her hairline.
Dante stopped on a page stamped with the Valentino corporate seal. His eyes narrowed, a dark, dangerous muscle twitching in his jaw.
VALENTINO FOUNDATION: HOUSEHOLD DISCRETIONARY DISBURSEMENTS
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File ID: #882-EM
Patient: Elena Mitchell (Philadelphia Clinic)
Status: DENIED / DISCONTINUED
Authorized Signatory: M. Caruso (Internal House Administrator)
"Explain this," Dante ordered, turning the ledger toward the housekeeper.
Mrs. Caruso swallowed hard, her voice losing its polished edge. "Mr. Valentino... the girl’s mother is an external liability. We have a policy regarding the allocation of foundation funds to non-syndicate families. I simply optimized our administrative overhead."
Dante stood up, and the air in the room seemed to vanish completely.
"The Valentino Foundation belongs to me, Caruso. Every dollar in that fund is an extension of my command. You did not optimize my overhead. You intercepted a medical authorization file meant for a member of my household staff, falsified my signature, and used the foundation's rejection to force this girl into a position of absolute desperation."
Arya looked up, her eyes wide as the pieces of the puzzle violently slammed together. Her mother’s medical aid hadn't been rejected by a faceless hospital board; it had been stolen by the woman standing right next to her.
"You stripped her of protective gloves," Dante continued, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. "You made her scrub floors until her hands bled, and you used her mother’s mortality as a whip to keep her silent. You forgot the most important rule of this estate, Caruso."
May you like
He stepped around the desk, his presence overwhelming.
"Nobody inflicts pain in this house unless I authorize it. You are stripped of your keys, your accounts, and your position. You have ten minutes to clear your room before my security team escorts you to the gate. If I ever see your face in the state of Ohio again, the ground will swallow you whole."
