Chapter 7 - The High-Roller Suite Showdown
The gasps rippled through the gathered crowd of high-rollers, security guards, and casino executives like an electric shock. Dante stepped forward, his face twisted in a mask of wounded male pride and sheer panic.
“You’ve lost your damn mind, Claire,” Dante snarled, lowering his voice into a dangerous, threatening register meant only for my ears. “You think you can play corporate games with me? You think a few frozen wires and a fancy billionaire boyfriend are going to destroy what my family built? I’ll have you stripped of every penny, dragged through every court in Nevada, and—_”
“And what, Dante?” I interrupted smoothly, stepping closer to him, completely unfazed by his empty mafia threats. “You’ll expose your offshore shell companies? You’ll tell the federal banking commission about the millions you siphoned from Moretti Holdings into Lily’s newborn trust fund? Please, be my guest. I’m sure the federal investigators would love to hear your explanation.”
Dante’s breath caught in his throat. The color drained completely from his face, leaving him looking like a ghost in a bespoke suit.
“How... how do you know about that?” he whispered, his voice trembling beneath the bravado.
Before he could answer, the glass doors of the private elevator bank behind the gaming floor slid open, and a wheelchair rolled out into the open space.
It was my mother, Althia, pushing my sister Lily, who was cradling her newborn infant wrapped in an expensive silk blanket. Behind them stood my father, Stellin, looking miserable and terrified. Apparently, when Dante realized his empire was burning to the ground, he had summoned the entire family to the Paradise Grand, expecting them to help him weather the storm.
Lily spotted me standing beside Julian Vance, arm-in-arm, surrounded by federal marshals and corporate attorneys. Her eyes widened in sheer horror.
“Claire?!” Lily shrieked, pushing herself up from the wheelchair, forgetting her post-partum recovery in her absolute panic. “What are you doing? Why are you ruining everything?! Dante is supposed to take care of us! He’s our family!”
“Your family?” I turned to look at my sister, my gaze so sharp and piercing that she shrank back into the cushions of her chair. “You slept with my husband, Lily. You bore his child behind my back, and you turned our mother into your pimp and accomplice. You don't know the meaning of family. You only know the meaning of parasitism.”
Althia stepped forward, her face flushed with venomous rage, raising a trembling, manicured finger at me. “How dare you speak to your sister like that! After everything she’s been through! You cold, selfish, ungrateful bitch! You’ve always been jealous of Lily! You’re just angry because no man could ever truly love a cold corporate machine like you!”
I didn't even flinch. I didn't raise my voice. I simply turned to Julian Vance with a polite, inquiring smile.
“Julian, darling, tell me... what happens to a bankrupt property when the primary debtor defaults on its loans?”
May you like
Julian smiled, his dark eyes gleaming with absolute triumph as he stepped forward, pulling a heavy leather-bound portfolio from his briefcase and opening it right in front of Dante’s face.
“Under Section 14 of the Nevada Gaming Control Act, and pursuant to the foreclosure filings submitted this morning by Vance Global Capital,” Julian announced loudly enough for the entire casino floor to hear, “Moretti Holdings, along with all associated real estate, casino licenses, and cash reserves, is hereby declared in default. Effective immediately... Dante Moretti, you own nothing. This casino, this land, and every chip on this floor belongs to us.”
