Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Ambush
Forty-eight hours after walking out of the penthouse, Raina executed the first phase of her takeover. Luca had spent two days frantically searching for her, sending dozens of unanswered text messages and calling every mutual acquaintance they had, completely unaware of the financial tsunami headed his way. He assumed she was just cooling off at a spa or throwing a temporary tantrum that he could eventually buy her out of with a diamond necklace or a new sports car.
On a bright Tuesday morning, the glass-walled executive boardroom of Tavaro Global Enterprises buzzed with tension. Luca sat at the head of the polished mahogany table, flanked by his chief legal counsel and his top three syndicate lieutenants. He looked exhausted, his dark hair slightly disheveled, his mind entirely distracted by his missing wife and the looming threat of an internal power struggle with rival gangs.
“Find her,” Luca snapped at his head of security, slamming a fist on the table. “I don't care how many hotels you search—bring her back.”
Before the security chief could answer, the heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open.
It wasn't security. It was Raina.
She wore a sharp, tailored cream maternity blazer, dark sunglasses pushed up onto her head, and an aura of absolute, unassailable authority. Behind her walked Marcus Vance, carrying a thick leather briefcase, accompanied by two armed federal marshals and three corporate restructuring officers.
Luca stood up so fast his leather chair crashed backward onto the carpet. “Raina? What the hell is this? Are you out of your mind showing up here like— Guard them!” he yelled to his men.
The syndicate lieutenants reached instinctively for their suit jackets, moving to block the entrance, but the two federal marshals stepped forward instantly, resting their hands on their holstered sidearms.
“Don't even think about it,” one marshal warned coldly. “Federal asset-freeze injunction in full effect.”
Luca stared at his wife, his face draining of all color. “Asset... freeze? Raina, what did you do?”
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Raina walked slowly to the head of the table, gently pulled out the chair Luca had just vacated, and sat down with calm, terrifying grace. She crossed her hands over her belly, looking at her husband as if he were a minor inconvenience on her schedule.
“I didn't do anything illegal, Luca,” Raina said smoothly. “I simply audited my investments.”
