Chapter 7 - The Boardroom Ultimatum
The realization hit me like a physical blow, cold and heavy in the pit of my stomach. Protection. It was always protection with him—cages made of iron and velvet, locked from the outside for my own good.
"You didn't ask me," I whispered, backing up a step until the edge of the mahogany desk pressed against the small of my back. "You never ask. You just make the decision, lock the doors, and expect me to be grateful for the cage."
"If I had told you, you would have panicked," Lorenzo said, his voice dangerously soft as he reached out, his fingers brushing a stray lock of dark wavy hair away from my cheek. His touch was warm, steady, and entirely devoid of malice, which somehow made it worse. "You would have done exactly what you tried to do today—run to Geneva with half a plan and no protection against a federal subpoena."
"So you treat me like a liability," I said, my gaze locking onto his. I didn't pull away from his hand, though every instinct screamed at me to retreat. "Just another variable to manage, right alongside the maid and the municipal permits."
"I treat you like my wife," he corrected, his hand dropping to my shoulder, gripping the fabric of my gown's cowl neckline with firm precision. "Which means your mistakes are my mistakes, and your secrets are a threat to both of us. The board meeting is tomorrow morning at nine. The federal investigators will be there to review the escrow accounts. You can either walk into that boardroom by my side and present a united front, or you can take that private jet to Geneva tonight and spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder."
"You're giving me an ultimatum."
"I'm giving you reality," Lorenzo replied. He stepped back, breaking the physical contact as if remembering the stakes. "The ledger stays here. The wire transfers are being reversed as we speak by my legal team. By morning, the accounts will balance, and Elena will be given a severance package that ensures she forgets she ever cleaned the antechamber."
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"And me?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the hum of the overhead chandelier. "What happens to me after the meeting?"
Lorenzo paused at the door, his hand resting on the brass knob. He looked back over his shoulder, his expression unreadable in the warm, dim light of the hallway. "That depends entirely on whether you decide to be my partner or my prisoner."
