Chapter 2 - The Contract of Guilt
Ryan opened his mouth to lie, to manipulate, to do what he always did. But Vincent didn't give him the chance.
"Julianne," Vincent said, turning his body slightly to shield me from their view. "The ring on your finger belongs to the Moretti private collection. It was stolen from my vault three months ago during a transit dispute with Carter Logistics."
My breath caught. I looked down at the five-carat diamond. "Stolen?"
"Collateral," Ryan choked out, his arrogance completely shattered. He looked at Vincent with pure desperation. "Mr. Moretti, please. Not here. Not in front of the press. I told your associates I would have the remaining balance by Monday!"
"You told my associates you would have the balance by selling Julianne’s late mother’s estate," Vincent corrected him, his tone deadpan, exposing the ugly truth like a surgeon opening a wound. "The estate you secretly transferred into your name using a fraudulent power of attorney last month. The estate you promised to split with her sister."
I felt a physical wave of nausea hit me. I looked at Chloe. Her eyes darted away, unable to meet mine. She knew. She had helped him rob me of the only piece of my mother I had left.
"Is this true?" I whispered, my voice cracking.
"Julianne, he's a criminal! You can't believe him!" Chloe shrieked, her voice bouncing off the high ceilings of the ballroom.
"My legals are already processing the fraud charges, Ms. Carter," Vincent said smoothly, nodding toward the back of the room.
Two men in dark, identical suits stepped out from the shadows near the arrivals gate. They weren't hotel security. They were federal investigators.
Vincent looked down at me, his silver hair catching the light of the chandeliers. "You asked me for a kiss to make him jealous, Julianne. But I prefer a much more permanent form of satisfaction. Take off the ring."
May you like
My fingers were trembling, but as I slipped the diamond off my hand, I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom. I dropped the heavy band into Vincent's open palm.
"Now," Vincent smiled, a genuine, dark, and protective expression. "Let's leave these amateurs to their consequences."
