Chapter 22
Carmen sat on the edge of Vincent’s desk, her fingers tapping against a thick folder, the contents too heavy to ignore. She had spent the last three nights combing through offshore financial records, anonymous transfers, and confidential reports that Vincent’s network had uncovered. Her heart sank with every page. The truth was far worse than she had imagined.
Arianna wasn’t just betraying Marco. She wasn’t just feeding information to the De Lucas. This was bigger—calculated, ruthless, and terrifying in its ambition. Arianna wasn’t playing both sides; she was positioning herself to take over everything.
“She’s using them both,” Carmen muttered, staring down at a highlighted timeline of Arianna’s movements. “She’s feeding intel to the De Lucas to weaken Marco, and she’s using Marco to take out their assets. She’s dismantling both families from the inside.”
Vincent stood across the room, arms crossed, watching her with faint amusement. “You sound surprised.”
Carmen looked up sharply. “You knew?”
“I suspected,” Vincent replied with a small shrug. “Arianna’s smart. She’s ruthless. Women like her don’t stop until they’re sitting on the throne.”
“This isn’t just about power,” Carmen said, shaking her head. “It’s about control—complete control. She’s not backing the De Lucas. She’s setting them up to fall, just like Marco. Once they’ve destroyed each other, she’ll swoop in and take over what’s left.”
Vincent’s gaze narrowed slightly. “And now that you know, what’s your next move?”
Carmen exhaled slowly, gripping the folder tighter. “I need Marco to see this.”
Vincent raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think he’ll believe it? Arianna’s in his head. She’s played this game better than anyone.”
Carmen stood, resolve hardening in her eyes. “Then I’ll make him believe it. I don’t care what it takes.”
Vincent watched her for a moment, the faintest hint of respect softening his sharp expression. “You’ve got guts, Carmen. I’ll give you that.”
She grabbed her coat and the folder, already pulling her phone out to dial. “I’m not doing this alone,” she said, waiting for Luca to pick up.
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Luca met Carmen in a dimly lit parking garage beneath one of Vincent’s lesser-known warehouses. The flickering overhead lights cast shadows across the concrete, but Carmen didn’t flinch as she stepped out of the car, clutching the folder tightly. Luca stood by a support beam, hands in his coat pockets, his face lined with exhaustion.
“You’re sure about this?” Luca asked as she approached.
“I am,” Carmen replied, holding up the folder. “Arianna’s been planning this for months. She’s playing both sides to wipe them out. Once Marco and the De Lucas destroy each other, she’ll take everything.”
Luca let out a low whistle, shaking his head. “That woman’s more dangerous than I thought.”
“She’s already done it to other families,” Carmen added, her voice sharp. “The Bernardis, the Riccis… Now she’s using Marco, turning him into her weapon while she carves up what’s left for herself.”
Luca’s expression hardened. “Marco won’t listen unless we show him something he can’t ignore.”
“That’s where you come in.” Carmen handed him a small USB drive she pulled from her pocket. “These files—offshore accounts, payments, the records connecting Arianna to the De Lucas—everything’s here. But it can’t come from me. She’s already poisoned his mind against me. If this looks like my hand, he’ll dismiss it.”
Luca looked down at the drive-in his palm, then back at Carmen. “You’re asking me to risk everything, you know that?”
“I know,” Carmen said softly. “But if we don’t stop her now, she’ll destroy Marco. She’ll destroy all of us.”
Luca sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he paced for a moment. “I don’t like this. If she catches wind of what we’re doing, she’ll make a move before we’re ready. And you—” He paused, glancing at her. “If Marco finds out you’ve been working with me, it’ll blow back on you.”
Carmen met his gaze, her expression unyielding. “I don’t care. I’ll take the risk.”
Luca shook his head with a small, reluctant smirk. “You’re braver than he deserves.”
“It’s not about him,” Carmen said quietly, her hand moving unconsciously to her stomach. “It’s about stopping her. It’s about making sure my child has a future.”
Luca noticed the gesture, his eyes softening for a moment. “You’re going to tell him, aren’t you?”
“When the time is right,” Carmen murmured. “Right now, he won’t hear it. He’s too tangled up in her lies. But once we expose Arianna…”
Luca nodded, sliding the drive into his coat pocket. “I’ll plant it in Marco’s office. Make it look like it came from an anonymous source. He’ll have no choice but to look at it.”
“And if Arianna tries to spin it?” Carmen asked.
“She won’t have time,” Luca replied. “The moment he sees this, her empire will start to crack. We’ll make sure of it.”
Carmen exhaled, relief mingling with the ever-present knot of fear in her chest. “Thank you, Luca. I couldn’t do this without you.”
Luca gave her a faint smile. “Don’t thank me yet. This isn’t over.”
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Marco sat alone in his office, staring at the glass of whiskey in his hand. The room was dark, save for the faint glow of the streetlights outside. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in hours—not even Arianna, whose absence gnawed at him in a way he couldn’t explain.
The tension had grown unbearable. His advisors were turning on him. His men whispered behind closed doors. And still, Carmen’s voice lingered in his mind, warning him of everything he refused to see.
A knock at the door jolted him from his thoughts.
“Come in,” he said gruffly, setting the glass down.
One of his men entered, placing a small envelope on the desk. “This came for you, sir. No sender.”
Marco frowned, picking it up as the man exited. The envelope was plain—no markings, no indication of where it had come from. Carefully, he tore it open, pulling out a single USB drive.
His gut twisted. What now?
Sliding the drive into his laptop, he waited as the files loaded onto the screen. Offshore accounts. Transfer records. Photos of Arianna meeting with figures Marco recognized as De Luca allies. Evidence, cold and indisputable.
Marco leaned back in his chair, his chest tightening as the pieces clicked into place.
Arianna.
The name echoed in his mind as he stared at the screen. She had been so careful, so convincing. Yet here it was—proof of her betrayal. Carmen had tried to warn him. Luca had hinted at it. Even Pietro had seen the cracks.
And Marco had ignored them all.
He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor as he ran a hand over his face. His breath came hard and fast, his anger barely contained as the realization hit him—he had let Arianna in. He had let her play him like a fool.
Carmen’s words rang in his ears: She’s lying to you. She’s setting you up.
For weeks, he’d dismissed those warnings as bitterness and betrayal. Now, faced with the truth, Marco’s hands trembled with fury.
He reached for his phone, dialing Arianna’s number with shaking fingers. It rang once, twice—
“Marco?” Arianna’s voice came through, smooth and warm as always.
“Where are you?” he demanded, his tone ice cold.
A pause. “At the house. Is something wrong?”
“Stay there,” Marco said, his voice low and dangerous. “We need to talk.”
He ended the call before she could reply, his heart pounding as he grabbed his coat and stormed from the office.
This time, there would be no excuses. No deflection.
