Dante’s POV

"So tell me again," Marcus said. "What did you find?"

I pushed a folder across the desk. Ricardo shares the ones he stole from my company. I found a way to get them back. Without Melissa knowing or anyone knowing."

Marcus opened the folder. He scanned the papers. His eyes widened. "This is... Dante, this is huge. If this works, you could take back control. You could undo everything she’s done."

I nodded. "It’s risky, but it’s possible. I’ve been working with a forensic accountant. Someone Melissa doesn’t know and someone she can’t trace. He’s been digging into the offshore accounts and following the money, and he found a pattern."

Marcus looked up at me. "What kind of weakness?"

"Ricardo is greedy....He always has been. He didn’t just take the shares and hold them. He started trading, moving money, making deals, and in doing that, he left a trail. A paper trail. If we can prove that the shares were obtained through fraud, through blackmail, or through coercion, we can seize them. We can take them back."

Marcus leaned back in his chair he ran his hand through his hair. "That’s going to require evidence and proof... something that ties Melissa to the blackmail. Something that shows she threatened Ariana."

I felt my jaw tighten, Ariana. Just hearing her name made my chest hurt. "I know. I’m working on it."

Marcus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "And Ariana? Have you talked to her? Have you told her you remember?"

I bit on my lower lip.

Of course... I did more than talk to her, but of course I couldn’t tell him that, so instead I lied.

I shook my head. "I tried, but she won’t listen. She won’t talk to me."

"That’s because she thinks you’re still married to Melissa. She thinks you chose Melissa over her."

I stood up, and I walked to the window.

"I need to know everything about him," I said. "Ares Watson. I need to know where he came from, how he got his money. Why is he here? What he wants."

Marcus stood up and walked to stand beside me. "You think he’s connected to Melissa? You think he’s part of her plan?"

I shook my head. "I don’t know what to think. But he showed up right when everything was falling apart. He partnered with Melissa. He married Ariana, and he’s been moving pieces on the board, and I don’t know what game he’s playing."

Marcus nodded. "I’ll do some digging. See what I can find. It shouldn’t be hard. The Watsons are a known family with old money and Real estate. Shipping. They’ve been around for generations."

"And Ares? What’s his story?"

Marcus pulled out his phone. He started typing. "Ares Watson. Twenty-nine years old. Only son of Daniel Watson. Took over the family business five years ago after his father retired. He’s been expanding ever since. Aggressive and smart. He’s not someone you want to be on the wrong side of."

I turned to look at him. "And his marriage to Ariana? When did that happen?"

Marcus paused. He looked up from his phone. "That’s the strange part. There’s no public record of a marriage, no announcement. No license. Nothing. It’s like they just appeared together one day and started calling each other husband and wife."

My heart started pounding. "So they’re not legally married? It’s fake?"

Marcus shrugged. "I don’t know, but it’s worth looking into. If they’re pretending, there has to be a reason, and that reason might be connected to Melissa of the deal. To all of this."

I walked back to my desk and sat down. I put my head in my hands. "I need to talk to Arians."

Marcus sat down across from me. "Then make her listen, don’t give up. Don’t let her push you away. She’s hurt Dante and probably scared."

"How do you know?"

"It’s Ariana we’re talking about."

I looked at him, the only person who had never given up on me. "What if I lose her? What if I can’t get her back?"

Marcus leaned forward with his eyes intense. "Then at least you’ll know you tried..."

I nodded. "Okay, okay. I’ll keep fighting, I won’t lose her."

Marcus stood up and grabbed his jacket. "That’s the Dante I know now, let’s get to work. We have a lot to do and not a lot of time."

He walked to the door. He paused. He looked back at me. "Oh, and Dante? Be careful. Melissa is dangerous. If she finds out what you’re doing, she won’t hesitate to hurt you or Ariana or the children."

I nodded. "I know that’s why I’m not going to let her find out, not until it’s too late for her to stop me."

Marcus smiled. "Good."