I have been trying and planning since two weeks ago with Ms Chen, about this particular meeting,I enter the meeting room everyone stand up with respect."i know that everyone has tried their level best for this meeting and am sure we will make it out victorious as we always do" I said to them
" Yes sir " they all shouted
I nod my head but something about this meeting room feels different today,a little bit off, maybe its my mind playing tricks on me
I sit at the head of the table, my espresso coffee at hand, sipping it ,trying to use it to cure my tiredness. I haven't slept barely for 4 hours in two weeks but you wouldn't know it.because years of hard work have taught me to hide my tiredness, because in my world tiredness is looked at like being a failure
To my right, my legal team, led by the ever-reliable Ms. Chen, are a hushed whispering and frantic keyboard clicks, reviewing the final details of the Moretti acquisition. Across from them, five board members, old money types who still treat me with hatred in their eyes, fidget in their seats, eyes darting between me and the door. They're here for the spectacle,awaiting for my defeat
I glance at my Patek Philippe—8:00 am. Moretti is getting on my nerves,why is he late ,and here i was thinking that punctuality means something to a man like him but I was dead wrong
I picked up the proposal booklet. The noise of the booklet quietly filled the room.The numbers are undeniable. Moretti's empire, built on old-world traditions and, let's be honest, outright criminality, is crumbling. Park Capital has circled for months, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike. Like a vulture waiting for a dead body to arrive before it eats , now with a combination of strategic investments, carefully placed leaks, and a little good old-fashioned pressure, the deal is almost sealed.
But I know bringing Dante down isn't going to be easy. I know and am prepared for whatever will happen
He thinks he owns the world, everyone and everything in it… but he doesn't know that he doesn't control the world inside this office,he doesn't control my world.Today, he'll learn the hard way. This isn't Naples; this is Manhattan. Here, the law talks.
I suppress the thought of unease creeping through my mind . Moretti is unpredictable, and unpredictable is dangerous—but that also means that he may have a bad temper,and with that kind of temper he can make mistakes when he least expects it. I've heard the stories of him being ruthless, efficiency, unwavering and loyal,from what I heard he is a man who commands respect through fear… and money. From what I've heard and from the look of it , Dante doesn't care about the law because he makes the law. I don't dwell on that. Fear is short-term but the consequences is long term
The doors to the boardroom are heavy, reinforced steel, soundproof. When they swing open, the scent of leather and rain floods the room.[ God I love that scent]but my inner expression seems neutral
Dante Moretti enters, and the air grows cold. Everyone else bows instinctively, eyes lowered but not me. I meet Dante eye to eye.
He isn't what I expected. The surveillance footage and paparazzi photos hadn't done him justice. He taller than I imagined, and far more handsome than the frenzy suggested.
His suit is dark, tailored perfectly, yet casual. No tie, top button undone. Sleeves rolled up, revealing ink that snakes around his forearms, disappearing beneath the cuffs. Tattoos. I hadn't expected that.[he looks hot but not as hot and handsome I want, Alistair focus,you are supposed to destroy him not look at him like he is your entire world]
[Shu… he looks like a mafia about to go to war. Why is he dressed like a thug in a corporate meeting?mtchewwww]
He moves with the grace of a predator that has already found its prey. Two men follow him in, faces impassive, eyes constantly scanning—bodyguards, of course he is calculating like a Maniac that he is .[ I am sure he already knows that am not going to kill him or anything related to that so why bring this many body guards to a coprate meeting]
The room falls silent. Ms. Chen stops typing. The board members straighten, their backs on their seats ,their earlier eagerness replaced by palpable tension. Dante sits beside me. No hostility, no overt threat—just assessment, calculation ,I refuse to be intimidated. I've faced CEOs, politicians, even shareholders who hated me. I'm not about to be scared into submission by a fake mob boss.
Dante inclines his head slightly, a gesture of respect… or amusement. Silence stretches, thick and uncomfortable. I resist filling it with meaningless chatter. Let him make the first move so I can exploit any mistake.
Finally, one of his men speaks, smooth but firm.
"Mr. Park, we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us."
I raise an eyebrow.
"I assumed you understood the terms of the acquisition. My lawyers sent over the final documents last week."
He stays silent, eyes fixed on me. It's unnerving. I feel a strange heat rising in my chest a flicker of something I can't quite name. Annoyance, perhaps. Or something else entirely.[ Or an intension to straggle him for thinking to highly of himself]
"The numbers speak for themselves," I say, forcing composure. "Moretti Enterprises is stealing money. This acquisition is the only viable option."
I pause, waiting. But he simply sits there, gaze unwavering, expression unreadable. A bead of sweat trickles down my temple. I wipe it away with my handkerchief
"With all due respect, Mr. Park," he finally says, voice low and rumbling, the room vibrating subtly, or maybe it's just me. "You misunderstand the situation."
I lean forward, hands clasped on the table.
"I assure you, Mr. Moretti, I understand perfectly."
He smiles, a slow, predatory curve of his lips.
[ He thinks he can intimidate me but I have been preparing myself for this for weeks]
"Do you? I don't think you do." He lets silence hang in the air. "This negotiation… is over."
The words don't shout, don't slam, but they hit like a physical blow. Heat surges up my spine, anger hot and sharp.
"What the hell are you talking about? You think you can just walk in and dictate what happens and what doesn't happen? This isn't your world, Moretti. You don't call the shots here."
His smile widens, just a bit.[ To scare me but am not scared,maybe a bit ]
"Perhaps not. But I do have a say in what happens to my family."
Family. My weakness. His loyalty to them is legendary, bordering on pathological.
[ Seriously ,I have a family too you know] I said in my mind
"Your family's interests are best served by accepting this deal," I say, voice tight. "I'm offering you a generous payout. More than you'd get anywhere else."
He shakes his head slowly, eyes never leaving mine.
"You don't understand, Mr. Park. This isn't about money."
I scoff. " What do I not understand,Dante please explain it to me "
"Everything as always been about money, Moretti. Don't insult my intelligence."
His expression hardens.
"You think you can buy anything, don't you? You think you can come in and take what you want, with your useless good for nothing lawyers and your clever spreadsheets." He leans forward, voice dropping to a near whisper. "But some things… some things can't be bought."[ seriously why is he talking to me like an a child]
A shiver runs down my spine. I don't like where this is going.[ Shu ,even if i don't like where this all thing is going I cannot back down, not now ,not after everything i have been through to make this work]
"I think you'll find everything has a price, Mr. Moretti," I say, voice regaining composure. "It's just a matter of finding it."
He stares, long and unflinching. Then he stands.
The room falls silent.
"I've said all I have to say," he says flatly. "I won't waste any more of your time."
He walks toward the door, flanked by his bodyguards. A wave of unease tightens in my stomach. I expected a fight, a negotiation, a battle of wills. I hadn't expected… this. It was too calm like a rain before a storm
At the door, he pauses, turning back to me. His smile is slow, creepy, and it sends a chill down my spine.
"Enjoy your empire, Mr. Park," he says, soft but clear. "while it lasts ."
[ Is he threatening me?]
Then he's gone. Doors close behind him, leaving me alone in the sterile silence of the boardroom.
I sit for a long moment, mind racing. What just happened? Did he concede defeat? Or is this something else entirely? I don't know and that scares me more than anything.
I look around at my lawyers, the board members, the steel and glass that symbolize my control. It all feels… fragile.[ The board members looked at me with the look of I expected that failure]
I stand, legs unsteady, holding the table for a moment. I walk to the window and look out at the city I thought I owned. Lives, lights, and shadows stretch before me. But tonight, the shadows seem to whisper.
And I know, with a growing sense of dread, that something has shifted. The game has changed. And I have no idea what the new rules are… though I know what I planned has already backfired.