Chapter 171
Mimi’s POV
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Mimi had seen Dante angry before. She’d watched him argue cases in court, seen him tear apart opposing counsel with surgical precision, witnessed him defend Marcus against corporate vultures who thought they could exploit family drama for profit.
But she’d never seen him look quite like this. Cold and calculating in a way that made her grateful they were on the same side.
“He showed up at their home,” Dante said for the third time, pacing his office like a caged animal. “While Elara was alone with newborns.
“I know. Elara called me right after it happened. She was shaking so hard she could barely talk.”
“And now he’s threatening to sue for grandparents’ rights like he has any moral or legal standing after everything he did.”
Mimi sat in one of Dante’s leather chairs watching him pace. She’d come straight from the penthouse after spending the afternoon with Elara, trying to calm her down and assure her that Luca couldn’t actually do anything. But Elara hadn’t believed her and honestly Mimi wasn’t sure she believed herself.
“Can he win?” Mimi asked. “Realistically, does Luca have any chance of getting visitation rights?”
Dante stopped pacing and sat down heavily in his desk chair. “In New York, grandparents can petition for visitation under certain circumstances. Usually when one parent is dead or the parents are divorced. But Marcus and Elara are married and both very much alive, which makes it harder.”
“But not impossible.”
“Not impossible. If Luca can prove that denying him access would harm the children’s best interests, a judge might grant limited visitation. It’s rare but it happens.”
“That’s insane. How could any judge think he deserves access to those babies after all he’s done?”
“Because family law is complicated and judges have a lot of discretion. Some of them believe children benefit from knowing all their family members regardless of past conflicts.” Dante pulled a thick file from his desk drawer. “But Luca’s not getting anywhere near Alexander and Catherine. I’m making sure of that.”
Mimi leaned forward. “What’s in the file?”
“Everything. Every crime Luca committed, every law he broke, every piece of evidence we have that he’s untit to be around children.” Dante opened the folder and started pulling out documents. “Bank statements showing payments from Penelope’s offshore accounts. Recorded phone calls where Luca and Penelope discussed strategy for blackmailing Elara. Text messages proving he knew about the corporate sabotage. And this is my favorite.”
He held up what looked like a police report.
“What is that?”
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“Luca was arrested for fraud in 2018. Small-time stuff, forging documents to secure a business loan. The charges were dropped because the bank didn’t want to prosecute, but the arrest is still on his record. Combined with the extortion attempt, it establishes a pattern of criminal behavior.”
Mimi felt something loosen in her chest. “So we can stop him.”
“We can destroy him. The question is whether we want to go that route or if there’s a cleaner solution.”
“What kind of cleaner solution?”
Dante smiled and it was the kind of smile that probably terrified opposing counsel. “We offer him a deal. He signs away all parental and grandparental rights permanently, agrees never to contact Elara or the children again, and disappears from their lives forever. In exchange, we don’t prosecute him for extortion and conspiracy.”
“You think he’ll take that deal?”
“I think when I show him how much prison time he’s facing and explain exactly how many laws he broke, he’ll sign whatever I put in front of him.”
Mimi sat back and studied Dante. They’d been dancing around each other for weeks now, ever since that night at the hospital when they’d discovered Penelope’s hit-and-run evidence together. There was something between them, something that made Mimi’s pulse quicken when he walked into a room.
But they were both too focused on protecting Marcus and Elara to do anything about it.
“When do we approach him?” Mimi asked.
“We?” Dante raised an eyebrow. “This is legal work. You don’t need to be involved.”
“Elara’s my best friend. Those babies are my godchildren even if we haven’t made it official yet. I’m involved whether you like it or not.”
Dante studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “Tomorrow. I’ll have Luca brought to my office under the pretense of finalizing the immunity agreement. Once he’s here, we present him with the evidence and the deal.”
“And if he refuses?”
“Then I file criminal charges and make sure every judge in family court knows exactly what kind of man is petitioning for grandparents’ rights.”
Mimi felt a surge of affection for this man who’d spent months fighting for Marcus and Elara without asking for anything in return. “You’re really good at this. The whole protective lawyer thing.”
“It’s my job.”
“It’s more than that. You care about them. About all of this.”
Dante’s expression softened slightly. “Marcus is my best friend. Has been since college. And Elara’s become important to me too. Watching what they’ve been through, everything Penelope and Luca put them through,
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Chapter 171
it makes me want to burn the whole world down to keep them safe.”
“That’s very dramatic for a lawyer.”
“I contain multitudes.”
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Mimi laughed and some of the tension in the room eased. “So tomorrow we corner Luca and force him to sign away his rights. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Everything. But we’re not giving him a choice.”
The next day Mimi arrived at Dante’s office at exactly ten AM wearing her most professional outfit and trying to look like she belonged in a high-powered law firm. Dante had a conference room set up with documents. spread across the table and two associates standing by to witness whatever happened.
Luca arrived fifteen minutes late looking nervous and defensive.
“I thought this was supposed to be about finalizing my immunity agreement,” he said when he saw the setup. “Why is she here?”
“Mimi is here as a representative for Elara,” Dante said smoothly. “Please, have a seat.”
trap
Luca sat reluctantly, his eyes darting between Dante and Mimi like he was trying to figure out what he’d walked into.
Dante didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He slid a folder across the table. “This contains evidence of multiple crimes you committed over the past six months. Any one of these charges could result in significant prison time. All of them together would put you away for years.”
Luca opened the folder and his face went white as he flipped through the pages. “You said I had immunity.”
“You have immunity from prosecution related to your testimony against Penelope. You do not have blanket immunity for every crime you committed. These charges are separate.”
“This is entrapment. You tricked me into cooperating and now you’re threatening me.”
“This is consequences,” Mimi said coldly. “You tried to extort my best friend while she was pregnant with high-risk twins. You worked with a murderer to destroy her family. And then you had the audacity to show up at her home and demand access to her children. Did you really think there wouldn’t be repercussions?”
“I’m their grandfather. I have rights.”
Dante pulled out another document. “This is a petition I’ve prepared to file criminal charges against you. Once it’s filed, every family court judge in New York will have access to it. Your petition for grandparents’ rights will be denied immediately and you’ll be facing felony charges that will almost certainly result in conviction.”
Luca’s hands were shaking. “What do you want from me?”
“Sign this.” Dante slid a third document across the table. “It’s a voluntary termination of all parental and grandparental rights. You agree never to contact Elara, Marcus, or their children again. You agree not to file
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any petitions for visitation or custody. You disappear from their lives completely and permanently.”
“And if I sign this?”
“The criminal charges go away. You walk out of here a free man and we never speak again.”
“You can’t force me to give up my grandchildren.”
“We’re not forcing you,” Mimi said. “We’re giving you a choice. Prison or freedom. It’s really that simple.”
Luca stared at the document for a long time. Mimi could see him calculating, trying to find an angle or a loophole. But Dante had been thorough. There was no way out except the one they were offering.
“If I sign this, will you at least tell Elara that I’m sorry? That I never meant to hurt her?”
“No,” Mimi said flatly. “You don’t get to use us to assuage your guilt. You made your choices, you lay your bed now hump on it.”
Luca picked up the pen with shaking hands and signed the document. Dante’s associates witnessed and notarized it immediately, making it legally binding.
“It’s done,” Dante said, taking the document back. “You can go.”
Luca stood slowly, looking older and more defeated than when he’d walked in. He made it to the door before turning back one last time.
“You think you’ve won. You think because Penelope’s in jail and I’m out of the picture that everything’s fine now.” He laughed bitterly. “But Penelope had other plans too. Plans you haven’t found yet. And when they come to light, you’re going to wish you’d been more thorough in your investigation.”
Then he walked out and disappeared down the hallway.
Mimi looked at Dante. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”
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