earliest days of building his empire He pulled up the number of his old founding partner and dialed.
The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up
“Well, well, if it isn’t Don Vincent himself.”
‘You kicked all us old timers to the curb the second you got off the ground. What, you finally remember we exist for
some sweet deal now?”
Vincent’s throat felt thick, tight with tangled emotion, “Back then, that five million dollar angel investment…” He trailed off for a beat, voice rough and hoarse. That money… you invested it because you believed in my plan, right?”
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The person on the other end of the line laughed.
“Vincent, at a time like this, you’re still clinging to that ‘self–made‘ persona of yours?”
“I just wanted to confirm-
“Confirm what? That you really made it on your own?” the other man cut him off. “I had three investment managers look at that lousy project of yours back then, and all of them concluded it would collapse within three years. If Isabella hadn’t come to me personally, do you think I would have given you the time of day?”
“She came to you… just to make an introduction. Vincent said, his voice dry. “You were the one who made the final call
to invest. You saw the potential in the project-”
“Project potential?” the other man laughed loudly. “Wrong. Vincent. What I saw was the potential of Isabella kneeling outside her father’s study.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“She didn’t tell you?” the other man’s tone was mocking. That five million was a bridge loan I gave her, backed by the
trust fund in her name. Because her father said he would never give her a single cent to bankroll some man she was
seeing.”
A sharp buzz rang in Vincent’s head.
“What did she put up as collateral?”
“Her share of the property rights to the Rosetti family ancestral home, and the sapphire necklace her grandmother left
her–oh right, that’s the same raw stone used for the pair of bracelets on the wrist of the future Mrs. De Luca who’s been
all over the news lately.”
The other man spoke slowly. “It was valued at eight million back then, so I lent her five million. She only redeemed it
three years later, when your company was valued at over a hundred million.”
The sunlight streaming through the window was blinding, but Vincent felt ice cold all over.
He remembered seven years ago, when Isabella had told him excitedly, “Vince, we got the money! The investor is really
optimistic about us!”
He had picked her up and spun her around in excitement, never asking why her eyes were red and swollen.
“What happened after that?” his voice was rough with hoarseness, “When… when did she redeem it?”
“The day your family business closed that expansion round of funding successfully,” the other man paused. “She came to see me, and I asked her why she was in such a rush. She said…”
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‘She said I have to redeem this before Vince makes the announcement. He hates owing people favors.”
A soft sigh came over the line.
“Vincent. I’ve been in this game for decades, and I’ve never met anyone this foolish. She mortgaged her family’s ancestral property to help her man build his career, and the first thing she did when profits came in was secretly redeem it. just to protect that ridiculous pride of yours.”
After a long silence. Vincent finally found his voice again.
“Where did she get the money to pay you back?” he forced every word out through gritted teeth. There’s no way…”
The other end of the line went quiet. Then a cold laugh rang out.
“You finally asked the right question.”
“Obviously you had no money left to repay me. The second your Series B funding hit your account, you dumped every last cent into your new arms trafficking operation.”
“She came to me that day begging for a three–month extension. My condition was–she spend the night with me.”
The other man’s tone was flat, “She stood there, her face as white as a sheet, and finally nodded.”
Vincent clenched his phone so tight his knuckles blanched.
“But her father’s Soldiers burst in ten minutes later,” the other man laughed, “I found out later that she had been stalling for time on purpose–she had sent her brother her location before she left the house. That girl never had any intention of actually going through with it. She just wanted to force her family to give in.”
“That five million…”
“She got it after kneeling in her father’s study for three days,” the man said, adding one final line, “Vincent, the greatest achievement of your life isn’t founding the Vitale crime family. It’s making Principessa Isabella Rosetti kneel twice for
you.”
The call cut off.
The dial tone echoed through the empty office.
Vincent remembered when he got the funding all those years ago, the only thought in his head was–I’m finally going to
make it.’
Was that really success?
He had paved his road with her dignity, used her blood and sacrifice as stepping stones, and used the capital she’d knelt to obtain to fund his crime family, support his mistress, and prop up that ridiculous “self–made fantasy of his
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Vincent raised a hand and wiped his face.
His palm was damp with tears.
On their wedding day, she had curled up in his arms and said:
“Vince, if you ever lose me one day, I’ll make sure you don’t even know which direction to look to find me.”
He had kissed her with a laugh back then. Then you’d better tie me tight, huh?”
Now she was really gone.
She’d left him a trail to follow, yet it felt like no trace of her remained at all.
Chapter 10
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
