Chapter 22
The air in the VIP lounge on the hotel’s penthouse floor was thick with quiet anticipation.
Beatrice stood beside Dante as the heavy double doors opened, revealing a silver-haired man in a tailored Italian suit.
Matteo Moretti walked in with an air of aristocratic arrogance, accompanied by four armed bodyguards.
He looked strikingly similar to Dante, but his eyes were colder, devoid of any human warmth.
“Dante,” Matteo spoke in smooth Italian-accented English, opening his arms in a fake gesture of affection.
“It has been far too long, my nephew.”
“You shouldn't have come back to New York, Matteo,” Dante said, his voice as cold as absolute zero.
Matteo’s gaze shifted to Beatrice, examining her with sharp, calculated interest.
“Ah, the famous Beatrice Gallagher,” Matteo purred, stepping forward. “The accountant who conquered Midtown.”
“Mr. Moretti,” Beatrice greeted him, her voice entirely devoid of fear. “You’re trespassing on private property.”
Matteo laughed softly, a dry, rattling sound.
“Private property? Everything Dante built was funded by the syndicate’s reserve capital in Milan.”
“The syndicate’s capital was liquidated three years ago, Matteo,” Dante stated firmly. “You have no standing here.”
“I have the original syndicate charter signed by your father,” Matteo countered, pulling a weathered parchment from his coat.
“Which states that fifty percent of all Western holdings revert to the family council upon his death.”
Beatrice stepped forward, taking the parchment from Matteo’s hands before Dante could stop her.
She scanned the historic legal Italian document with razor-sharp precision, her analytical mind analyzing every line.
“This charter was executed under Lombardy civil law in 1998,” Beatrice declared, looking up at Matteo.
“Which was completely rendered null and void by the European Corporate Harmonization Act of 2016.”
Matteo’s arrogant smile faltered slightly as he stared at her in shock.
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“Furthermore,” Beatrice continued smoothly, “you failed to file the mandatory secondary probate claim within the five-year statute.”
“In plain English, Mr. Moretti: this document is legally worthless scrap paper.”
