Chapter 5

Giovanni turned his back on Edith, the phone pressed tight to his ear. He strode into his study and slammed the door shut.

The click of the latch was like a gunshot in the silent apartment.

Edith slid down the wall, her legs giving out. She sat on the cold marble floor, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She could hear the muffled sound of Giovanni's voice through the heavy wood, rising and falling in an agitated rhythm.

Inside the study, Giovanni yanked his tie loose, feeling like he was being strangled.

"Giovanni," Harold Baldwin's voice was cold, clipped, and utterly devoid of affection. "Any progress? The acquisition of OmniCorp is faltering. Our sources say a ghost player is driving up the price."

Giovanni squeezed his eyes shut. "Everything is under control. We're working on it."

"Do not lie to me," Harold snapped. "Your grandfather built this empire from nothing. I expanded it. You are letting it be nibbled to death by unknowns. The board is losing confidence. They see you distracted, unfocused. Do you understand what that means?"

Giovanni felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. "I understand."

"Then why is your attention not on the market?" Harold's voice was lethal. "I don't care what issues you have with that girl. The Woods merger was your last chance to stabilize the East Asia sector after the Ayala partnership collapsed. You will make it work. The legacy of this family depends on it. Do not fail me."

The line went dead.

Giovanni stood in the silence of his study, the phone still pressed to his ear. A roaring sound filled his head. He had let his personal vendetta against Edith distract him, and now his professional world was crumbling. He had poisoned the well, and now he was dying of thirst.

He opened his eyes, staring at his reflection in the dark window. He looked like a madman.

He threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

He took a deep breath, forcing the panic down. He had to fix this. He had to find a way.

He straightened his tie, smoothed his hair, and walked back out into the living room.

Edith was still sitting on the floor. She looked up as he approached, her eyes wary, bracing for another attack.

But Giovanni's face was a mask. The rage was gone, replaced by an eerie, unsettling calm. He walked over to her and crouched down, his movements slow and deliberate.

"Edith," he said, his voice soft, almost gentle. "Let's talk."

He reached out, his fingers hovering near her cheek as if to stroke it.

Edith flinched violently, jerking her head away. "Don't touch me."

Giovanni's jaw tightened, a flicker of impatience crossing his features, but he forced it down. "Perhaps I was too harsh," he said, the words sounding foreign and stiff on his tongue. "I was angry. I acted out of line."

Edith stared at him, disbelief written all over her face. The man who had pinned her to the wall five minutes ago was now trying to apologize?

"Forget about the tension between us," Giovanni continued, his voice smooth, persuasive. "I will unsuspend your accounts. I can give you a black card, anything you want. You can buy whatever you need."

Edith let out a short, hollow laugh. "You think money can fix this? You think you can buy my forgiveness after what you've done?"

"I was angry," Giovanni repeated, his tone hardening slightly before he caught himself. "We can... try to coexist. We can present a united front. The merger depends on it. There has to be a way to make this work."

Edith felt a wave of nausea wash over her. His sudden concern for their marriage was sickening. It wasn't about her. It was about what she represented for his business.

"There's nothing to fix, Giovanni," she said, her voice flat. "I want a divorce. That is not negotiable."

Giovanni stared at her, his eyes narrowing. The soft approach wasn't working. She was immune to his money and his fake apologies. He needed a new strategy. He needed time.

He stood up, taking a step back. "Fine," he said, his voice cool. "Don't make any decisions tonight. Just... stay. We'll talk in the morning."

It was a retreat. Giovanni Baldwin never retreated. But he had no choice. He had to regroup.

He grabbed his coat from the chair. "I have an emergency at the office. Don't leave this apartment."

He walked out the door without looking back.

Edith sat on the floor for a long time after he left. The silence of the apartment pressed in on her. He was going to shore up his business deals. He was going to look for a way to control her. He wasn't going to let her go.

She pulled out her burner phone. Her hands were shaking, but her mind was clear. She needed help. She needed information.

She scrolled through her contacts until she found the number. She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the call button. If she did this, there was no going back.

She pressed the button.

It rang twice before a professional, calm voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Anya," Edith said, her voice quiet but firm. "It's Lan. I need to see you. I need to know everything about the OmniCorp deal."