“Mr. Vance,” Alejandro said, not even looking at the lawyer. “As a legal representative, perhaps you should explain to your client what happens to a pre-IPO company when its lead underwriter and primary venture capital source suddenly pulls out thirty days before the public offering.”
Vance looked at the phone, his face turning a ghostly shade of grey. “It… it ruins the valuation. The market panics. The IPO collapses before it even begins. NovaLink would be… blacklisted.”
Diego’s heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. “You can’t do that. We have contracts! The Mendoza Group hasn’t signed the final IPO underwriting agreement yet, but we have a memorandum of understanding!”
“A memorandum,” Alejandro said coldly, “is not a contract. And even if it were, I own the bank that holds your company’s primary debt line. I can call in your twenty-million-dollar short-term loan by 5:00 PM today.”
Diego’s breath hitched. He looked at Camila, who was now staring at him with a sudden look of horror, realizing that the luxury penthouse she was designing might vanish into thin air.
“Isabella!” Diego lunged forward, reaching across the table to grab her hand, his smug arrogance completely evaporating into desperate panic. “Bella, please! We’re married! We’ve had our issues, yes, but this is business—we can talk about this! I was just stressed about the IPO, I didn’t mean what I said about you being dull—!”
Alejandro’s hand came down on the table with a resounding THUD that echoed like a gunshot through the room.
“Take your hands off my daughter,” the billionaire growled.
Diego pulled his hands back as if he had been burned.
The Final Move
Isabella looked at the man she had dedicated two years of her life to. She felt no anger. She felt no sadness. She only felt a profound sense of pity.
“You told me this marriage was a bad investment, Diego,” Isabella said softly, picking up her simple leather purse. “You were right. It was. But it wasn’t your investment that failed. It was mine.”
She turned to her father. “Let’s go, Papa. It suffocates me in here.”
“Wait!” Diego cried out, stumbling around the table, his expensive Italian shoes slipping slightly on the polished floor. “Isabella, please! Don’t do this to me! NovaLink is my life! I built it from nothing!”
Alejandro Mendoza stopped at the double glass doors of the conference room. He turned around slowly, a dark, victorious smile playing on his lips.
“You built it on a foundation of lies, Mr. Ramirez. And today, the wind blows.”
Alejandro tapped his phone once more, picking it up. “Marcus,” he said into the receiver. “Execute Phase One. Crush NovaLink.”
As the billionaire ended the call, the heavy glass doors of the conference room suddenly flew open.
But it wasn’t Alejandro’s security detail entering.
A breathless, panicked executive from NovaLink’s headquarters burst into the room, his tie askew, holding a tablet with hands that were shaking violently. He didn’t even notice the billionaire or the tense atmosphere. He ran straight toward Diego.
“Diego! Diego, we have a catastrophic problem!” the executive screamed. “The board… the board just called an emergency meeting! Someone just dumped forty percent of our private shares onto the secondary market at a ninety percent discount! Our valuation is tanking, and the SEC just flagged our pre-IPO filings for an immediate fraud audit!”
Diego’s face went entirely numb. He felt the room spinning. He looked at the executive, then slowly turned his head toward Isabella and Alejandro, who were standing by the exit.
But before Diego could utter a single word to beg, the main elevators down the hall chimed.
The heavy doors opened, and a flock of men in dark blue jackets with yellow lettering stepped out into the lobby of Salazar & Associates.
On the backs of their jackets were three letters: FBI.
The lead agent walked directly toward the conference room, holding up a federal warrant.
Diego’s heart stopped. He looked at Isabella, his eyes wide with a terrifying realization. She didn’t just sign the divorce papers today. She had been waiting for this day for months.
The FBI agent stepped into the room, his eyes locking onto Diego. “Diego Ramirez? You are under arrest for securities fraud, corporate espionage, and—”
The agent paused, looking at a secondary document in his hand, then looked up at Isabella with deep respect.
“—and under the direct briefing provided to us by the Mendoza Global Intelligence Unit.”
Diego staggered backward, his knees hitting his chair. He looked at Isabella one last time, desperate for a shred of mercy.
Isabella stood next to her father, her chin held high. She didn’t look away. Instead, she raised her hand, and with a slow, deliberate motion, she did something that made Diego’s blood run entirely cold.
What did Isabella do that froze Diego’s blood? What hidden secret about NovaLink’s proprietary technology had she been holding over his head the entire time? And who is the mysterious figure waiting for Isabella downstairs in the limousine?
(I know you’re dying to know how Isabella delivers the final, crushing blow to Diego and Camila in Part 3! Please be patient and leave a ‘YES’ comment below, and don’t forget to give this post a “Like” to unlock the next thrilling chapter immediately! Thank you for your amazing support!)
