Chapter 210.

The room was unnaturally dark.

The curtains had been pulled shut, blocking out the late afternoon sun that tried to force its way through the edges. Only a single lamp burned in the corner, its weak golden glow barely reaching the center of the room.

Dante sat at the end of a long wooden table.

For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he began to whistle softly. The tune was slow, and almost cheerful.

It didn’t belong in the room. It didn’t belong on his face either. There was something almost peaceful about him at the moment.

His fingers tapped against the table in rhythm with the whistle.

Courtney stood several feet away.

She hadn’t spoken since entering the room. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Dante had been sitting there for nearly twenty minutes, staring at nothing. His entire world had collapsed in a matter of days.

The money was gone.

The accounts were frozen. The board members he’d spent years buying had suddenly discovered their courage.

Blackwood had turned against him.

The Belmont oil funds had been seized.

And Adrian Ashford had dismantled years of careful work with a few files, a few signatures, and enough evidence to make powerful men suddenly remember the meaning of self-preservation.

Yet Dante was whistling.

Finally, he stopped. He leaned back in his chair. His eyes remained fixed on the dark window.

"Tell me something, Courtney."

She swallowed. "Yes?"

Dante smiled faintly. "When a dead man returns..." He paused.

His eyes drifted toward her. "...how should he make his first appearance?"

Courtney stared at him. She wasn’t sure whether he was joking. "I don’t understand."

Dante chuckled. "You don’t?"

"No."

He turned toward her completely. "I’m dead, Courtney."

Her stomach tightened.

"Everyone thinks so." He spread his hands. "The world has already buried me." He smiled. "And now I’m going to come back."

Courtney said nothing.

Dante rose slowly from his chair. He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt as though preparing for an ordinary business meeting.

"A man returning from the dead should make an entrance."

He began walking around the table. "Something memorable."

Courtney watched him carefully.

"Perhaps I should walk into Blackwood." Dante smiled. "That would be boring." He continued pacing. "Perhaps I should walk into Adrian’s house."

Courtney’s expression changed at the mention of Adrian.

Dante noticed. His smile widened. "Now you’re thinking."

"Adrian knows you’re alive now."

Dante’s expression hardened. "Yes."

"And he’s watching for you."

"I know."

Courtney hesitated. "Then perhaps you should leave the city."

Dante stared at her. Then he laughed. A quiet, breathless laugh that made Courtney’s shoulders stiffen.

"Leave?"

He shook his head. "No." He walked back toward the table. "Why would I leave?"

He placed both hands on the wooden surface. "You don’t run when someone steals your house."

His eyes darkened. "You take it back."

Courtney lowered her gaze.

Dante’s fingers curled against the edge of the table. "Do you know what Adrian did?"

He looked toward her. "He didn’t simply expose my accounts."

Courtney remained silent.

"He didn’t simply turn the board against me." His jaw tightened. "He took everything."

The room became still.

Dante’s breathing changed.

His shoulders rose. Then.... BANG!

His palm slammed against the table.

Courtney jumped.

"I have no money!" His voice exploded through the room. "All of Blackwood and the Belmont oil funds have been seized!"

He struck the table again.

"The board members all backed down!"

Courtney flinched.

"I built everything!" He punched in another slam. "Everything!"

His voice cracked with fury. "And that bastard walked in and took it from me!"

Courtney stood frozen.

Dante’s chest rose and fell heavily.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Dante whispered, "I need to get my hands on my sweet girl."

Courtney’s blood ran cold at the instant switch in his emotions.

Dante’s expression softened. The sudden change was horrifying. "Yes." He slowly straightened. "My daughter."

He smiled. "My sweet Emilia."

Courtney stared at him. There was something deeply wrong with the tenderness in his voice. It didn’t sound like a father speaking about his child.

It sounded like a man speaking about something he believed belonged to him.

Dante walked toward the window. He pulled the curtain aside slightly.

The city stretched beyond the glass.

People moved along the streets, and cars passed. Lights flickered on in buildings.

Everyone continued living.

Dante watched them. "I need Adrian to feel the pain of what he just did."

Courtney’s heart pounded. She forced herself to speak. "Then..."

Dante glanced over his shoulder. "Then what?"

Courtney hesitated. She knew she should keep her mouth shut. However, she also knew Dante expected an answer.

"Take Rowan."

Dante stared at her.

Courtney continued carefully. "He loves his sister more than life itself."

Dante’s expression remained blank. "Rowan."

"Yes."

"If you take Rowan..." Courtney took a breath. "...Adrian will come. That way, I can go back i to his life."

Dante turned away from the window. "He’ll come for his sister."

Courtney’s voice trembled slightly. "You wouldn’t have to go near Emilia."

Dante said nothing.

"You could use Rowan to draw Adrian out. He would do anything to get her back."

Dante slowly walked toward Courtney. His footsteps were quiet. He stopped in front of her.

Courtney lifted her eyes.

Dante studied her face. Then he smacked his lips together thoughtfully.

"No."

Courtney’s heart sank.

"I need Emilia."

"But—"

"I need Emilia." His voice was calm now. Almost gentle.

Courtney immediately stopped speaking.

Dante walked past her. "Rowan would make him angry." He returned to the table. "Anger is useful."

He picked up a glass of water.

"But pain..." He took a slow sip. "Pain is different."

Courtney watched him.

Dante placed the glass down. "Emilia would send a clearer message."

Courtney’s stomach twisted. "Dante—"

"He wouldn’t want to imagine what I would be able to do with his sister..." He paused. His eyes met Courtney’s. "...by the time I’m done with my daughter."

Courtney’s face drained of color. Did he just speak of his dauggter in this sick manner?

Dante smiled. "That would send a good warning."

Courtney couldn’t breathe properly. For the first time since she had begun working for him, she understood something.

Dante wasn’t planning to negotiate. He wasn’t planning to recover his money. He wasn’t planning to rebuild Blackwood.

He wanted Adrian to suffer. Just as he watcged his father suffer. And he had decided that Emilia was the easiest way to accomplish it.

No matter what happened between her and Adrian, she despice the thought of watching him suffer.

"She’s your daughter," Courtney whispered.

Dante’s eyes narrowed. "Which means she matters."

Courtney stared at him.

Dante leaned against the table. "You know what Adrian did wrong?"

Courtney didn’t answer.

"He thought taking my money would make me powerless." He smiled. "He thought taking Blackwood would make me powerless."

His gaze hardened. He shook his head. "Men like Adrian always make the same mistake."

"They look at what a man owns." Dante tapped his chest. "They never look at what he loves."

Courtney’s mouth went dry.

"And Emilia..." He smiled. "...is the only thing I need."

Courtney forced herself to remain composed. "She would hate you."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

Dante went completely still.

Courtney immediately regretted speaking.

His eyes slowly moved toward her. "What did you say?"

Courtney swallowed. "I only meant—"

"You said she would hate me."

"I didn’t mean—"

"You did."

His voice was quiet.

Courtney lowered her head.

Dante stared at her for several seconds. Then he smiled. "Children don’t always understand their parents."

Courtney said nothing.

"They get confused." He walked toward the chair and sat down. "They listen to other people."

His fingers tapped against the armrest. "They’re manipulated." He took a brief pause. "But eventually..."

His smile returned. "...they remember where they came from."

Courtney felt a chill move down her spine.

"She’ll remember me." Dante leaned back. "She’ll remember that I am her father."

He looked toward the ceiling. "And when Adrian realizes I have her..." His smile disappeared. "He’ll understand."

Dante’s eyes drifted toward the table. "How many men do we still have?"

Courtney hesitated. "Not many."

"How many?"

"Seven."

Dante frowned. "Seven?"

"Most of them left after the accounts were frozen."

He waved his hand dismissively. "I don’t need men who are stupid."

Courtney looked at him.

Dante’s eyes sharpened. "One loyal man. I need just kme loyal man to watch her."

Courtney nodded. She straightened her shoulders. "Then we shoukd ask Ethan to resume."