Melissa’s POV

The penthouse was too quiet as I sat on the couch, staring out the window at the city below.

Dad walked in from the bedroom. He was wearing a suit, looking like a different man from the one who had been in prison.

"The papers are ready," he said and sat down across from me as he swirled his drink. The ice clinked against the glass. "By tomorrow, everything will be in place. I’ll be announced as the new CEO. The board has been informed. The press release is written. All we have to do is show up.

I nodded.

My heart was pounding, but my face was calm. I had learned to hide my emotions. Years of practice. Years of survival. "You’re resuming work tomorrow. First thing in the morning, I’ve arranged everything... the car will pick you up at seven, the security will be waiting."

Ricardo smiled.

It was a cold and calculating smile. "You’ve done well, Melissa, better than I ever expected. I’m proud to have you as my daughter."

His words should have warmed me. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

They didn’t.

I had learned long ago that Ricardo’s pride was a weapon, something he used to get what he wanted.

Still, I nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, Dad. I learned from the best."

He raised his glass. "To the future, to the Ricardo empire. To everything we’ve worked for."

I raised an imaginary glass I didn’t drink. I didn’t celebrate yet, at least not until everything was done... not until there was no chance of failure.

Ricardo drank and set his glass down with his face changed. "There’s something we need to discuss."

I knew what was coming.

I had been dreading it. "Ariana."

He nodded. "She’s back in New York, and you didn’t tell me that. She’s been seen with that Watson fellow and her new husband."

I felt my jaw tighten. "She’s not his wife. I don’t know what she is to him, but she’s not his wife. There’s no record of a marriage or license. No ceremony... It’s a facade. A cover for something."

Ricardo leaned forward with his eyes sharp. "I don’t care what it is; she’s a threat. She’s always been a threat, and now she’s back, parading around like she owns the place. We can’t allow that. We can’t risk it."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked with my voice flat and emotionless. I already knew the answer.

I just wanted to hear him say it.

"I want you to remove her from the picture. Permanently before she causes any more damage or triggers Dante’s memories and ruins everything we’ve built."

I stared at him, "You want me to kill her?"

Ricardo shook his head. "I didn’t say that. I said remove her from the picture. How you do that is up to you, but she needs to disappear even if it means killing her."

I stood up and walked.

"Dante is already starting to remember," I said. My voice was quiet. "I can see it in his eyes... the way he looks at her when she’s around the company... like he knows her and if he remembers everything, if he finds out what we did, we’re finished both of us."

Ricardo stood up and walked to stand beside me. "Then we can’t let that happen. We need to get rid of her, my child... she’s been a threat for far too long, we need to take care of that."

"I’ll handle Ariana," I said. "I’ll make sure she disappears. I’ll make sure she never comes back, but since you’ll be resuming as CEO, you need to handle Dante. You need to keep him in line."

Ricardo nodded. "Leave that to me."

"Of course, Dad, I trust you on that."

I looked at him, the man who had raised me. Who had shaped me and made me into the woman I am today.

"I’ll handle Ariana," I said again. "You have nothing to worry about; you just have to make sure you take care of things in the company."

Ricardo was quiet for a long moment before he smiled and nodded. "I’m so proud of you."

"Tomorrow," I said. "Tomorrow, everything changes...we take control, and we finally win after years and years of trying, it’s finally our turn to shine."

Ricardo smiled.. "Tomorrow, we win."

As much as I didn’t want this to end this way, but I didn’t have a choice... Ariana is a threat to our plan, and I already swore an oath that whoever crossed the line would be taken care of, and Ariana isn’t an exception.

And although at the pit of my stomach I felt ugly and guilty, she deserves every bit of it.