CHAPTER 2: DECISIONS

The pounding in my head was rhythmic, a dull throb that kept time with the flickering neon light outside the window. I shifted, my skin sticking to expensive silk sheets that weren't mine. My hand brushed against something cold on the bedside table. I forced my eyes open, squinting against the harsh morning light. It wasn't a dream. I wasn't in my bridal suite. I wasn't with David.

I sat up fast, the world spinning for a second. The room was empty. No sign of the man from the club, just a heavy silence and the smell of expensive woodsmoke lingering in the air. I looked at the nightstand. A sleek, matte black credit card sat there, no name on it, just a silver chip catching the light. Beside it, my phone was vibrating like it was about to explode.

I picked it up. Fifty-two missed calls. Thirty-eight texts. Most were from my mother. I hit the green button before I could talk myself out of it.

"Isabella! Where are you? Do you have any idea what you've done?" My mother’s voice was a sharp blade, cutting through my hangover.

"Mom, please listen to me and David he was with Amaya." My voice sounded like I’d swallowed glass.

"I don't want to hear your excuses Isabella and you humiliated this family. Everyone was waiting for the grand exit and you vanished like a thief in the night. David is distraught and he says you had a breakdown and ran off."

"Distraught?" I let out a jagged laugh that hurt my chest. "Mom he was rimming her. In the VIP suite. On our wedding night. Amaya told me she’s been with him for years."

There was a long silence on the other end, but not the kind I wanted. Not the kind that meant she was shocked. It was heavy and cold.

"Men have their needs Isabella and your sister is just more lively than you are. You should have just walked back in there and shown him you can be what he needs. Instead you made a scene. You need to come home right now, go to David, and beg for his forgiveness before the press gets a hold of this."

"Beg him?" I gripped the black card so hard the edges dug into my palm. "He cheated on me with my sister and you want me to beg?"

"You are nothing without that marriage Isabella and the Jones Tech partnership is the only thing keeping your father's interests afloat. Don't be selfish. Come home."

"I'm not coming back Mom and don't call me again."

I hung up before she could scream. My stomach did a slow, sickening roll. I looked back at the black card. It felt heavy, like a ticket to a life I didn't recognize. I didn't know the man who left it, but he’d given me more respect in one night of silence than my family had in twenty-four years.

I dressed quickly, my wedding gown a crumpled, stained heap on the floor. I found a spare robe in the closet, pulled my hair back, and walked out. I needed air. I needed to move.

I ended up at a small park near the outskirts of the city, sitting on a bench with a coffee that tasted like cardboard. I didn't see them coming until a shadow fell over me.

"Look at the little runaway bride."

Amaya stood there, looking perfect in a cream-colored sundress. David was beside her, his hands in his pockets, his expression bored, like he was checking a chore off a list.

"What do you want?" I didn't stand up. I didn't have the strength.

"You look like trash Isabella." Amaya leaned down, her eyes scanning my messy hair and the dark circles under my eyes. "Where did you go? Some cheap motel? Or did you find a gutter to sleep in?"

"Get away from me Amaya."

David stepped forward, his shadow looming over me. "The tantrum is over Isabella. You're coming back. We'll tell the media you had a health scare. You'll play the doting wife and I'll keep the company's stock from dropping. It's a simple deal."

"There is no deal David and I saw you. I heard you. You said I was just leverage."

David smirked, a slow, cruel twist of his lips. "You are and you're boring Isabella. You're a plain wall I can hang my reputation on. Now stop being a brat and get in the car."

"No."

Amaya’s hand moved faster than I could blink. The slap echoed through the quiet park, stinging my cheek and sending a shock of heat through my face. I gasped, clutching my skin.

"You're a weakling Isabella and you always have been." Amaya sneered, her face inches from mine. "You're a coward who runs when things get hard. David belongs to me. He always has. You're just the puppet who holds the ring for us. Now get up before I really lose my temper."

I looked up at her, my vision blurring with tears of rage. "You can have him Amaya. You deserve each other. You're both rotten to the core."

David grabbed my arm, his grip bruising. "You don't get to decide Isabella. I own you until I say otherwise."

"You don't own anything." I hissed, shoving his hand away with a strength I didn't know I had. "I'd rather die than spend another second in your shadow."

I turned and ran. I didn't look back to see if they followed. I ran until I hit the main street, hailed a cab, and didn't stop until I was at a pharmacy three miles away. My stomach had been cramping all morning, a dull ache that felt different from the heartbreak.

Three weeks later, I sat in a tiny bathroom of a rented room, staring at the plastic stick on the counter. Two blue lines.

I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. One night. One mistake with a stranger.

I leaned my head against the cool tile of the wall, my hands shaking. I could call David. I could tell him I was pregnant, and he’d take me back just to keep the image of the perfect family. I’d be a queen in a gold cage, watching him sleep with my sister every night.

Or I could use the card.

I pulled it out of my pocket. It was still there, a silent promise. I didn't know who he was, but his money was real. I could build something. I could be someone.

I walked to the mirror and looked at myself. The "Isabella" who cried over David was gone. Her eyes were hard now.

"I'm keeping you." I whispered, my hand resting on my still-flat stomach. "And they are never going to find us."

I packed my one small bag. I didn't take anything David had bought me. I left the wedding ring on the dresser of the cheap room. I went to the bank, used the black card to withdraw enough cash to disappear, and bought a bus ticket under a name I’d seen on a billboard. June.

As the bus pulled out of the station, leaving Maverick City behind in a haze of exhaust, I looked at the city lights for the last time. David would be looking for his leverage. Amaya would be looking for her punching bag.

But Isabella Jones was dead.

I leaned my head against the window, the rhythm of the road lulling me into a dreamless sleep. I didn't know where I was going, only that I was free.

The bus stopped at a rest area four hours later. I stepped off to get some water, and that’s when I saw the news on the small TV in the corner of the cafe.

"Trillionaire Dante Valenti reports a security breach. A personal black card has been activated after weeks of silence."

I froze, the bottle of water slipping from my hand and hitting the floor with a splash. Dante Valenti. The man people called the King of AI. The man who owned half the world.

I looked at the card in my wallet.

He wasn't just a stranger from a club. He was the one man David Jones was terrified of. And I was carrying his child.

I didn't wait for the bus to start again. I walked to the edge of the parking lot, hitched a ride with a trucker heading south, and vanished into the dark.

Five years. I just needed five years to become the woman who could destroy them all.

I'll be ready for you Dante Valenti. But you'll never see me coming.

CHAPTER 3: NEW IDENTITY

"You really think you can just walk out of here and be someone else Isabella"

The voice in my head sounded exactly like my mother but I squeezed my eyes shut and tightened my grip on the worn leather of my suitcase. I wasn't Isabella anymore. That girl died in the rain outside a club with mascara running down her face and a broken heart that she couldn't afford to fix.

"I'm not Isabella" I whispered to the empty, cramped motel room.

I looked down at the documents spread out on the floral bedspread. They were crisp and smelled like fresh ink and a bit of a basement. June Dave. It was a plain name. A boring name. A name that didn't have a legacy or a billion-dollar tech company attached to it. It was exactly what I needed to disappear.

The black card sat on the nightstand, catching the flickering light of the television. It felt like a ticking bomb. I knew Dante Valenti was looking for it. A man like that doesn't just lose a card and move on with his life. He was probably tearing the city apart trying to find the woman who’d stolen it. But he wouldn't find her. He’d find June.

"Mommy why are you crying"

I jumped, spinning around to see Lian standing in the doorway of the tiny bathroom. He was only four, but he had eyes that saw too much. Dark, piercing eyes that I had to look away from sometimes because they reminded me so much of that night. He was holding his battered toy car, his thumb tucked into his mouth.

"I'm not crying baby" I said, wiping my face with the back of my hand and forcing a smile that felt like it was going to crack my skin. "I'm just tired. We have a long trip ahead of us."

"Are we going back to the house with the big garden" he asked, his voice small.

"No Lian" I knelt down and pulled him into a hug, breathing in the scent of baby shampoo and the cheap soap from the motel. "We're going somewhere better. Somewhere where nobody can hurt us. But you have to remember what I told you okay"

Lian nodded, his little face turning serious. "My name is Lian Dave and you are June. We don't know anyone named David."

"Good boy" I kissed his forehead, my heart aching with a mixture of pride and pure terror. "Now go put your shoes on. The bus leaves in twenty minutes."

As he scrambled away, I turned back to the bed and picked up the black card. I should have thrown it away. I should have cut it into a thousand pieces and flushed it down the toilet. But I couldn't. It was my only weapon. David Jones had taken my dignity, my family, and my future. If I was going to fight back, I needed more than just a new name. I needed power.

The bus station was crowded and smelled like stale coffee and desperation. I kept my head down, my hood pulled low over my face as I clutched Lian’s hand. Every time a man in a suit walked by, my heart skipped a beat. I kept expecting to see David’s smug face or the flash of a camera.

"Tickets please" the driver grunted, not even looking up from his clipboard.

I handed him the printed passes for June and Lian Dave. He punched them and nodded toward the bus. I climbed the steps, my legs feeling like lead. We found a seat in the very back, tucked away in the shadows.

"Where are we going June" Lian asked, climbing into the seat and staring out the window at the grey city.

"To Maverick City" I said, the name tasting like poison in my mouth. "But not yet. First, we're going to get lost."

"Like hide and seek"

"Exactly like hide and seek" I whispered, leaning my head against the cold glass.

The bus lurched forward, pulling away from the curb and leaving behind everything I’d ever known. I watched the skyline fade into the distance, the tall towers of Jones Tech disappearing behind the clouds.

"You think you won David" I muttered, my fingers tracing the edge of the black card inside my pocket. "You think you can just discard me like I'm nothing. You and Amaya... you're going to regret the day you let me walk away alive."

The journey was long and exhausting. We stayed in cheap motels, ate at greasy diners, and moved every few days. I spent my nights on my laptop, learning. I didn't just want to hide. I wanted to build. I used a tiny fraction of the money on the card—just enough to set up an offshore account and start investing. I knew AI was the future. It was the only thing David was desperate for. If I could beat him at his own game, I wouldn't just be free. I’d be his god.

"June you're staring at the screen again" Lian said, tugging on my sleeve.

"I'm working baby" I said, not looking up from the lines of code and market projections. "I'm making us a castle."

"Will it have a moat"

"A big one" I promised. "With dragons."

By the time we finally circled back toward Maverick City, five years had passed. I wasn't the girl in the wedding dress anymore. My hair was shorter, dyed a deep chestnut brown. My voice was lower, steadier. I had a sharp suit in my suitcase and a bank account that would make David Jones choke on his morning coffee.

I had spent every waking hour studying Morriston Tech. It was a ghost company, a titan in the AI world that everyone wanted a piece of, but nobody knew who owned it. I’d spent years buying up shares, using the Valenti card as leverage to move through the shadows of the financial world. Now, I was the majority shareholder. I was the owner. I was the one David Jones was begging for a meeting with.

"Are you ready Lian" I asked as we stood in the airport terminal, looking out at the sprawling city I’d once fled in terror.

Lian looked up at me, his eyes sharp and observant. He was five now, tall for his age, with a quiet confidence that reminded me so much of the man who’d saved me in that club. He didn't look like David at all. He looked like a king in training.

"I'm ready Mommy" he said, his voice firm. "Are we going to see the dragons now"

"Not yet" I said, straightening his collar. "First, we have to see some old friends."

I felt a cold thrill run through me as I walked through the terminal. People moved out of my way, sensing the authority I carried like a shield. I wasn't Isabella, the weakling sister. I wasn't the leverage.

As we stepped out into the humid air of Maverick City, I saw a billboard for Jones Tech. David’s face was plastered across it, looking older, more stressed. The company was failing. I could see it in the stock prices I’d been tracking on the plane. He was desperate. He was looking for a savior.

"He's going to find me" I whispered, a slow smirk spreading across my face.

The driver I’d hired was waiting by a sleek black SUV. He held open the door, bowing slightly as we approached.

"Welcome back Ms. Dave" he said.

"Thank you" I stepped into the leather-scented interior, feeling the power hum through my veins.

I looked at the black card one last time before tucking it deep into my wallet. I still didn't know who Dante Valenti really was to me, but I knew what he’d given me. He’d given me the means to sharpen my claws.

"Next time I see them Lian" I said, watching the city lights blur as we sped toward our new penthouse. "I won't be the one running. I won't be the one crying."

I gripped the armrest until my knuckles turned white, the memory of David’s laughter in that hotel suite burning in my mind. He thought he could break me. He thought I was worthless.

"Next time... I will be the one they fear."

But as the car pulled up to the curb of the luxury shopping mall where I’d planned our first public appearance, my heart gave a sudden, violent thud. A black sedan was parked just a few feet away. The license plate was one I’d memorized years ago.

David was here.

And as Lian hopped out of the car, running ahead toward the sliding glass doors, I saw him bump right into a tall man in a dark suit who was just walking out.

The man looked down, his eyes widening as he stared at Lian’s face. My breath caught in my throat. It wasn't David.

It was Dante Valenti.

And he was looking at my son like he was seeing a ghost.

CHAPTER 4 THE PROPOSAL

"Get out of my way kid" a rough voice said from behind the glass doors.

I stopped moving my heart jumping up into my throat. Lian had just run forward with his shoes squeaking on the mall floor and then he bumped into a man wearing a fancy black suit.

"Lian," I said, running to him, my heels making noises on the floor.

The man was really tall. He did not fall down. He just looked at Lian, his jaw getting tighter. I stopped moving and I could not breathe. His eyes were a grey color, the same color as the eyes that looked back at me when I brushed Lian's hair.

Everything around me stopped. I did not hear the mall noises or the people talking. The mans big shoulders got stiff he stared at Lian like he saw a ghost.

"Are you little man" the man asked, his voice was deep and smooth. He did not sound angry he sounded surprised.

Lian did not cry he just rubbed his forehead. "I'm okay you're very tall like a tree" he said.

"Lian come here" I said, my voice was shaking.

I went between them my hands were shaking too. I put them in my coat pockets my fingers touched a credit card. I remembered a night at a club the smell of rain and a man wearing cologne.

The man looked at me his grey eyes were curious. He did not know me I was a stranger to him.

"Your son should be careful" he said, looking at me for a while. "The floor is slippery here."

"He's fine we're leaving" I said, taking Lians hand and pulling him away.

We got into our car I did not look back. My legs felt weak I could barely breathe. The man was still standing there watching us leave.

Two hours later I was walking around my apartment looking at the city lights. Lian was playing with his toys in the room. I was still shaking I poured myself a glass of water. My teeth were chattering.

The phone on the wall made a noise it made me spill water on my shirt.

"Ms. Dave" the security guard said, "there's a Mr. Dante Valenti here he wants to talk to you about Morriston Tech."

My heart stopped, *Dante Valenti*, the man who owned the city. He found me in than two hours.

"Send him up" I said, closing my eyes.

When the elevator doors opened Dante stepped out. He was wearing a shirt, no tie. He looked around my apartment like he owned it.

"Ms. Dave" he said, walking towards me. "You're a woman to find."

"Mr. Valenti" I said, trying to sound calm. "This is my home, not a meeting room. You should not be here."

He laughed it was not a laugh. "I don't waste time with others, Ms. Dave. I heard Morriston Tech has an owner, a smart investor who made the company successful. I did not expect it to be you."

"I don't like being followed" I said, feeling a drop of sweat on my neck.

"I did not follow you because of the mall" Dante said, looking at me closely. "I'm here because our companies are going to compete. Morriston Tech has what I need Valenti AI has what you need."

"We're doing fine on our own" I said, holding my elbows tight.

"You're doing well. You're going to fight with other companies" Dante said, his voice was smooth and dangerous. "I can help you. I'm not talking about a normal partnership."

He took out a document and put it on the table. "A marriage contract, one year. We tie our names and companies together. You get my help I get a wife to make my grandfather happy."

I felt angry *another man trying to use me*. "Are you crazy" I said, stepping up to him. "You think you can buy me for a year to make your grandfather happy? I'm not a thing you can buy Mr. Valenti."

Dante did not move his eyes were interested. He was not used to people talking back to him.

"It's a business deal" he said, using my name. "No feelings just help each other."

Before I could say anything Lian came into the room holding his toy car. "The tall tree man is in our castle" he said.

My heart stopped again I tried to push Lian back. Dante was faster. He got down on his knee he was at Lians level. His face was soft his shoulders were relaxed.

"Hey buddy" Dante said, his voice was gentle. "We meet again did you find your dragons, in this castle?"

Lian. Took a small step toward Dante not being afraid at all. "Mommy said the dragons are in the computer but I think you look like a knight " he said.

Dante laughed in a voice and that made me feel weird inside. It was nice to see this strong and scary man being kind to my son. I felt something in my chest that I did not understand. It was like I wanted to touch his hair. I remembered when a stranger helped me a time ago when I was very sad and alone.. Then I told myself to stop thinking about that. I reminded myself that Dante is a person.

Lian looked at Dante with a face. "Why do you keep staring at me like that?" he asked. "You have the eyes as the mirror " he said.

It got very quiet after that. Dante stopped smiling. His whole body became stiff. He looked into Lians eyes. It seemed like he was breathing harder. The room felt cold all of a sudden.

"Lian go to your room now " I told him trying to sound calm. My voice was shaking. I took Lians arm and almost pushed him down the hallway then I closed the door behind him.

When I turned around Dante was standing up. He looked very tall. His eyes looked dark and scary like he was trying to figure something out. He looked at me. Then at the papers on the table and his chest was moving up and down fast. He seemed like a man who found a clue but did not know what it meant.

He did not ask me the question that I was afraid of. Instead he took a step back, toward the elevator still looking at me.

"Think about it " Dante said in a scary voice. "I do not like it when people say no to me twice."

The elevator doors. He stepped inside leaving the papers on the table. It felt like he left a threat behind.