Bianca lifted her gaze to Dante, searching his face as though she could see straight through to whatever was left of his conscience. Her eyes were bleak with despair, but her voice held steady, grief and resolve wound tight together.

"Absolutely not. I will never give up my career."

"If you won't help me clear my name, then I'll find the evidence myself."

Even if she had to leave, she would leave with her reputation intact.

She turned without waiting for his reaction and walked toward the door.

She didn't make it two steps past the threshold before she saw Viviana Caruso.

Viviana stood in the hallway holding a box of pastries from the bakery on Mulberry Street, her gaze sliding over Bianca with undisguised satisfaction, her tone bright with the kind of cheer designed to cut.

"Oh, Counselor Bellandi, you're still here? I came to see Dante. I wanted to thank him personally for renewing the retainer with our firm this year."

The words drove into Bianca's chest like a cluster of needles, each one small enough to ignore on its own, unbearable together. She turned to Dante.

"You already signed a new pact with the firm? Why didn't I know about this?"

Viviana pressed a hand to her lips in exaggerated surprise.

"You really didn't know? It just happened. The Vitale Family's aide signed the renewal with the firm a few minutes ago."

"But it doesn't matter whether you knew or not. Dante specifically requested that I replace you as their lead counsel. The Vitale Family's affairs have nothing to do with you anymore."

Bianca's heartbeat faltered. She stared at Dante, unable to process what she was hearing.

"Is what she's saying true?"

Dante pulled Viviana behind him, shielding her as though Bianca were the threat.

"Bianca, Viviana isn't like you. She needs this retainer to establish herself at the firm."

"You have plenty of cases. You won't miss this one. Besides..."

His gaze flicked over her face, his tone flat, almost clinical.

"Your situation still isn't resolved. If the Family keeps you on as counsel, it reflects poorly on us."

The signet ring on his thumb was perfectly still. He wasn't weighing the decision. He'd already made it.

Bianca studied his face and realized, for the first time, that the boy she remembered no longer existed behind those eyes.

Perhaps this had always been who he was. Perhaps the Dante Vitale she thought she knew had never been real.

She still remembered the day they first met. She had been proud and solitary by nature, and her classmates had made her pay for it.

They spread rumors with gleeful abandon: her money came from a sugar daddy, her designer bags were gifts from a patron, even the awards she'd won in competitions were bought with her body.

She became the entire school's favorite target.

Back then, Bianca believed the truth would speak for itself. She refused to dignify the lies with a response.

But the rumors only grew. Those people started showing up at her classroom door to hurl insults to her face.

Not a single classmate spoke up for her. Even her teachers believed the accusations and wanted to suspend her pending an investigation.

It was Dante who stepped forward.

He didn't just vouch for her. He went out of his way to obtain a recording of the very people who had set her up.

In that moment, Dante Vitale had been nothing short of a god in her eyes.

And now he was standing with the people smearing her name, helping them do it.

Worse, he knew she'd been framed, and he was using the frame-up as his excuse to hand everything she'd built to the woman who had orchestrated it.

Bianca's breathing turned ragged. She felt as though the ground had been pulled from beneath her, her body swaying, barely upright. She dug her nails into her palms hard enough to leave marks, forcing herself not to show a shred of weakness in front of Viviana.

She was about to argue her case when her phone rang. It was Vincent Rinaldi.

"Bianca, what the hell did you do?!"

"Vittorio Marino's sealed files have been leaked. All of them. Do you have any idea what this is going to do to the case?"

"Marino says you were the only person who had access to those books. His people are here at the office right now demanding answers. Get back here. Now."

The color drained from Bianca's face. She didn't spare Dante or Viviana another glance before rushing out.

Viviana watched her retreating figure, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips. Her fingertips drifted to her pearl earring, adjusting it with a delicate turn.

"Dante, you promised you'd help me. Right?"

Dante looked at the expectation shining on Viviana's face and nodded without thinking.

Bianca barely made it through the firm's doors before Vittorio Marino was in her face, jabbing a finger at her. The knuckle of his right index finger cracked once before the first word left his mouth.

"You still haven't explained those photos, and now our files have been leaked? Counselor Bellandi, are you trying to destroy us?!"

"We trusted you with those sealed books because we believed in you. Is this how you repay our trust?!"

"Is this your idea of professional ethics? Did you cut a deal with opposing counsel to take us down?!"

"I'm telling you right now, if this isn't resolved, I will make sure you never work in this city again!"

Bianca swallowed everything churning inside her and kept her voice level.

"Mr. Marino, I give you my word. I will get to the bottom of this."

"But please believe me. I did not leak those files. Give me time, and I will find out who did..."

Before she could finish, a voice cut through the room.

"No need to investigate. I know exactly who leaked them."

Bianca turned and found Viviana standing right behind her, a laptop cradled in her arms.

"Counselor Bellandi, I've always looked up to you as a role model in the profession. I never imagined you were this kind of person. Colluding with opposing counsel for personal gain, deliberately leaking Marino's sealed files."

"You don't deserve to call yourself a lawyer."

Bianca locked eyes with her, her brow drawn tight.

"Viviana, if you're going to make accusations, you'd better have proof."

"I have never colluded with opposing counsel, and I have never leaked those files."

Viviana let out a cold scoff.

"Of course you'd deny it. But lucky for us, I have a witness."

The words had barely left her mouth when the door swung open and Dante walked in. The back room at Rinaldi & Associates went quiet the way rooms did when a Don entered. Two associates near the window straightened without being told. Dante crossed the room to stand before everyone.

"I can testify. Those sealed files were leaked by Bianca."

The moment those words left his mouth, the last shred of warmth in Bianca's heart vanished without a trace.

She never imagined Dante would go this far for Viviana.

A sharp sting flooded her eyes. Her throat locked tight, and she forced herself to stay standing. The conference room had gone quiet in the way rooms only went quiet when blood was in the water. Even the bodyguard posted by the far door had stopped shifting his weight.

Dante glanced at Bianca, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

"I apologize for my wife's conduct. I'll personally bear all losses suffered by the Marino crew. Please... forgive her."

Before he even finished, Vittorio Marino hurled the stack of documents straight at Bianca. The papers hit her chest and scattered across the floor, and not one person in the room moved to pick them up.

"Personally bear it? With what?"

"Forget the case involving two hundred million in claims. Marino Holdings' stock price tanked today alone. How exactly do you plan to cover that?" He cracked the knuckle of his right index finger, the sound sharp as a pistol slide in the silence.

"Bellandi, and you had the nerve to call yourself some undefeated attorney. What a joke. You'll be hearing from my lawyers."

Tears pooled at the rims of her eyes. Her throat was raw and parched. She clenched her jaw so hard her teeth ached, every breath a trembling sliver of pain. Bianca's voice shook as she spoke.

"Mr. Marino, I'm begging you, trust me just this once. I swear on my career, I had nothing to do with this."

"Give me two days. I will find the truth."

Vittorio cut her off, his patience spent.

"Bianca Bellandi, you really have no shame."

"Your own husband already admitted it, and you're still trying to weasel your way out? Instead of groveling here, you'd better start thinking about how you're going to handle the investigation."

He shoved her aside and stormed out. The bodyguard at the door stepped back to let the capo pass, then resumed his post as if nothing had happened.

Vincent Rinaldi fixed Bianca with a vicious glare.

"Bianca, do you have any idea how much trouble you've brought down on this firm?"

"Well? How do you propose we fix this?"

Bianca turned and looked around. Every single colleague was pointing, whispering, their voices carrying just enough to reach her.

"So Bianca's been sleeping with clients to land her cases. Guess that explains a lot."

"She always looked so prim and proper. Turns out she's been playing all kinds of games behind closed doors. Poor Mr. Vitale, marrying someone like that."

"I always said there was no way someone that young could be that good. Dirty tricks, obviously. Disgusting. Can't believe I've been working alongside her."

Bianca stood trapped between Vincent and Viviana, forced to absorb every whisper and sneer. The fluorescent hum of the conference room lights seemed to grow louder, filling the space their respect had vacated.

Viviana's lips curled upward, her eyes bright with undisguised mockery.

Bianca looked at Vincent. She had always been composed, but now her voice was nothing but tremors.

"Vincent, we've worked together for years. You don't trust me either?"

Vincent looked at her, then at Viviana, and spoke in a low, measured tone. He removed his glasses and polished the lenses with his pocket square, taking his time.

"Bianca, the evidence is right in front of us. I'd be a fool not to believe it."

"This isn't just about Marino's people needing answers. The firm needs answers too."

Viviana smiled faintly.

"If you ask me, Vincent, the simplest solution is to let Counselor Bellandi leave the firm."

"It's the only way to keep her from dragging the rest of us down."

The words hit Bianca like a physical blow. She couldn't believe Viviana intended to destroy her completely. She opened her mouth to speak, but Dante cut in first.

"That works. I'll compensate Marino and the firm for their losses on her behalf. But I have one condition."

"After she's gone, Viviana takes her position."

His signet ring was perfectly still against his thumb. No rolling, no fidgeting. Just a man who had already decided and saw no reason to pretend otherwise.

Vincent considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. Bianca, for the sake of our years together, I'll let you resign on your own terms."

Bitterness surged through her chest.

Just like that, in a handful of sentences, they had decided her fate. A sit-down she hadn't been invited to, conducted right in front of her face.

Not the husband she had devoted herself to. Not the colleague she had trusted with her life. Not a single one of them had spared a thought for how she felt.

All they wanted was to push her out the door fast enough to make room for Viviana.

Something seized Bianca's heart and squeezed. The bitterness spread through her veins like poison. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Her face was white. She bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain forcing her mind back into focus.

"On what grounds are you convicting me without hearing my side?"

"You all know perfectly well who's really behind this. Don't even think about pinning it on me."

"Marino wants to investigate? Fine. I'll cooperate fully. But until that investigation is complete, I am not leaving this firm."

She reached for her phone.

Viviana hadn't expected that. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she looked at Dante with a silent plea. Her fingertips went to her pearl earring, adjusting it in one quick, reflexive motion.

In the next second, Dante snatched the phone from Bianca's hand and smashed it against the floor. The crack of glass against marble echoed through the room like a gunshot, and every person in it flinched except Dante.

"Bianca, enough! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already?"

"Stop making a scene. Come home with me quietly, or things are going to get worse for everyone."

He was threatening her. The Acting Don of the Vitale Family, the man who wore her ring and shared her bed, was threatening her in front of people who answered to him.

Vincent stared at Bianca, his voice flat and detached.

"Bianca, whether you stay at this firm is no longer your decision. If you won't resign, I'll have no choice but to terminate you."

"And when that happens, your reputation in this city will be finished."

A chill settled deep inside her.

She looked at Vincent, the man who had once fought beside her, who had been both mentor and friend. He wore a different face now.

When she first joined, this firm had been a failing practice on the verge of shutting its doors. She had worked around the clock, hunting down cases, building connections with made men and legitimate clients alike, pulling it back from the brink and growing it into what it was today. Rinaldi & Associates survived because she had made powerful people believe it was worth protecting.

Back then, Vincent had taken her hand and told her the firm was as much hers as his. That they would watch it thrive together.

But somewhere along the way, he had changed. And now he was siding with outsiders to force her out.

For the first time in her life, Bianca felt completely lost.

Without her realizing when it happened, Viviana had turned every person around her. Bianca was truly, utterly alone.

Bianca's throat felt stuffed with cotton, dry and raw.

Her fingers curled slowly into her palms, and her chest seized as though something had clamped down around her heart, squeezing until the air refused to come.

After a long silence, she looked at Dante and Vincent, her voice low and steady:

"Fine. I'll resign from the firm."

She wanted to see exactly how far Rinaldi & Associates would get without her.

Dante visibly relaxed when she agreed.

He reached for her hand:

"Bianca, don't worry. Even if you're not practicing law anymore, I can take care of you."

Bianca's expression didn't change. She sidestepped his hand, swallowing the pain, her tone flat:

"I don't need you to take care of me."

He'd already made his choice. There was no point pretending to care now.

Dante's throat bobbed. He stared at Bianca, dazed. The love that once filled her eyes had been replaced by something vast and empty, and it stung like looking into the sun.

His chest tightened with a dull, suffocating ache.

Why? He'd always loved Viviana, hadn't he? He'd only married Bianca on impulse, out of spite.

Now Viviana had achieved her dream. She'd gotten what she wanted, taken Bianca's place. He should be happy.

So why did the look of disappointment in Bianca's eyes cut so deep?

It was probably just responsibility.

That was how Dante consoled himself.

Right. Responsibility. He had married her, after all. Helping Viviana scheme against her like this was, admittedly, unfair.

But it didn't matter. They were still husband and wife. He'd make it up to her later.

The thought loosened the knot in his chest for a moment. He was about to say something when Viviana cut in:

"Dante, come shopping with me."

"I'm about to get promoted, so I should pick up some gifts for the team."

Dante glanced at Bianca:

"Bianca, Viviana's still new in Astoria. I need to look after her."

Bianca's voice was even, the sorrow in her eyes fading into something blank:

"It's fine. Go."

Dante blinked. Normally, whenever he mentioned spending time with Viviana, Bianca would argue with him.

No matter how many times he insisted they were just friends, she never believed him.

Why was she so agreeable today?

He looked into her calm, unreadable eyes, and an inexplicable unease crept through him.

He started to explain without thinking:

"Don't worry, I'll come straight home after we're done. I won't be long—"

Before he could finish, Viviana turned to him with a wounded expression:

"Dante, I know you're worried Bianca will get the wrong idea. It's okay, I can go by myself."

She managed a tight, brave smile:

"I'm used to being alone."

She turned and walked out, leaving behind a lonely silhouette.

Dante's face crumpled with sympathy, and he hurried after her.

In his mind, Bianca was the wife who would always forgive him. Whenever they fought, she'd find her own way to let it go without him having to lift a finger.

Viviana was different. She was high-maintenance. One wrong move and she'd sulk for days, exhausting everyone around her.

So he'd rather disappoint Bianca than risk upsetting Viviana.

Bianca stood rooted to the spot, motionless. Her entire body had gone rigid and cold. Sweat beaded along her spine. She bit down hard on her lip, but it did nothing to stop the chill spreading through her.

She watched the two of them leave and let out a bitter, quiet laugh.

She must have been blind all these years, believing Dante actually loved her.

How had she forgotten? Every single time she and Viviana clashed, Dante had taken Viviana's side. Every single time.

She cast a cool glance at Vincent and said quietly:

"You've wanted me out of this firm for a long time, haven't you?"

Guilt flickered across Vincent's face. Before he could respond, Bianca cut him off:

"You got what you wanted."

"I hope you won't regret today's decision."

Without waiting for an answer, she walked alone to handle her resignation paperwork. The staff at Rinaldi & Associates were stunned when they learned she was leaving. They'd watched Bianca pour years of her life into the firm, building its reputation case by case until half the made men in Astoria trusted no other counsel. No one expected her to leave so suddenly.

But given the whispers circulating the past two days, the shock faded quickly, replaced by quiet sympathy as they looked at her.

Bianca clenched her fists, forcing herself to ignore the pitying glances. Once the paperwork was done, she walked out of the firm for the last time.

Back at the compound, she called Elena Bellandi first:

"Mom, I've decided. I'm coming with you and Dad. Offshore, wherever the family keeps safe ground."

Elena paused for a beat, then her voice brightened:

"Really? You've finally come to your senses. Your father and I were so afraid you'd be stubborn and insist on staying in Astoria."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You can still practice law from there. You don't have to chain yourself to one firm, one family."

"What about Dante? Is he coming with you, or staying behind for now?"

Bianca's voice dropped:

"Mom, I think I need to get a divorce first."

"Could you and Dad help me with the paperwork to get settled?"

"And the Vitale Family... have the Bellandis pull their support. The money, the shipping access, the political cover. Once the divorce is final, I won't have anything to do with the Vitale syndicate."

Dante had always believed he'd built the Vitale operation on talent alone. Fine. She'd let him prove it. Without Bellandi money and protection behind him, she'd see how long his empire lasted.

Elena was surprised, but she'd always respected her daughter's decisions. She didn't press for details, only offered careful reminders:

"Your marriage is your own business. Your father and I won't interfere. We'll have our people handle the withdrawal."

"If anything comes up that you can't handle, tell us."

Her mother's words thawed something in Bianca's frozen chest, just slightly.

She nodded:

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of it."

She'd barely hung up when a message came through from a colleague at the firm:

"Bianca, we want to thank you for everything you've done for us over the years, so we'd like to throw you a farewell party."

"We've booked a villa on the south side of Astoria for tonight. We're planning a get-together, maybe stay the night. Are you free?"

Bianca had planned to slip away quietly, but these colleagues had always been good to her. After tonight, she might never see them again. She couldn't bring herself to refuse.

After a long moment of thought, she agreed.

She packed up a few things and headed to the villa.

What she hadn't expected was Viviana.

Viviana stood in the center of the crowd, her fingers laced through Dante's, her gaze landing on Bianca with a glint of smug provocation:

"Bianca, I never thought you'd actually show up to my promotion party."

"I knew Dante wouldn't lie to me."