Chapter 11 - THE MAN WHO OWNED THE VOTE
Carlo Bellandi had trusted Victor Saye once.
That mistake now gave a fugitive twenty-two percent of Bellandi voting control.
"Can he use it?" Mara asked.
Julian nodded. "Until a court removes him or the child is born and a permanent trustee is appointed."
"Who appoints that?"
"The mother."
Everyone looked at Mara.
"Stop looking at me like I'm a board resolution."
Matteo answered first. "She's right."
Old Bellandi directors were not used to hearing Matteo surrender ground.
One of them, Frank D'Amato, said, "The child is family property."
Mara turned slowly.
"Say that again."
Matteo stood.
"My child is not property. Neither is Mara. Anyone who forgets that can leave now."
Good, Mara thought.
The court suspended Victor's voting authority by evening.
But not before he used the shares to call a special board meeting for the next morning.
His proposal: remove Matteo as chief executive of Bellandi Group for "personal instability" and appoint an interim committee friendly to Thorne interests.
Mara almost laughed at the symmetry.
They had tried to call her unstable.
Now Matteo.
At dawn, an encrypted video arrived.
Victor sat in a dark room.
Senator Thorne stood behind him.
Thorne addressed Mara directly.
"Your mother made the mistake of believing evidence mattered more than power."
Mara's nails dug into her palm.
"Bring us the original ledger and sign away the child's Bellandi trust interest. In return, this ends."
Matteo said, "No."
Mara looked at him.
"He asked me."
Matteo stopped.
That mattered.
"No."
Thorne smiled.
"Then ask Matteo what happened to your father."
Mara went still.
"My father died before I was born."
Julian looked at Matteo.
Matteo looked away.
May you like
And Mara understood immediately.
"You know something."
