The ride back to the Laurent estate was suffocatingly silent at first, the weight of Genevieve Laurent's cryptic call pressing down on Anastasia like an anchor. The city lights of New York blurred past the windows as Caroline maneuvered her sleek black Mercedes through the streets, her grip on the wheel tightening.
"You know, this could be anything," Caroline finally spoke, her voice unusually careful.
Anastasia turned her head slightly, staring at her best friend. "Anything? My mother doesn't call unless it's an actual emergency, Caroline. This isn't a dinner invitation."
Caroline sighed. "Yeah, well, what if it's not about Dante?"
Anastasia exhaled sharply. "It is. I know it is."
"You don't know that," Caroline argued, though the uncertainty in her tone betrayed her. "Look, your mother sounded pissed, yes, but it could be about something else. Maybe the company just had a bad quarter. It happens, you know?"
Anastasia let out a humorless laugh. "Bad quarters don't make my mother panic, Caroline. If there's one thing Genevieve Laurent doesn't do, it's lose control. So, if she's calling me in like this, it means something big is happening. And I have a very strong feeling that Dante is at the center of it."
Caroline stole a glance at her. "You think he did something?"
"I think he already did." Anastasia's hands clenched into fists. "And whatever it is… it's bad."
Silence stretched between them for a moment before Caroline let out a low whistle. "Shit. You're probably right."
They drove past the glittering skyline, the towering Laurent estate looming ahead. It stood tall in the heart of Manhattan—a mansion that exuded wealth and power, though right now, it felt more like a prison Anastasia was being dragged back to.
As they pulled up to the estate's entrance, the heavy wrought-iron gates swung open, and Caroline brought the car to a smooth stop in the circular driveway.
"You ready for this?" Caroline asked, though she already knew the answer.
Anastasia scoffed. "Not even a little."
Still, she stepped out of the car, her heart hammering as she walked toward the front doors. Caroline trailed behind her, unusually quiet.
The butler barely had time to open the doors before Genevieve's sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.
"What the fuck have you done?"
Anastasia froze just inside the grand foyer, her breath catching in her throat.
The living room was filled with tension. Her grandfather, Hugo Laurent, usually the most dramatic man in the room, was seated stiffly in his favorite armchair, his face void of its usual theatrical expressions. His fingers tapped anxiously on the wooden armrest, his eyes dark with worry.
Her mother, Genevieve Laurent, stood near the fireplace, pacing in sharp, controlled movements. Her emerald silk blouse was pristine as always, but the tightness in her features gave away her distress.
Genevieve's piercing gaze locked onto Anastasia, demanding answers before she even knew what was happening.
Anastasia's throat went dry. "What are you talking about?"
Her mother's eyes flashed. "Don't play stupid with me, Anastasia."
Genevieve stalked forward, her heels clicking against the marble floors. "Whom did you offend? Because whoever it is has just pushed this family to the brink of financial ruin!"
Anastasia's stomach twisted into a painful knot.
She knew.
Dante hadn't wasted any time.
Hugo let out a long, exhausted sigh, running a hand through his silver hair. "It was already bad enough with your father's… incident." His voice dipped, heavy with old grief. "But now? Now the company is on the verge of collapse. This morning, stocks were already suffering, but this evening?" He shook his head. "Anastasia, our shares have plummeted. Investors are withdrawing."
Genevieve crossed her arms. "And we both know this didn't happen randomly. Someone is pulling strings. Someone with enough power to cripple us overnight."
Anastasia's pulse pounded in her ears.
Dante.
This was his doing.
She had underestimated just how fast—and how viciously—he could retaliate.
Genevieve inhaled sharply, reigning in her emotions. "I have spent years—years—holding this company together after your father died."
A familiar ache burned in Anastasia's chest.
The plane explosion.
Her father had been on a business trip when it happened. They never even recovered his body. Just vanished into nothingness, leaving their family—and their empire—adrift in uncertainty.
Genevieve had stepped in as CEO, but everyone had known the company wasn't as strong without its original leader. The Laurent empire had been barely holding on, and now…
Now, it was falling apart completely.
Genevieve's voice cut through the heavy silence.
"I have spent the last three years making sure this company didn't crumble. I have fought against every money-sucking vulture trying to carve it up and sell it for parts. And I have been waiting for you to come back, Anastasia—to take over. But now?"
She let out a slow, sharp breath.
"Now, this company won't even exist long enough for you to take the damn chair."
Anastasia swallowed hard.
"What on earth did you do?" her mother pressed. "Who did you offend?"
Hugo's voice was softer but no less urgent. "Tell us, sweetheart. Who is coming for us?"
Before she could answer, the front doors burst open.
A man stormed inside, his face contorted in rage.
Charles Dupont.
Caroline's father.
The powerful CEO of Dupont Real Estate Enterprises. One of the most influential businessmen in New York.
And right now?
He looked ready to kill her.
"You," Mr. Dupont seethed, pointing a furious finger at Anastasia. "What the hell have you done?!"
Anastasia barely had time to react before his voice thundered through the room.
"You ruined my daughter's blind date, and now MY business is under attack!"
Caroline's eyes widened. "Dad, what—"
"Don't!" he snapped at her before turning back to Anastasia. "I don't know who you pissed off, but because of you, I am losing millions!"
Genevieve's sharp gaze flicked to her daughter. "Explain. Now."
Anastasia's heart pounded against her ribs.
It was all falling apart.
Dante hadn't just hit the Laurent family. He was attacking their allies, too.
Everyone was being attacked.
This was the consequences he was talking about.
It was a declaration of how far he was willing to destroy her .
And the worst part?
Anastasia had no idea how to fight back.