Chapter 21 #2
I mustered a small smile. “Thank you for the ride, Edmund.”
I opened the door and stepped out, still processing everything he’d told me. The car drove away, leaving me standing on the sidewalk with more questions than answers and a heart that felt too full and too broken all at once.
When I arrived home, the warm glow of the living room lights welcomed me. Adele and Sarah were curled up on the couch watching some animated movie, but the moment Adele spotted me, she launched herself off the cushions.
“Mommy!” She crashed into my legs with the full force of her four-year-old enthusiasm, nearly knocking me over. “You’re home! We missed you!”
I scooped her up, breathing in her familiar scent. “I missed you, too, baby. Were you good for Sarah?”
“So good! We colored and played dress up.
“That’s good, baby.” I kissed her nose. “But first, are you hungry?”
As if on cue, my eyes landed on the dining table.
Dimitri had ordered from Golden Palace—Adele’s favorite Chinese restaurant.
I could see the telltale white containers, still warm, arranged neatly on placemats.
Orange chicken, fried rice, egg rolls, and even the crab Rangoon that Adele loved to fight me over.
“Dimitri sent dinner!” Adele wriggled to get down. “Can we eat now? Please? We’ve been waiting for you. I’m starving!”
I set her down, watching her race toward the table with Sarah following at a more sedate pace.
We ate dinner, Adele’s usual chatter brightening my dull mood. After bidding Sarah goodbye, I tucked Adele into bed. Once I’d triple-checked the new security measures, I sat at the kitchen table with my laptop and phone and started making moves.
First: the rumors about Adele. I couldn’t let those stand.
I called in favors from tech specialists I’d worked with at Crane Internationale.
Within hours, articles and social media posts mentioning Adele started disappearing.
Search results were scrubbed. Images were removed.
It wasn’t perfect—nothing on the internet ever truly disappeared—but it was enough to suppress the worst of it.
To make it harder for people to find and spread.
Second: the board.
I pulled up the list of Ravencrest Global board members and started making calls. Some were receptive. A few had questions about the attacks, about my intentions, about whether I was truly committed to the company’s success. I answered honestly when I could, strategically when I couldn’t.
For the ones who weren’t receptive, who were clearly in Ethan and Selene’s pocket, I took a different approach. If there was anyone who could help, it was Crane.
So, I picked up my phone and dialed him.
He picked up almost immediately. “Isabella,” he said in that business tone that suggested he was in a meeting. “You have impeccable timing. I was in a meeting, but—well, they can wait.”
I heard the faint click of a door shutting. He’d stepped out.
“How have you been?” he asked, his tone softening. “And how’s Adele?”
“Adele still asks about you,” I said. “She misses her Uncle Alexander.”
His laugh warmed the line. “Oh, I miss my little chipmunk too. Tell her I still have her drawing framed in my office—the one where she said I looked like a ‘business dragon’.”
I laughed.
“Now, tell me what’s happening.” Crane’s voice turned serious again. I’ve been seeing all the buzz around Ravencrest Global. Looks like the wolves are out again.”
“That’s exactly why I called,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
“I need you to reach out through your network. I’ll send you a list. A few board members are being swayed by Ethan and Selene.
I need them reminded where real stability lies, where long-term profit comes from.
Subtle pressure, not open confrontation. ”
He hummed, intrigued. “You know, I do love a good corporate war. Consider it done. I’ll make the right calls.”
“Thank you, Crane.”
“Anything for you and Adele.” There was a pause. “But Isabella…if things get too messy, you know there’s always a place for you back in Zürich. You always have a place on my board.”
I smiled faintly, but there was quiet defiance in my voice. “I’m not running again.”
“It’s not about running, Isabella. It’s about being safe. In a corporate war, no one cares about four-year-olds. They take whatever piece they can from the chessboard.” He sighed. “But I admire you for fighting back. It’s one of the many reasons you’re a great person—and a great mom.”
“That means more than you know.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he murmured.
“I will.”
When the line went dead, I let out a deep sigh, closed my laptop, and called it a night.
By the time the sun came up, I’d secured commitments from five board members who’d been on the fence. Not enough to guarantee victory, but enough to shift the balance. Enough to make Ethan and Selene sweat.
The vote was in six days.
Six days to shore up support. Six days to dig up more dirt on Ethan and his failing pack. Six days to figure out Selene’s endgame and expose it before she could execute whatever twisted plan she had.
Six days to save Dimitri’s position and protect my daughter from the vipers circling us. I told myself it was only about Adele, about justice.
But deep down, I knew—it was also about him.
Because for all the anger I carried, I still loved him. And watching them try to tear him down felt like watching my own heart being dragged through the dirt.