Scene 1: The Master Bedroom Standoff
Elara returned to the Master Bedroom two hours later, her composure restored, but the cold fire in her eyes was now absolute. She had changed out of the borrowed silk robe and into a sharp, tailored navy suit—professional armor for a decisive battle.
Dante was waiting for her, sitting on the edge of the immense bed, his powerful frame slumped in defeat and guilt. The air between them was thick with unexploded ordnance.
"I have transferred the entire dossier and all security data to your private network," Dante stated immediately, his voice hoarse. "Fabrizio's contacts are being purged. I am stabilizing the house, Elara. Give me a chance to explain the Nullification contract."
Elara walked to her side of the room, laying a thick, sealed document on the glass table. She didn't approach the bed.
"There is nothing to explain, Dante," she stated, her voice flat, devoid of the previous night's scream, which made it far more terrifying. "It confirms you intended to destroy me legally before anyone else could. It confirms your betrayal was calculated, not reactive."
She tapped the document. "This is a new contract. A separation agreement, followed by an immediate divorce."
Scene 2: The New Contract
Dante stood up, his towering figure radiating primal disbelief and immediate rejection. "A divorce is impossible. The council, the public, the enemies—they will tear the organization apart if we dissolve the marriage now."
"Then you will sign a separation agreement that gives me absolute, sole custody of Leo and access to fifty-one percent of all non-Cerberus assets, which I will use to protect him," Elara countered, her demands shocking in their scope. "The marriage remains a public facade. I control the funds. You control the security. And I will never have to see your face again outside of a command meeting."
"Sole custody? No," Dante growled, crossing the neutral zone instantly. He stopped just inches from her, forcing her to look up into his burning, golden eyes. "Leo is my son. He is my heir. I will not be cut out of his life because of a political document I never executed."
"You lost that right the moment you signed your own betrayal," Elara said, holding her ground, refusing to flinch under his sheer physical intimidation. "If you refuse, I will leak the Contract of Nullification to The Serpent's remaining operatives. They will use it to turn the entire council against you, citing instability and your past intent to deceive. You will lose the Alpha title, the organization, and I will still file for divorce, citing emotional distress and abandonment."
Scene 3: The Unbearable Choice
Dante recoiled, the severity of her strategic counter-attack hitting him like a physical blow. She had turned his deepest secret into a weapon that could end his reign instantly.
He reached out, his hand hovering near her cheek, the protective, possessive need of the father warring with the self-hatred of the betrayer. "I will sign the financial control and the separation, Elara. But I demand a visitation schedule. A structured, secured time with my son."
"You get no schedule until I deem it safe," Elara refused immediately. "You get one secured video call per week. That is your privilege, not your right. You will communicate only through a court-approved mediator. You are a danger to him, Dante."
Dante closed his eyes, his entire body trembling with the strain of this impossible choice. He could lose his legacy, or he could lose access to his son. The cold, final truth was that Elara owned him now, completely.
"I will sign the separation agreement," Dante choked out, his voice a low, raw sound of total surrender. "But if you ever try to turn Leo against me, if you ever lie to him about who his father is, I will burn down every fortress you have built."
Scene 4: The Triumphant Signature
Elara felt the sharp, intoxicating taste of victory. This was the true revenge: stripping him of his most guarded possession—control—while forcing him to remain as her public shield.
She pushed the document across the table. "Sign it. Now."
Dante took the pen, his large, tattooed hand gripping it so tightly the wood creaked. He looked at the document, the formal acknowledgment that he had ceded his rights, and signed his name with a violent, final stroke.
Elara picked up the signed contract, examining his signature—a beautiful, dark, decisive mark that now validated her freedom.
"The façade remains," Elara confirmed, her eyes meeting his across the table. "You are still the public Alpha, and I am the Luna who runs your finances. But know this, Dante. The day I finalize the divorce, I will not be merely a ghost. I will be the woman who took your heir and ended the Salvatore name."
She turned and walked toward the door, the navy suit a picture of ruthless control. She stopped with her hand on the cold, solid brass.
"The mole hunt is over, Dante. Now, the real war begins."