Chapter 5 - CHLOE'S CELEBRATION|
The penthouse suite at the St. Regis Hotel smelled of white lilies, beluga caviar, and crystal-chilled champagne.
Chloe Marlow stood before a full-length mirror, smoothing down the waist of an ivory silk jumpsuit that cost more than a mid-sized car. Her six-carat diamond ring glittered brilliantly under the chandelier.
Behind her, sitting on a velvet sofa with a glass of scotch, was Vincent Marro.
He was fifty, heavy-set, with slicked-back hair and a custom tailored double-breasted suit that couldn't quite hide his brutality.
"Are you sure Russo is dead?" Chloe asked, turning to look at him as she adjusted her diamond earrings. "Dominic isn't a man who dies easily, Vincent."
"My hit team swept the penthouse," Marro lied smoothly, taking a slow sip of his drink. "The place was ripped apart by gunfire. We found blood on the floor and his desk completely smashed."
Chloe let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief, though a cold, calculated smile slowly spread across her lips.
"Good," she said, picking up her champagne glass. "He played that pathetic game with me—pretending he was broke to test my loyalty. As if I was going to rot away in some miserable suburb while he played martyr."
"He was always arrogant," Marro agreed, pulling a leather binder from his briefcase. "Once you sign these final Wire Authentication forms, his off-shore accounts in Grand Cayman will merge into my corporate holding firm. Your forty percent will be transferred to your Swiss account by morning."
Chloe walked over to the desk, taking the heavy fountain pen from his hand.
"To new beginnings," she toasted, leaning down to press her lips against the signature line.
"To foolish trust," a cold, dark voice echoed from the suite's private balcony entrance.
May you like
Chloe froze. The pen slipped from her fingers, dropping onto the carpet.
The heavy glass balcony doors shattered inward as two flashbang grenades bounced across the hardwood floor, blinding the room in a deafening explosion of white light and thunder.
