Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 230 Leave Nothing But Silence Leave Nothing But Silence Frederik leaned back slightly in his seat, confident that the direction of the conversation was moving exactly as he intended. He had laid the foundation. Now all he had to do was watch it solidify.

Marla DuPont was the first to speak. She uncapped her pen and tapped it once against the table before looking toward Isabella's image on the video screen.

"I agree with Frederik," Marla said. "Whether or not the legal matters hold, the boars image has already taken a hit. Miss Rossi's continued presence is a liability. She should consider resigning voluntarily. It would save us all unnecessary attention." Frank Dorsey gave a small grunt of approval. "Exactly. This group isn't a family club. We handle intergovernmental assets. This much noise-press, countersuits, threats-it doesn't matter what the verdicts are. Perception is reality." Linda Keating murmured something that Frederik interpreted as agreement.

Frederik folded his hands. "We're not here to place blame. This is the procedure. But if Miss Rossi truly wants to protect her family legacy, stepping down now is the responsible choice." Isabella didn't flinch. She waited for the room to settle, then leaned slightly forward on her screen.

"Then let's talk procedure," she said. "According to Section 3.4, subsection (c), any board member subject to review under this clause must be proven to have caused measurable financial harm or legal impairment to the Group's core functions. I have done neither." Frederik stiffened. Why was she talking about this instead of... apologizing to the board members? Isabella gestured to her right. The lawyer, Maria Alcaraz appeared in a secondary window, nodding once. "Confirmed. The clause is specific. Allegations alone do not warrant suspension unless tied to confirmed legal or financial consequence." It looked like Maria was still in a car, looking disheveled. Did she just cfrom that press conference? "That hasn't been tested," Frederik said, jaw tight.

"We're testing it now," Maria replied.

Isabella tapped her tablet. The screen behind her changed, pulling up several documents.

"Next," she continued, "I'd like to address the claim that my actions risked the Group's reputation. Shall we look at Vasili Security, a division managed by Frederik Vasili? In 2022, it failed a compliance audit in Antwerp. The resulting breach exposed three EU customs entries." She tapped again.

"And here, a memo from January of this year showing that sdivision under review by Belgian authorities." Frederik opened his mouth, but Isabella kept going.

"And this? A 2021 internal settlement signed by Gregory Vasili, authorizing a silent resolution on a harassment complaint lodged against one of our logistics vendors." Victor Jin leaned forward. "I wasn't aware of that case." "It was buried," Isabella said. "Board approval was bypassed using an emergency clause. You can check the audit trail." The room was quiet.

"If we are going to invoke reputation and procedure," Isabella smiled, "then let's do so consistently." Frederik turned toward the chairman, voice strained. "This is a diversion. It doesn't change the scandal she's involved in now." "No, but it shows she's not the only one with reputational risk," surprisingly lan Morcant actually agreed! "Since we're already referring to Section 3.4," she said, tapping her screen again, "let's make sure we apply it correctly." She leaned slightly forward. "Section 3.4 of our internal governance policy-and I quote-states clearly that board members must avoid personal or public entanglements that could negatively reflect on the reputation of the Rossi Group or impair the objectivity of decision-making in executive or shareholder matters. And I agree... a hundred percent." Her gaze swept across the table.

"As far as I'm aware, I'm not a criminal. I'm not under investigation. I've not been caught funneling money through shell companies, nor have I been named in drug or harassment pour international contracts in two years, contributing When vorked with Weiss Inc., I closed twelve Successfully unlocked! She paused. "Can everyone else in this room say the same?" dollars to their revenue stream." A few eyes dropped.

She looked directly at Marla DuPont. "Madam DuPont. Would you care to explain the investigation involving your brother? 1/4 Leave Nothing But Silence The one where he was brought in for questioning just two months ago regarding a trafficking ring in Bordeaux? The sbrother whose pharmaceutical license was suspended? Or should I pull up the report from LeMonde confirming the connection between your family's holding company and a black-market supplier in Marseille?" "What-What are you talking about?" Marla sat up straighter, her face tense. "That has nothing to do with me. I'm not my brother." "No, you're not," Isabella agreed. "But neither am I the woman the media tried to paintas. And if your brother's criminal activity doesn't reflect on you, then explain why my husband's personal affairs and accusations are being used as a metric for my removal." Before Marla could answer, Isabella turned to Frank Dorsey.

"Mr. Dorsey. Do you remember July of last year? The freight diversion from Baltimore? One of your subcontractors rerouted containers under false manifests, costing us penalties in five ports. You were almost sanctioned by the Commerce Department." "That wasn't my call-" Frank began.

"But your nwas on the authorization for third-party use of the shipping credential codes, Isabella said. "And it took an internal legal team five months to clean it up." Frank's jaw tightened.

Next, she turned to Linda Keating. "Ms. Keating, I believe your son's divorce case was sealed recently? Something about misappropriation of trust funds tied to a joint real estate venture with a Rossi-backed fund in New York?" Linda's head whipped up. "That has no bearing on this company." Isabella tilted her head. "But you just voted to question my presence here based on perception. That was your word, wasn't it? Perception?" Silence.

Isabella sat back and folded her hands on the table. "Let's be clear. If we're using 3.4 to evaluate each board member's affiliations and reputational risk, then perhaps we need a more comprehensive review. I'm happy to volunteer mine. Would everyone else do the same?" Victor Jin gave a short nod. Leo Marchenko scribbled something quietly on his notepad.

Hearing this, Frederik shifted in his seat. He could feel the energy in the room turn. Isabella wasn't just defending herself. She was challenging the entire system they'd been using to keep her out.

"I believe that concludes my response," Isabella said simply. "If anyone would like

to open a motion for a universal conduct review under 3.4, I will support it fully.

m rt it fully. White Kam still not a hundred percent healed, I can obviously join another scheduled meeting for the review." Her words was enough to change everyone's reaction.

Seeing this, lan Morcant raised his hand slightly, palm facing down, in a subtle but deliberate motion. He didn't look rattled, but the tight set of his shoulders gave him away.

"Let's pause," lan said. "This is no longer a neutral discussion. I'm calling for an adjournment. We'll reconvene in three days. Shour." He didn't wait for objections. He glanced at the assistant at the door and gave a nod.

"We need to cool down," he added. "That includes all of us." The assistant recorded the note and began collecting feedback slips for the minutes.

Frederik didn't hear any of it at first.

His focus was on Isabella.

He hadn't expected this.

She was supposed to falter. He had counted on her being defensive-emotional, at best and obviously apologetic. He and his grandfather expected her to immediately apologize to the board.

But this? This was strategy. Precision. She didn't just turn the tables-she flipped the entire room. The worst part was that she had carmed. Facts. Documents. References. Not just insinuations.

She knew who to hit, and exactly where. She was prepared! Frederik's thoughts jumped, unbidden, to the stories he had once overheard as a

teenager. Stories his grandfather told after long dinners when the wine was strong and the room eroory private. Stories about M Rossi-the old patriarch. The man who could unseat entire governments with a single phone call. Ruthless. Cold. Brilliant.

"She has his eyes," Gregory once muttered after that first meeting with Isabella "Don't let the quiet fool you. That girl will take a room apart and leave nothing but silence behind." 2/4