1146 When His Pregnant Wife Handed Back Her Ring and Walked Out into the Cold, the Ruthless Shipping Boss Had No Idea She Was the Only Person Who Could Save His Empire from Ruin

Elena drove to a public garage in downtown Salem, leaving the green sedan in a dimly lit corner where security cameras didn't reach. She walked three blocks to a brick apartment building that smelled of old salt and floor wax.

Leo Vance answered her knock at two in the morning.

Leo had been the head logistics dispatcher for Moretti Shipping for fifteen years before Dante forced him into early retirement following a disagreement over safety protocols. When Leo opened the door, wearing a flannel shirt and holding a mug of black coffee, he didn't look surprised to see her.

"I wondered how long you'd last in that fortress," Leo said, stepping aside to let her in.

The apartment was cluttered with ship models, old charts, and stacks of trade magazines. Elena dropped the manila envelope onto the kitchen table.

"Are these real?" she asked.

Leo adjusted his reading glasses, pulled a single sheet from the file, and studied the corporate seal. His expression hardened.

"No," Leo said flatly. "This seal hasn't been active since the merger. Look at the typography. The font weight is slightly off—standard commercial printing, not the embossed stamp Dante uses on all official port documents."

"Who could forge his signature this well?"

"Anyone who worked in the administrative office," Leo said, looking up at her. "Anyone with access to old corporate stationery. Like Bianca Salvi."

"She didn't work in administration," Elena countered. "She handles estates and investments."

"That's what she wants people to think," Leo replied, walking over to a filing cabinet in the corner. He pulled out a yellowed ledger from three years ago. "When Sylvio Salvi died, he left behind millions in unresolved port debts. Dante took over those debts to protect the family name. But Bianca didn't inherit debts—she inherited control of the customs clearinghouse. If she wanted to run contraband through the North Shore terminals, she needed Dante's infrastructure, or she needed to make it look like he was running it."

Elena stared at the ledger. "She's setting him up."

"Or she's forcing him into a corner so he has to sell the business to her," Leo corrected. "Look at the timing, Elena. You're six months pregnant. Dante's been distracted, defensive, and isolated. A man under federal investigation for smuggling pharmaceuticals can't fight a hostile corporate buyout."

Elena felt a cold realization settle in her chest.

Dante hadn't been unfaithful because he loved Bianca. He had been meeting with Bianca because she was holding evidence of these forged shipments over his head, threatening to destroy him if he didn't hand over control of the waterfront.