Chapter 8
Giulietta made the irreversible decision on Monday morning.
Marconi Capital terminated the riverfront joint venture.
Not suspended.
Terminated.
The move triggered penalties, lender disputes, and months of litigation.
Daniel estimated the immediate loss at twenty-three million dollars.
Potential future profit lost would be far larger.
Several Marconi relatives wanted her to wait.
“If Preston cooperates, we can renegotiate without Warren.”
“No.”
“Why throw away a project because the family is ugly?”
“Because the numbers are ugly too.”
“You can fix numbers.”
Giulietta looked at the revised guarantee.
“I’m not using my marriage as collateral for someone else’s bad decisions.”
The vote passed because Giulietta controlled enough of the legitimate holding company to end the deal.
Then she filed a formal civil fraud claim against Hale Hospitality concerning financial representations made during negotiations.
She also declined an offer from Warren to settle the assault dispute privately.
His terms required confidentiality.
No admission.
Mutual nondisparagement.
The criminal matter would continue independently, but Warren wanted the families to announce that the bridal-suite incident had been “misinterpreted during an emotional disagreement.”
Giulietta refused.
That afternoon, Hale Hospitality’s lenders were notified that Marconi support was gone.
Warren called her himself.
She answered.
“You just destroyed a year of work.”
“No.”
“You think because you have men in suits standing behind you, you can behave like a child?”
Giulietta almost smiled.
“You should choose your next sentence carefully.”
Warren ignored the warning.
“You could have married Preston, signed the revised structure, and every problem would have disappeared.”
There it was.
Giulietta became still.
“You expected me to sign after the ceremony.”
Silence.
Warren realized what he had done.
Giulietta continued.
“Why?”
He hung up.
Naomi had been sitting across from her.
She did not need to hear both sides to understand.
“He connected the wedding to the signature.”
“Yes.”
“Still not enough.”
“I know.”
May you like
But now Warren’s financial motive, his access to the suite, his control over the schedule, and the prepared PR response all pointed toward the same question.
What exactly had he expected Preston to accomplish during those ten private minutes?
