Antonio: Vengeance in Disguise

Chapter 10

For a heartbeat, there was silence as heads turned in the direction of the voice.

Then, there was sudden laughter.

It erupted from the surrounding guests with their voices blending in a chorus of amusement and mockery.

It rolled through the crowd like a wave.

Someone near the front nearly doubled over.

"Isn't that Antonio, Elaine's ex-husband?"

“Did he just say that?”

“He must be out of his mind!” another scoffed.

“He’s really standing here, in that same cheap suit, telling Harry Gibson he’s not getting the partnership? Delusional doesn’t even cover it!”

"Well, would you blame the guy? After all, he's now Miss Cynthia's boytoy. I guess that's where he's getting his confidence from."

Harry let out a loud bark of laughter.

“Antonio, my man, you need to stop reading fairy tales.” 

“You? The person behind Bellagio Group? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”

Antonio stood motionless, eyes calm, expression unreadable. 

Amid the crowd’s jeering, he radiated an unsettling stillness, the kind that didn’t need to shout to be heard.

He had long learned that fools loved to ridicule what they couldn’t comprehend.

“I’m not claiming anything,” he said flatly. “I am the president. I don’t need your belief for it to be true.”

The room roared louder at that.

Elaine clenched her fists. 

At first, she had been furious, embarrassed that Antonio, her ex-husband, would have the audacity to come here and humiliate her like this. 

But now, a thin sliver of doubt pierced through her certainty.

Morris.

She knew that was Antonio’s last name. 

It wasn’t exactly common, and now that she thought about it… 

He’d never once talked about his family, his past, or where he came from. 

She had always assumed it was because he was just...nobody.

But what if—?

No.

She shook the thought away. 

There’s no way! 

If Antonio really was from the Morris family, the hidden giants of Bellagio Group…

How could he have tolerated living in her house, being mocked by her family, treated like trash by everyone?

Impossible.

Embarrassment flushed her cheeks as the laughter around her deepened. 

She stepped closer, lowered her voice to a hiss only them three who were near her could hear.

“Antonio, stop this nonsense. You’re making a fool of yourself, and me!”

Antonio didn’t even look at her. 

“Funny. That’s exactly what your old friend Harry has been doing all night.”

Harry smirked. 

“He’s still mad I took his wife. Don’t worry, Elaine. It’s what he does! Spins lies. He’s been lying to you since day one.”

Antonio turned, eyes boring into Harry’s. 

“And what about you, Harry? How long have you been lying to her?”

Elaine’s stomach twisted. 

“Antonio, just stop! You drugged me last night, you hit him this morning.” 

“We haven’t even pressed charges yet. Keep making a scene, and I will call the police!”

“I’m serious this time!”

“I have a better idea.” Harry interjected with a mocking grin. 

He waved at a pair of security guards at the edge of the room. 

“I’ll have him dragged out right now.”

But Antonio didn’t flinch.

Instead, he calmly pulled out his phone and held it out to Elaine.

“You still want to call the police?” he said. “Fine. But before you do, take a look at this. Let’s make sure they arrest the right man.”

Elaine hesitated.

The phone glowed in Antonio’s hand like a trap, but the cool and absolute in his voice, made her reach out and take it.

Almost immediately, her face drained of colour.

Elaine's breath hitched as she scrolled through the documents. 

There were rows upon rows of financial records, bank statements, and legal documents.

And Harry’s name was everywhere.

He was practically drowning in debt. 

Billions of dollars worth!

It was like staring into a financial graveyard. 

The man she thought was strong and successful… was buried in a mountain of debt. 

Harry was a walking corpse propped up by borrowed money and fake smiles.

Her stomach twisted as she continued scrolling, only to come across a recording.

With shaky fingers, Elaine pressed play.

A muffled voice came through, unmistakably Harry’s.

"Make sure you slip it into her drink before she leaves the bar. She needs just enough to lower her inhibitions, nothing too strong."

Elaine’s heart pounded.

"Then, send her to the hotel I told you about. I’ll be waiting."

The floor beneath her felt like it was collapsing.

The scene from last night replayed in her mind…

…Her body burning with an unnatural heat, her mind foggy, unable to think clearly.

She had been drugged!

A sharp gasp escaped her lips.

Harry had orchestrated everything! 

He had called her to meet him, but the driver had mistakenly brought her back to the villa instead of the hotel. 

That was why she had acted so irrationally, why she had thrown herself onto Antonio, begging him to touch her.

A wave of nausea surged through her.

She had been manipulated by Harry!

Elaine’s head snapped up, her gaze locking onto Antonio’s cold, unreadable expression.