The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 168: Disown him

Luke’s expression turned murderous.

Bang!

His fists slammed onto the desk.

"Have you lost your mind?" he thundered. The veins on his neck bulged as he glared at Dominic. "Max is my son. My favorite son."

His voice dripped with fury. "He is the most capable among all my children. Making him my successor was my decision."

Luke’s eyes burned with rage. "How dare you suggest I remove him?"

Without warning, he yanked open a drawer and pulled out a gun.

The barrel pointed directly at Dominic’s forehead.

"I could kill you for saying that."

The room instantly turned tense. Yet Dominic remained completely still. His expression didn’t change.

There wasn’t a trace of fear in his eyes.

"I’m only thinking about the company’s future." His voice remained steady despite the weapon aimed at him. "If you refuse to disown him, the situation will only worsen."

Luke’s grip tightened around the gun.

Dominic continued, "Make your eldest son the successor for now. Send Max away until public outrage dies down. Once things settle, you can always bring him back."

Luke tilted his head slightly. Suspicion flickered in his eyes. "You have a personal grudge against Max. This is because of Mila, isn’t it? You want revenge because she married him."

For the first time, Dominic’s jaw tightened. A dangerous darkness flashed through his eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to smash Luke’s face into the desk. But he forced himself to remain calm.

"Mila is no longer my concern. I don’t care about her anymore."

Then he looked directly into the gun barrel. "If you don’t believe me, pull the trigger."

The room fell silent.

Luke stared at him for several long seconds, searching, trying to find a crack in his mask.

But Dominic gave him nothing.

Eventually, Luke lowered the gun. His expression became thoughtful.

The office door burst open.

His assistant rushed inside. His face was pale. His breathing was uneven.

"Mr. Bellini," the man looked visibly shaken. "The situation is getting worse."

He quickly handed over a tablet.

Luke snatched it away. The moment he saw the screen, his face darkened.

The stock price was still falling fast.

"Madam Mila has issued a public statement," the assistant reported nervously. "She officially announced her divorce from Max Bellini."

Luke’s head snapped upward. "What?"

The assistant swallowed hard. "She also removed him from the research team. The announcement triggered another wave of backlash. The stock price dropped even further."

His voice trembled. "The board members are demanding answers."

Inside, Dominic smiled. Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.

"If we don’t resolve this immediately," the assistant continued, "our partners may begin terminating contracts. If that happens..." His face turned even paler. "We’ll suffer massive losses."

Before Luke could respond, his phone vibrated.

Marcus.

Luke froze. For the first time, genuine panic appeared in his eyes.

"Why is he calling now?" he muttered.

The assistant looked equally alarmed.

But Dominic remained calm and composed.

Luke forced a smile before answering. "Marcus."

His voice sounded strained. "What can I do for you?"

"Stop pretending." Marcus’s cold voice exploded through the speaker. "Your family scandal is affecting business."

Luke’s face stiffened.

"If you can’t fix this by tomorrow," Marcus continued, "I’ll remove you from the core alliance."

Luke’s blood ran cold.

"And every ally under me will terminate their contracts with you."

The color drained from Luke’s face.

"No." His voice cracked slightly. "You can’t do that."

"Then fix your mess," Marcus roared the final words.

The call disconnected.

Luke slowly lowered the phone. Then rage erupted.

"He dares threaten me?" His face twisted. "I’ll kill him."

"You can’t defeat him if your company keeps bleeding money." Dominic finally spoke.

The assistant immediately nodded. "He is right, boss."

He stepped forward. "If we want to defeat Marcus, we need power. We need money. We need our allies to believe we are stronger than him. Only then can you replace him."

Luke’s fists tightened. His knuckles turned white.

His chest rose and fell heavily. For several seconds, he remained silent.

Then Dominic struck again. "Marcus isn’t doing well either."

Luke looked at him.

Dominic went on, "His intelligence network is compromised. His last shipment sank at sea. He lost millions. Several of his trusted men have died under suspicious circumstances. It’s our opportunity."

His gaze sharpened. "We can’t waste it because of a family scandal."

The assistant immediately supported him. "Roman is right, boss. Our men have already infiltrated Marcus’s intelligence chain. He won’t receive accurate information anymore. It’s becoming easier to manipulate him."

He lowered his voice. "But if we lose our allies now, everything we’ve worked for will collapse."

Luke’s expression gradually hardened. The anger remained. But calculation replaced impulse.

Finally, he made his decision. "Issue a statement." His voice was grim. "I am removing Max Bellini as my successor. And I am disowning him."

Shock flashed across the assistant’s face. "What? You are disowning your favorite son?"

Dominic remained silent. But satisfaction surged through him.

Luke slammed his palm onto the desk. "He caused this disaster." His voice was full of resentment. "He slept with a prostitute instead of taking care of his pregnant wife. Because of him, our family’s reputation has been dragged through the mud."

His eyes turned bloodshot. "People who once feared the Bellini family are openly mocking us."

He dug his nails into his palm. A flicker of pain crossed his face.

"He is my favorite son. Of course, I love him."

Then his expression hardened again. "But he made a mistake. A costly mistake. He brought shame to this family. He damaged the business. He is no longer worthy of becoming my successor."

The assistant finally nodded. "Understood, boss. I’ll prepare the statement immediately."

He hurried out of the office.

Silence settled over the room once more.

Luke turned toward Dominic. "Bring Matteo and Felix here."

Dominic lowered his head respectfully. "I’ll arrange it."

Until now, Matteo and Felix had been trapped under house arrest. Now they would finally be released.

A cold smile formed inside his heart.

The hatred they carried toward Luke and Max had already reached its peak. And he would use their hatred as a weapon.

"What about your wife?" Dominic asked. "You’ve kept her exiled in the countryside. If the public learns that, they’ll attack the family even harder."

Luke cursed under his breath. Another scandal was the last thing he needed. "Fine." He waved his hand impatiently. "Bring Celeste back."

Then he stood. His face remained grim.

"Clean up this mess by tomorrow. I don’t want to hear another rumor about my family."

With that, he stormed out of the office.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Dominic let his lips curl into a cold smile.

’You’ve stepped right into my trap,’ he mused. ’And your downfall has already begun.’