The Day My Don Got Sick, I Took His Empire Chapter 05

The Day My Don Got Sick, I Took His Empire Chapter 05

Dante was still leaning against the headboard. Sunlight fell across his face, making him look almost innocent.

I sat beside him and watched him quietly for a moment—this man finally being swallowed by his own arrogance.

“Dante.” My voice was very soft. “The doctor says you have an infection. An ugly one.”

His brows drew together. “What does that mean?”

I placed the report on his blanket, my fingertip pressing down on the most glaring line on the first page.

Confirmed HIV infection.

Crash—

The glass in Dante’s hand smashed hard against the floor.

And my revenge? It had only just begun.

…

Dante stared at the report for a long time.

The room was so quiet, all I heard was the drip of the IV.

He seemed not to understand. Or maybe he didn’t want to. His fingers slowly curled, crumpling the paper.

“What does this mean?”

I looked at him, still gentle. Almost reassuring.

“It means you have HIV.”

Dante’s face went white.

“Impossible.” He flipped the report back to the first page, then to the last. “Impossible. Vivienne, I get a physical every year. I’m healthy. The doctor must have made a mistake.”

“Let’s go to a different hospital. Have them run the tests again. The Bellandis has so many doctors on their payroll. There’s no way—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Like he’d finally remembered something.

The girl he used to hold in his hands. Called her “pure” “Innocent” “unlike other women”

That period when he really let himself go.

His face went from deathly pale to ashen.

“Is it her?” He clutched the report like his last shred of dignity. “Tell me this is a misdiagnosis.”

He looked at me. The dependence and panic in his eyes were exactly the same as years ago.

Back then, he insisted on being with me, even though his family didn’t approve. His parents froze all his accounts.

He had to start his own business. A partner cheated him, drove him to the edge of bankruptcy. But even with a fever, he held my hand tightly and said, “Don’t leave me.”

What did I say then?

I teared up and gave him every dollar I had without hesitation. “I’m not leaving. I’ll stay with you.”

Only after we got married did I learn his parents didn’t care at all who he was with.

That was just a whim. A bet with his friend. Could he trick a sensible woman into bowing for him? Into caring? Into sacrificing everything?

I pulled my hand from his. “I had it rechecked. Same result.”

Dante slumped back against the headboard. “I’m finished.”

For him, yes. He was finished.

If this news got out, the Bellandi family would be dragged into the mud.

The board. The casino. The docks. The partners. The enemies waiting to bite Bellandi.

And this disease—treatable, yes. But never curable.

He’d carry that label for the rest of his life.

“Am I going to die?” He turned to me, voice trembling.

“With proper treatment, not right away.”

He looked up as if he’d grabbed a lifeline, and then he finally remembered me.

“What about you? Are you okay?”

“Not at the moment.”

Relief washed over his face.

Then guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Vivienne.”

If I’d still had any hope for him, that apology might have softened my heart.

Now it just felt ironic.

It came too late. I couldn’t tell if it was sincere or just fear.

“It’s already done,” I said, standing. “No use dwelling. Focus on your treatment. We’ll deal with the rest later.”

He reached for my hand. “Don’t go. Where are you going?”

I stopped but didn’t turn around. “To handle some things for you. Like Lena.”

“She’s the primary source of infection. Hospitals and relevant agencies have procedures in place to notify her and her other close contacts.”

Dante’s face completely crumbled. His first reaction wasn’t guilt. It was fear.

“Then they’ll trace it back to me!” He almost shouted it. “Vivienne, can you… can you hold off for a bit? If this gets out, I’ll really—”

“Really what?” I turned and smiled. “Really be humiliated? Really ruin your reputation?”

Dante didn’t answer. I walked back and tucked his blanket. Gentle, like I used to be.

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to keep it quiet. I’ll also keep the board and the family council confident about you.”

Hope flickered in Dante’s eyes.

He thought I was still the Donna who cleaned up his messes and keep up the Bellandi family’s reputation…

I pulled documents from my bag and set them on the nightstand.

“But you’ll pay the price yourself.”

Dante looked at the cover.

Bellandi Holdings Share Transfer Agreement.

Family Voting Rights Power of Attorney.

His breath caught for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

“Your health and the scandal risk make you unfit to keep running the Bellandi family publicly.” I smiled slightly. “I can stabilize the board and the council and hold off the media for now.”

I slid the papers closer.

“But I want fifty percent of the shares in your name.”

“And the Bellandi family voting rights.”