Signed To Be His Wife - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

The world outside Dominic and Amara's penthouse was brimming with flashing headlines, social media speculations, and breaking news tickers. After Jeremy LeClair’s latest legal blow — the frozen assets, the press slander, and the failed smear campaign — the narrative was finally turning in their favor. But inside, neither of them felt like celebrating. The war was far from over.
Dominic stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring down at the bustling city as if he could see the threads of conspiracy hidden in every street corner. Amara sat at the dining table, reviewing the latest set of court documents filed by their legal team. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep, but her mind was sharper than ever.
"Did Charles respond to your message?" Amara asked, not looking up.
Dominic shook his head. "Not yet. But he will. He always does when the stakes are high."
"Well, the stakes don’t get higher than this," she murmured, highlighting a clause in Jeremy's injunction. "If we don’t overturn this in court within five days, every division under Hart Enterprises will be forced into holding status. That gives Jeremy time to move in and start dismantling the structure."
"He’s trying to rot the tree from the roots," Dominic said bitterly. "And he’s doing it in the shadows."
Just then, Clara walked in with a tablet in hand. Her face was tense.
"You both need to see this."
She set the tablet on the table, showing an anonymous email that had just hit the encrypted inbox they set up after Jules’ betrayal. The sender address was scrambled, but the message was clear:
"He’s not working alone. There’s another investor. One who wants your empire more than Jeremy does. Follow the offshore trail. Start with C. Bellamy. You’ll find your true enemy there."
Amara's pulse quickened. "C. Bellamy?"
Dominic took a step back. "Crawford Bellamy."
Clara frowned. "Who's that?"
"An old friend of my father. Silent investor. Ruthless businessman. He vanished from the board five years ago after a fallout with my father. I never thought he'd circle back."
"Apparently, he has. And he wants everything."
Amara grabbed her laptop. "We need records. Contracts. Communications. If Crawford Bellamy has reemerged, it means this goes deeper than Jeremy. It’s not just personal anymore. It’s historical."
By afternoon, Dominic, Amara, and Clara sat in the office surrounded by piles of old files, digital records, and audio transcripts. Clara found a folder labeled Harper Holdings Acquisition - 2018.
"That was the deal your father made just before he died," Amara recalled.
"Right," Dominic said, opening it. "Bellamy tried to co-finance the acquisition but my father pushed him out. Something about ethics. Bellamy wanted to launder money through the acquisition. My father refused."
"And now his revenge is finally unfolding," Amara murmured.
"So Jeremy was just a pawn," Clara said.
Dominic looked grim. "A very loud pawn. But yes. Bellamy is the king."
Amara rubbed her temples. "We need proof. Enough to tie Bellamy to Jeremy and the injunctions."
Clara's eyes sparkled. "What if we bait him?"
Dominic raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"A fake acquisition. Something massive. Tempting. We leak false intel about Hart Enterprises merging with a green tech firm. Something controversial enough to draw Bellamy out from his hiding place."
Amara's eyes widened. "And if he bites, we trace the communication, the funding source, and the channels he uses to interfere. We expose him publicly. Legally. Completely."
Dominic smirked. "I like it."
Two Days Later
The fake story broke across business media outlets: Hart Enterprises in Talks to Acquire EcoTherm Technologies in Multi-Billion Deal.
As expected, speculation surged. Stocks fluttered. And within hours, an offshore account tied to a shell company began moving money toward EcoTherm’s shareholders.
"There he is," Clara whispered from her laptop.
"C. Bellamy is moving money to sabotage the deal," Amara said. "We trace every move. We need him to take the bait completely."
Dominic nodded. "And once he’s knee-deep, we slam him."
That night, as the city darkened, Amara and Dominic sat on the balcony. The tension had shifted into purpose. Their fingers were entwined.
"You ever think about what this would be like if we never signed that contract?" Dominic asked.
Amara looked at him, her smile soft. "Sometimes. But then I remember something important."
"What?"
"Even in a lie, something real can grow. We just have to fight hard enough to protect it."
He kissed her knuckles. "I’m not giving up. Not on this. Not on you."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Then let’s finish what we started. Together."
The wind picked up as night deepened, whistling past the penthouse balcony where Dominic and Amara sat side by side. They hadn't moved in over an hour, their minds racing through scenarios, consequences, and backup plans. Every minute brought them closer to Crawford Bellamy’s trap — or his exposure.
Dominic turned to Amara, his fingers tightening slightly around hers. "Once this hits, we don’t stop. No matter how dangerous it gets."
Amara nodded, her voice quiet but steady. "We finish it. Together."
Inside, Clara sat in front of three computer monitors, each tracking different shell companies tied to Bellamy. Every keystroke, every IP ping, every transaction trace brought them closer to the truth.
"Dominic," she called out. "We got another bite. Offshore funds were funneled through Andorra to a fake holding firm named BellTech Solutions. It’s directly linked to Crawford."
Dominic was already moving. "Clara, map out the full trail. We need clean proof. Amara, call Carla. Tell her we need an emergency federal injunction filed first thing tomorrow. If we expose Bellamy without legal backing, he could flip it on us."
Amara was already dialing. The moment Carla picked up, her voice urgent, Amara got straight to the point.
"We got him. Financial links through BellTech, EcoTherm, and offshore laundering. Clara has digital records. We need you to file for an emergency injunction against Bellamy at dawn."
"I’ll get my team on it," Carla said. "Send me everything within the hour."
Amara hung up and grabbed her laptop. She and Clara started compiling the files, double-checking timestamps, verifying account connections, cross-referencing usernames and bank routes. It was meticulous, exhausting, but essential.
As they worked, Dominic leaned over them both, eyes scanning every line.
"Bellamy’s been hiding in plain sight," he muttered. "The arrogance of assuming we’d never connect the dots."
"That's his weakness," Clara said. "He doesn’t believe in the people he burns."
Amara looked up. "That’s how we win. We fight smarter."
The Next Morning
Carla filed the injunction just after sunrise. The federal clerk received it with a raised brow but didn’t hesitate after reading the opening paragraph. The weight of the evidence was clear.
By 10:00 AM, agents from the Financial Crime Investigation Unit were dispatched to Bellamy’s listed holding company addresses.
Dominic stood near the penthouse window, phone pressed to his ear as Carla briefed him.
"They seized records, froze three major accounts, and detained two middlemen under Bellamy’s umbrella. We haven’t touched Bellamy yet, but it’s only a matter of time."
He turned to Amara, eyes flashing. "It’s working."
But just as the words left his mouth, his phone vibrated again. A video link, no sender.
Dominic tapped it open. The footage showed a dark SUV following Clara’s younger brother after school. Then, another clip — Amara’s former professor being cornered outside her home.
Amara stepped closer, horror spreading across her face. "He’s targeting the people we love."
Clara’s hands trembled as she watched her brother on screen. "We need protection. Now."
Dominic didn’t hesitate. He called security, doubling their perimeter and requesting personal escorts for every extended family member and ally. But the threat was clear: Bellamy wasn’t done.
"He knows we’re close," Dominic said. "This is his warning."
"Then we give him an answer," Amara replied. "Publicly."
Later That Day: Press Conference
In the sleek glass atrium of Hart Enterprises headquarters, cameras flashed as Dominic and Amara stepped onto the stage, side by side. The media frenzy had reached its peak, and all eyes were glued to them.
Dominic approached the mic. "In recent weeks, our company and my family have been targeted by coordinated attacks. These weren’t random. They were deliberate acts orchestrated by individuals seeking to destroy what we’ve built."
He looked directly into the cameras. "We have filed federal charges. The evidence will be presented in court. And to those responsible — Crawford Bellamy included — know this: We will not be intimidated."
Amara stepped forward next. "As a lawyer and as a wife, I stand not just in defense, but in offense. This is not the end of our fight. This is the beginning of a reckoning."
The audience was stunned into silence. And then, applause broke out. Slow at first, then building.
Dominic reached for Amara’s hand and raised it. Together, they stood against the storm.
Nightfall
The battle was far from over. But for the first time, they had forced Bellamy into the light. Every move from here forward would be dangerous, but at least they were no longer fighting ghosts.
Amara sat on the couch beside Dominic, her head resting on his shoulder. Clara dozed nearby, her laptop still humming quietly.
"You know," Amara whispered, "if someone told me months ago this was how our marriage would look... I’d have laughed."
Dominic chuckled, kissing her forehead. "I would have too."
"But I wouldn’t trade it now. Not even the chaos."
He turned, pulling her gently into his arms. "Me either. And when we win this... we start over. On our own terms."
"No contracts?"
"No secrets."
Outside, the city slept.
Inside, love and war remained awake.
The city buzzed beneath a thick veil of tension. Headlines were shifting. Investors were scrambling. And deep in the heart of Hart Enterprises, a war room had been established — not one of soldiers, but of strategy, law, and relentless willpower.
Dominic sat at the head of the conference table, flanked by Amara, Clara, and Carla. The air was thick with anticipation. A dozen screens lit up with graphs, encrypted messages, and surveillance footage. This wasn’t just about business anymore — it was about legacy.
"The federal court will review Carla’s motion in forty-eight hours," Amara said, flipping through a legal binder she’d compiled through sleepless nights. Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed the weight she carried. "If we can present a clear tie between Bellamy’s financial manipulation and the offshore laundering we discovered, we have a strong chance at freezing his assets."
"Which means he’ll try to strike before that hearing," Dominic added.
Carla nodded. "Bellamy has resources. Private contractors, black-hat hackers, and informants in both the legal and corporate worlds. He’s a ghost with a venomous bite. If we’re not two steps ahead, we’ll lose ground."
Clara stood, adjusting her earpiece as she turned to a screen. "Then let’s stay ahead. I traced his last money movement — $4.3 million transferred to a front corporation in Dubai. The recipient? A former arms broker named Jarek Munoz."
Amara frowned. "He’s not just protecting himself with legal loopholes. He’s hiring muscle."
Dominic’s jaw tightened. "Then we increase our own protection. No one goes anywhere alone. And Clara, put all staff under security vetting immediately."
"Already done," Clara replied. "Also, I found something else. A recorded voice call between Bellamy and Jeremy. You need to hear this."
She pressed play.
Bellamy (distorted voice): "Hart’s wife is the weak point. You go for her, he’ll break."
Jeremy: "Already working on it. She’s not as soft as I thought."
Bellamy: "Then break her. Burn everything they built."
The room fell into a frozen silence. Dominic’s hand clenched around his coffee mug until it cracked. He didn’t speak. He just stood and walked to the window, every breath more controlled than the last.
Amara rose, walked toward him, and gently placed a hand on his back. "I’m not afraid."
"You should be," he said softly. "But not for yourself. For what I’ll do to them if they touch you."
Later That Night
The penthouse was quiet again — deceptively so. Security teams were stationed on every floor. Surveillance feeds streamed on muted screens. Amara stood in the kitchen, watching the steam rise from her tea.
Dominic approached from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"You know you’re everything to me, right?" he murmured.
She leaned into him. "I do."
"Then promise me that no matter what happens — court victory or loss, media storms or silence — you’ll stay."
Amara turned to face him, fingers resting over his heart. "There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. We started with a lie, but we’re writing truth now. I won’t let Bellamy or Jeremy erase that."
He kissed her, long and slow. Not out of passion, but out of urgency — as though he knew time was ticking.
The Next Morning
Clara burst into the penthouse lounge with urgency. "They moved the hearing up. Bellamy’s lawyers petitioned for an emergency session. We have six hours."
"Perfect," Amara said, already collecting files. "That means they’re scared."
Dominic grabbed his suit jacket. "Let’s give them a reason to be."
In Court
The federal courtroom was packed. Media teams swarmed the building. Jeremy sat with Bellamy’s legal representative, his expression smug. Bellamy himself was notably absent — a tactic to avoid media scrutiny.
Amara stood at the plaintiff’s table, commanding presence in a tailored suit, her voice unwavering as she addressed the judge.
"Your honor, what we present today is not mere conjecture. It is a chain of documented evidence connecting Mr. Bellamy’s financial activity to corporate sabotage, offshore laundering, and coercive attempts to dismantle Hart Enterprises for personal gain."
She presented the recorded call, the financial trail, and Clara’s cyber tracking logs. The judge listened, stone-faced, nodding only once.
Jeremy’s defense team stammered through a rebuttal, claiming fabrication and misinterpretation. But their evidence was paper-thin.
By the time court adjourned, murmurs in the courtroom hinted at a pending loss for Bellamy.
Outside, microphones were shoved in Amara’s face.
"Is it true your marriage began with a contract?"
"Are you worried your legal standing is compromised?"
Amara looked directly into one camera. "Our story didn’t begin perfectly. But what we’ve built is real. And we’ll protect it with everything we’ve got."
Dominic placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I back every word she says."
The crowd erupted with flashes and questions, but Dominic and Amara walked through it all like steel — united.
Two Days Later
The ruling came in an email.
Emergency Injunction Granted. All Assets under C. Bellamy Holdings are to be Frozen Pending Criminal Investigation.
Dominic let out a deep breath. Amara covered her mouth with her hands.
Clara jumped up and spun in a circle. "We did it!"
"This is just the beginning," Carla said, though even she smiled. "Once Bellamy’s empire is frozen, the criminal charges can finally stick."
Dominic turned to Amara, his eyes soft. "I couldn’t have done this without you."
"No," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did it because of who you are. I just reminded you."
They kissed, long and hard, as the sun poured into the penthouse, lighting up a future finally free of shadows.