Chapter 8
Vivienne offered a settlement through three different lawyers.
Roman rejected the first two without meeting.
He read the third.
Vivienne would resign from Vesta Family Services.
Waive any role in Bianca’s branch.
Transfer her six-percent widow’s voting interest into an independent trust.
Pay all disputed Vesta reimbursements.
Consent to permanent no-contact orders involving the triplets for five years.
In exchange, Roman would not support removal of Bianca’s suspended nine-percent branch from family control, and the family would resolve the adoption-document claims civilly where prosecutors permitted.
Financially, it was substantial.
Emotionally, it was designed perfectly.
Roman could protect the company.
Protect Bianca’s future voting rights.
Remove Vivienne.
Avoid years of public testimony.
His legitimate business advisers wanted him to consider it.
Elena did not tell him what to do.
That made the decision harder.
Roman finally said:
“No.”
Then he went further.
He petitioned the trust court to remove every DeLuca family member—including himself—from discretionary administration of descendant voting branches involving his children.
Dominic’s branch.
The triplets’ future interests.
Bianca’s unresolved branch.
All of it.
National Harbor would manage the governance provisions under the trust instrument and court supervision.
Roman retained his personally owned business interests.
He did not donate his company.
But he gave up the ability to use his children’s future voting interests as family political currency.
His attorney warned:
“If Bianca reaches thirty-six without a legal descendant, those nine voting points go to the independent pool.”
“I know.”
“You will not be able to direct them.”
“I know.”
“Your mother’s faction loses influence. So may yours.”
“That is the point.”
Then Roman asked the DeLuca Hospitality board to terminate Vesta’s contract and run an open competitive procurement.
He knew that could expose his mother to further civil claims.
It could also increase his own family’s security costs.
He supported it anyway.
Finally, Roman instructed his estate counsel to amend his personal planning so none of his four children automatically received governing authority merely because they were his children.
Economic inheritance could remain protected.
Management power would require independent standards when they were adults.
Dominic was seven.
The triplets were newborns.
Roman had just removed future authority from children who could not possibly object.
That was irreversible enough to hurt.
His father had built a dynasty.
Roman was deciding some parts of a dynasty should end before they reached the nursery.
Elena asked him:
“Are you sure?”
Roman looked at Gabriel sleeping beside his siblings.
“My mother looked at him and saw nine percent.”
May you like
He shook his head.
“I don’t ever want him looking at himself that way.”
