Chapter 9 - The UltimatumValentino dropped to one knee on the stone porch, his pride completely shattered, clutching at the hem of her emerald dress.
"Please, Elena," he begged, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "Take everything. Take the penthouse, take the cars, take the shipping companies. Just don't lock me out of my son's life. Don't take my name away from him."
Elena looked down at him with profound, crushing indifference.
"Your name?" she whispered. "My son will carry my father’s name. The Sicilian Vanguard has already ratified the birth certificate under the House of Vance. You are legally, financially, and personally erased from our lineage."
She reached out, gently prying his fingers away from her dress.
"Guards," she commanded softly.
Two massive men in sharp suits stepped out from the shadows of the foyer, grabbing Valentino by his shoulders and hauling him backward off the porch.
"No! Elena! You can't do this to me!" Valentino screamed, thrashing as they dragged him down the stone steps toward his car. "I built this empire! I am the boss!"
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"You were a tenant in my world, Valentino," Elena replied calmly, standing tall in the doorway. "And your lease has expired."
She turned around and walked inside, closing the heavy oak doors with a resounding, final thud.
