Chapter 10 - THE FINAL KINGDOMTen minutes later, the heavy iron front doors of the Hudson Valley estate didn't just open—they were blown inward with a heavy, echoing crash.
Four men in rain-soaked black tactical gear swarmed into the grand foyer, their automatic weapons raised, scanning the sweeping marble staircase and the dark corners of the hall.
In the center of the room, standing alone beneath the glittering chandelier, was Dominic Vale.
He hadn't drawn his weapon. His hands were tucked casually into the pockets of his slacks, his face completely calm as he watched the intruders fan out across his floor.
From behind them stepped a tall, silver-haired man in an expensive Italian wool overcoat. Vincent Vance. His face was weathered by decades of syndicate wars in Montreal, and his dark eyes burned with cold, calculating ambition.
Vincent looked around the grand foyer, then let out a low, mocking whistle.
“Magnificent,” Vincent said, his voice dripping with arrogance as he stepped closer. “I always wondered how the king of New York lived. Though I must say, Dom... your security is a bit lacking tonight. The front gates opened like we had an appointment.”
Dominic didn't move. He simply tilted his head, watching Vincent with the patience of a spider waiting in the center of its web.
“You’re a long way from Montreal, Vincent,” Dominic said quietly. “And you brought uninvited guests into my home.”
Vincent sneered, gesturing to his four armed guards, who now had their weapons trained directly on Dominic’s chest.
“Cut the philosophical act, Vale,” Vincent snapped, his smile fading into a snarl. “Nathan and Claire were our primary assets on this coast. They spent two years buying your ports, setting up your ledgers, and preparing your empire for a smooth transition of power. And within forty-eight hours of your return from Atlantic City, they vanish off the face of the earth.”
“They made bad investments,” Dominic replied smoothly.
“They made my investments!” Vincent roared, stepping right up until he was mere feet away from Dominic. “And now you’re going to hand over the title deeds to the Hudson terminals, the shipping rights, and every offshore account tied to your name, or these four men will paint this marble floor with your brains before you can draw a breath.”
Vincent paused, waiting for Dominic to flinch, to beg, or to reach for a hidden weapon.
Instead, Dominic let out a quiet, chilling laugh.
“You think Nathan and Claire were running the show, Vincent?” Dominic asked, his gray eyes locking onto the Canadian boss with terrifying intensity.
Vincent frowned, a flicker of unease crossing his features. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about mathematics,” Dominic whispered.
With a single, lightning-fast motion, Dominic raised his right hand and snapped his fingers twice.
Click. Click.
From the dark shadows of the upper balcony, the red laser sights of twelve tactical rifles suddenly illuminated the foyer. Every single red dot locked dead center onto the chests and foreheads of Vincent and his four guards.
Simultaneously, the heavy oak doors behind them slammed shut and bolted themselves from the outside. Marcus and Daniel stepped out from the shadows of the western corridor, their weapons raised and locked.
Vincent’s face went completely, horrifically pale. He looked up at the balcony, then back down at Dominic, his breath hitching in his throat.
“You... you knew we were coming,” Vincent stammered, the arrogance instantly draining from his voice.
“Miller called me twenty minutes ago,” Dominic said casually, taking one slow, deliberate step toward the Canadian boss. “And long before that, I knew that anyone who tries to build an empire on betrayal ends up buried beneath it.”
Dominic stopped just inches from Vincent’s face. The air in the grand foyer grew so cold that every breath plumed into a faint white mist.
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“You came looking for a kingdom, Vincent,” Dominic whispered, his voice echoing off the marble pillars like a death sentence. “Instead, you found a tomb.”
Dominic raised his hand, and as the red laser sights converged into a blinding wall of light, the heavy iron doors of the estate closed forever on the secrets of the past, leaving Dominic Vale standing alone as the undisputed king of the dark.
