Chapter 6 - The Council of WolvesThe fiftieth-floor boardroom of the Ashford Tower was a cathedral of dark mahogany, smoked glass, and intimidation. Around the massive oval conference table sat twelve of the most feared underworld bosses on the East Coast. Cigar smoke hung in the air like a heavy shroud, blurring the crystal chandeliers overhead.
At the head of the table sat Barrett, his silver hair neatly combed, a smug, triumphant smile plastered across his face. To his left and right, his loyal capos murmured among themselves, casting venomous glances toward the heavy double doors.
"He's late," Barrett remarked loudly, checking his gold Rolex. "Which proves what we already suspected. Kendrick Ashford has grown weak. He brings a filthy waitress into our most sacred ceremony, lets a stray dog dictate his life, and now he cowers in his penthouse because his little illicit affair has been exposed."
"Is that so, Barrett?"
The cold, flat voice cut through the room like a razor blade.
The heavy double doors swung wide open with a resounding bang.
Kendrick Ashford walked into the boardroom at an unhurried, majestic pace. But it wasn't Kendrick’s presence that made the air freeze in the room—it was the woman walking beside him, holding his arm with effortless, chilling grace.
Willa wore a tailored black coat, her hair pulled back into a sleek chignon, her face carved from ice. She didn't flinch under the weight of twelve pairs of hostile, predatory eyes.
Barrett stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the parquet floor.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Barrett roared, pointing a shaking finger at Willa. "You brought a street rat into the sacred council chamber? Have you completely lost your mind, Kendrick?"
"Sit down, Barrett, before I feed your legs to Titan," Kendrick said smoothly, taking his seat at the opposite end of the table. He pulled out the chair beside him, and Willa gracefully took her seat, resting her hands flat on the mahogany wood.
Titan settled heavily beneath her chair, letting out a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through the floorboards, silencing the murmurs of the capos instantly.
Barrett slammed his palms down on the table, his face turning crimson with rage. "You can't ignore protocol! That girl is Katherine Sterling! Her family embezzled three hundred million dollars from our syndicate accounts! She is a traitor, a thief, and a ghost who should have died in that fire six years ago!"
A murmur of shock and outrage rippled through the table. Several capos reached instinctively toward their jackets, where shoulder holsters rested.
Kendrick didn't even flinch. He slowly leaned back in his leather chair, interlocking his long fingers over his flat stomach.
"Yes, she is Katherine Sterling," Kendrick said, his voice echoing cleanly across the massive room. "And for six years, every single one of you believed she was dead. You believed it because Barrett assured us the job was finished."
Barrett’s triumphant smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "What are you talking about? We all signed the execution warrant based on the financial treason documents!"
"Documents that were forged," Kendrick countered sharply, his amber-flecked eyes narrowing into deadly slits.
With a flick of his wrist, Kendrick tossed a thick, manila folder across the mahogany table. It slid smoothly past three capos before coming to a complete stop right in front of Barrett’s trembling hands.
"What... what is this?" Barrett whispered, staring down at the folder.
"That is the forensic audit of the twenty-0-three accounts," Kendrick said coldly. "Recovered from an encrypted server that Barrett tried to scrub yesterday morning through his personal assistant, Elena. The audit proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Sterling accounts were clean. Your predecessor didn't steal a dime, Barrett. You framed him, you burned his house down, and you manipulated this council into executing an innocent man just to steal his seat."
The room plunged into absolute, dead silence. You could hear a pin drop on the thick Persian rug.
Barrett’s face turned the color of curdled milk. His hands shook violently as he opened the folder, staring down at the undeniable proof of his treason.
"It's a lie," Barrett choked out, looking frantically around the table at the other capos. "He's making this up to protect his new whore! Are you all going to sit there and listen to—"
Click.
The distinct sound of a pistol cocking echoed from the doorway.
Three dozen armed syndicate enforcers, led by Mrs. Gable holding a tactical shotgun, stepped out from the shadows lining the perimeter of the room, blocking every exit.
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Kendrick slowly stood up from his chair, placing his palms flat on the table and leaning forward until his face was inches from Barrett's terror-stricken eyes.
"The trial is over, Barrett," Kendrick whispered, his voice dripping with lethal ice. "The only question left is... how merciful do you want your execution to be?"
