Chapter 10 - The Empire We BuiltThe clock in the grand hallway struck midnight.
Outside, the heavy iron gates of the Castellano estate stood wide open—an open invitation that Vincent had deliberately ordered.
For twenty minutes, absolute silence hung over the snow-covered grounds. Then, the low, rumbling drone of heavy truck engines echoed up the private access road. Three black armored vehicles bearing Moretti insignia rolled through the open gates, stopping in the center of the courtyard.
The doors swung open, and Victor Moretti himself stepped out, flanked by a dozen heavily armed enforcers. He looked around the empty courtyard with a mocking smirk, raising his voice so it echoed against the stone facade.
"Castellano!" Moretti shouted. "It's over! Come out and hand over the keys!"
The grand oak doors of the manor slowly swung open.
Vincent Castellano stepped out onto the stone landing, alone, his black overcoat catching the cold winter wind. He didn't look like a man about to surrender; he looked like a king greeting uninvited peasants.
"You took your time, Victor," Vincent said evenly.
Moretti chuckled, raising his pistol. "Any last words before I turn this house into your tomb?"
"Just one," Vincent replied.
He raised his left hand and slowly snapped his fingers.
Click.
Instantly, every single floodlight around the perimeter estate clicked on, blinding Moretti and his men with a wall of brilliant white light. From the upper balconies, the windows, and the surrounding tree lines, the laser sights of two dozen Castellano snipers locked directly onto Moretti's chest.
At the same time, Moretti’s phone began to buzz furiously in his pocket. Then, one by one, the phones of every single enforcer around him started vibrating violently.
Moretti pulled out his phone with a shaking hand, looking at the screen. Every single offshore account, every hidden stash, every mercenary payroll deposit had just hit zero—frozen permanently by an automated systemic override originating from the estate's central server.
"What... what did you do?" Moretti whispered, the color draining entirely from his face.
From the doorway behind Vincent, a shadow stepped forward into the light.
Maya stood beside Vincent, her posture immaculate, wearing a sharp charcoal-gray suit, her dark hair pinned back with the silver Moretti cufflink she had found in the library weeks ago. Duke stood faithfully at her side, his deep, rumbling growl vibrating through the frozen courtyard like rolling thunder.
"You came to collect an estate that didn't belong to you, Mr. Moretti," Maya said, her voice cutting through the freezing night air with absolute, unyielding power. "And instead, you just handed us your entire empire."
May you like
Vincent glanced down at her, his dark eyes softening with a warmth reserved only for her, before shifting his gaze back to the paralyzed rival before him.
"Welcome to my home, Victor," Vincent murmured, cocking his weapon. "Now... get off my property."
