Chapter 23 - The Federal Serpent Inside the secure briefing room deep within the lower vault, the high-definition monitors glowed with classified intelligence files intercepted by Nico’s cyber unit. Photographs of a distinguished, silver-haired federal judge flashed across the screen: Senator and former appellate judge Arthur Sterling.
"Sterling," Dante growled, leaning over the steel table. "He was the chief magistrate who signed off on our port acquisitions ten years ago. He was supposed to be in our pocket."
"He was never in your pocket, Dante," Elena explained, sitting wrapped in a thermal blanket near the vault heater. "Sterling is the silent partner of the entire syndicate board. He used Marco to manipulate your medical records a decade ago because a fertile Vatello meant a unified empire that the federal government couldn't infiltrate. They needed you sterile so the commission could fracture from within."
Leo stood beside the master terminal, his small fingers flying across the keyboard, cross-referencing Sterling’s offshore accounts with the recent asset freezes hitting the North Side shipping lanes.
"He didn't just manipulate the medical records," Leo said, his eyes narrowing as lines of encrypted data scrolled down the monitor. "He owns the shipping registries. Every container we’ve moved through the Great Lakes this month has been routed through a federal seizure trap."
Dante stared at his son, a profound mixture of pride and icy rage flooding his veins. The boy wasn't just heir to a criminal empire; he possessed an intellect capable of dismantling the federal judicial system piece by piece.
"Nico," Dante called out without turning around.
May you like
"Boss?"
"Mobilize the North American logistics teams. Freeze every asset linked to Sterling’s judicial PAC within the hour. And pull the files on his private estate in Lake Geneva."
