Chapter 4 - The Whitlock RetaliationBy sunrise, the storm had cleared, leaving Providence under a cold, brilliant autumn sky. But inside the penthouse suite of the Whitlock Tower downtown, the atmosphere was apocalyptic.
Arthur Whitlock smashed a crystal decanter against the floor, sending amber whiskey and shards flying across the Persian rug.
"He did what?!" Arthur roared, his face purple with rage. He turned to his daughter, who was pacing the room with tear-streaked cheeks and manicured hands trembling with humiliation. "He broke off the engagement in front of the entire board? Over a maid?!"
"He humiliated me, Dad!" Claire shrieked, her voice cracking as she threw a porcelain vase against the wall. "He put his jacket over her! He looked at me like I was garbage! And for what? Some pregnant nobody with cheap hair!"
"That 'nobody' is sitting in the Carver mansion right now, and my sources down at the docks say Daniel’s private security just raided Pier 14," a cold, sharp voice interrupted from the doorway.
Julian Thorne, Arthur’s chief legal counsel and secret financial fixer, stepped into the suite. His suit was immaculate, but his eyes were dead and calculating.
"What do you mean, raided Pier 14?" Arthur snarled.
"I mean the black-site container is empty. Caleb Monroe is gone," Julian said smoothly, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. "And more importantly, federal agents from the Organized Crime Strike Force just filed a motion to subpoena all Whitlock shipping logs for the past three years."
Claire stopped pacing, horror dawning on her face. "If the Feds get those logs..."
"We go to prison for the rest of our lives," Julian finished calmly. "Unless we strike first."
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Arthur’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure malice. "Daniel Carver thinks he’s untouchable because he controls the streets. But he made one fatal mistake: he brought that pregnant maid into his inner circle. He thinks she’s his weakness."
"A weakness can be leveraged," Julian smiled thinly, pulling a dossier from his briefcase. "Or eliminated. I have men stationed outside the Carver estate perimeter. If Daniel wants to declare war over a servant and an unborn bastard, let’s give him a tragedy he’ll never recover from."
