Chapter 7 - THE HIGH COMMISSIONBy noon the next day, the news of the library explosion had shattered the political landscape of New York.
RUSSIAN MOB BOSS VIKTOR VOLKOV ARRESTED IN BROOKLYN VAULT RAID. REYES ENTERPRISE STOCK SOARS AMID ALLIANCE RUMORS.
Inside the sprawling marble penthouse of the Manhattan Grand Hotel, the High Council of the Five Families gathered around a long mahogany table.
At the head sat Don Dominick Vanci—an eighty-year-old tyrant who had ruled the American mafia for half a century.
The heavy double doors opened.
Mateo Reyes stepped into the room, dressed in an immaculate tailored navy suit, his hair slicked back, his presence radiating absolute, dangerous authority.
Beside him walked Elise Caldwell.
She wore a striking emerald-green silk dress, her dark hair pinned back, her hand held firmly in Mateo’s grip. On her left ring finger shone a massive, twelve-carat emerald-cut diamond—the Reyes Crown Diamond.
"Mateo," Don Vanci rasped, leaning on his gold-headed cane. "You dare bring an event planner into the High Council chamber? This is sacred ground."
"She isn't an event planner, Dominick," Mateo said coldly, pulling out the head chair for Elise and letting her sit down beside him. "She is my wife. And she holds the title deeds to every single bank account this Council operates."
The four other Dons grumbled nervously, exchanging terrified glances.
Elise set a thick red folder onto the center of the marble table.
"Inside this file," Elise spoke, her voice clear, confident, and sharp as glass, "are digital copies of the Seven Dusts ledger. My father documented every bribe, every wire transfer, and every political execution ordered by this Council since 1990."
Don Vanci’s face turned purple. "You dare threaten us, girl?!"
Mateo reached into his jacket, pulled out a small black remote control, and set it on the table.
"That remote connects to an encrypted cloud server," Mateo stated smoothly. "If my wife’s heart rate exceeds 120 beats per minute due to stress, or if she fails to enter her personal code every twelve hours... the entire ledger is automatically transmitted to the Department of Justice, the IRS, and the New York Times."
The room went completely, terrifyingly quiet.
Don Vanci stared at the remote, then looked at Elise, whose pulse was calm, steady, and unbothered.
May you like
"You..." Vanci gasped, turning to Mateo. "You gave a woman total control over the Commission?!"
"I gave my Queen her throne," Mateo growled, leaning forward, pressing his hands flat against the table. "Effective immediately, the Reyes family withdraws from all illegal narcotics and human trafficking. You will pay a twenty percent tariff on all port shipping lines through our docks. And if anyone so much as looks at my wife the wrong way... she won't just destroy you. She will erase your family from history."
