Chapter 11 - The Shadow of the Syndicate
The transformation from Zayden Ferris to Gabriel Vance came with wealth, security, and a quiet relief that my family was finally out of danger. Or so I believed.
Three months after Carmen was sentenced to fifty-four years in prison, I took over full management of the Vance Estate. Grandview Tower was thriving, its residents blissfully unaware of the dark history locked away in its blueprint. Jessica’s hands had healed, and Olivia’s night terrors were fading into distant memories.
Then came the black envelope.
I arrived at my executive office on the top floor of Grandview Tower on a rainy Tuesday morning. Sitting directly on my desk was a unmarked black envelope sealed with red wax. Inside was a single high-resolution photograph: Olivia playing on the elementary school jungle gym, framed through a high-powered sniper lens.
On the back of the photo, a message was written in sharp silver ink:
“Carmen owed us 5 million dollars. You inherited her estate, her son’s name, and her debts. You have 72 hours to deliver the master ledger from the subterranean vault, or your daughter’s blood will wash away your mother’s sins. — V.S.”
My hands shook as I dropped the photo. V.S.—Victor Sterling.
Detective Marcus Vance had warned me about Sterling months ago. He was the shadow figure behind the illegal gambling network Carmen had frequented—a ruthless cartel boss who operated out of the criminal undergrounds of Chicago and Phoenix. Carmen hadn't just owed money to local loan sharks; she had pledged the Vance Estate deeds as collateral for a high-stakes illegal narcotics operation.
Before I could dial Marcus, my private office phone rang.
"Mr. Vance," a deep, raspy voice purred through the receiver. "I see you’ve received my gift."
May you like
"If you touch my daughter, I will burn your world to the ground," I growled, my pulse hammering in my throat.
"Carmen didn't tell you, did she?" Sterling chuckled softly, a sound like dry autumn leaves scraping across concrete. "She didn't just steal you from the hospital nursery thirty-four years ago. She stole something else from your biological mother’s vault—a encrypted drive containing the entire financial network of the Sterling Syndicate. Give me the drive, Gabriel, or watch your family crumble all over again."
