Chapter 7 - Ashes of the EmpireBy midnight, the white roses had been trampled into the mud, crushed beneath the boots of my enforcers as they scrubbed the courtyard clean of blood and shattered glass.
The wedding of the century was gone, replaced by a ruthless corporate purge.
Inside my private study, the air smelled of scotch, old leather, and gunpowder. I stood by floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the sprawling estate as the Atlantic waves crashed against the cliffs in the distance.
The door opened softly, and Marco stepped inside, laying a thick stack of finalized asset-transfer documents on my mahogany desk.
"Julian’s faction has been completely dismantled," Marco reported crisply. "His capos in Brooklyn surrendered without a fight once they realized their bank accounts were wiped out. As for Isabella... she's currently locked in the lower holding cells, awaiting transport to our holding facility in Sicily."
"And my mother?" I asked without turning around.
"On a private flight to Zurich. Her assets have been frozen, and her security detail answers exclusively to me. She will live out her days in absolute comfort, but she will never touch a single cent of Moretti money again."
I nodded slowly, taking a measured sip of my single malt scotch.
The empire was mine—entirely, unconditionally mine. No traitors in the ranks, no plotting brides, no hidden daggers waiting in the dark.
"What about the housekeeper and her daughter?" Marco asked, hesitating for a fraction of a second. "Sophia requested permission to leave the estate by morning. She says she wants to start over somewhere far away from New York."
I turned away from the window and walked over to my desk. I picked up a thick envelope filled with un-laundered, untraceable bearer bonds—enough money to buy a sprawling estate anywhere in the world, free and clear of the underworld's shadow.
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"Tell her she has my personal protection for the rest of her life," I said, handing the envelope to Marco. "And make sure she gets a secure transport to the Canadian border by sunrise. Nobody touches a woman who gave her child a voice when everyone else was too cowardly to speak."
Marco took the envelope, a rare nod of respect crossing his rugged features. "Consider it done, Boss."
