Chapter 8 - THE COMMISSION’S TRIALThree weeks after the destruction of the Kensington family.
The highest authority in the American underworld convened in a private, subterranean chamber beneath the historic Federal Bank Building in downtown Grayhaven.
This was the Commission of the Seven Kings—the council of the top Don heads from New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia.
In the center of the massive marble chamber sat a horseshoe table where six elderly, cold-faced Don leaders sat, surrounded by fifty elite bodyguards.
In the center of the floor stood Nico Valenti and Brielle Dawson.
Brielle looked striking. She wore a tailored crimson-red trousers suit that hugged her gorgeous, full curves with absolute confidence. The Valenti Lion Signet ring blazed on her right hand, catching the dim candlelight of the chamber.
At the head of the table sat Don Salvatore Lucchese—the ruthless eighty-year-old chairman of the Chicago Syndicate.
"Nico Valenti," Don Salvatore’s raspy voice echoed through the stone chamber. "You were summoned here today because you broke the ancient laws of the Seven Kings."
Nico crossed his arms over his broad chest, standing tall beside Brielle. "Explain how I broke law, Salvatore."
"You crowned a commoner," Salvatore spat, pointing a withered, gold-ringed finger at Brielle. "You gave the Lion Signet of the Valenti bloodline to a woman with no lineage, no mafia standing, and no approval from this council! A woman who served drinks in a public hotel!"
Murmurs of agreement echoed among the other five Dons.
"She is not a mobster’s daughter," the Detroit Don added coldly. "She brings no territory, no army, and no political leverage to the Commission. She is a liability."
Brielle stepped forward, stepping ahead of Nico before he could speak.
The six Dons frowned, surprised by her bold movement.
"You think I bring no territory?" Brielle spoke, her voice ringing clear and authoritative through the massive chamber. "Let me tell you what I bring, Don Salvatore."
She pulled a leather dossier from her arm and tossed it onto the center of the horseshoe table.
"In the three weeks since I took over the Marlowe Grand," Brielle stated coldly, "I restructured the entire labor union network of Grayhaven. Three thousand hotel workers, dock workers, sanitation workers, and pharmacy employees—the people who clean your streets, handle your luggage, and drive your delivery trucks—now answer directly to my private office."
Don Salvatore narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about real power," Brielle smiled—a sharp, brilliant, dangerous smile. "You old men sit in marble rooms thinking guns and cocaine make an empire. But if my three thousand union workers go on strike tomorrow, the city of Chicago stops receiving fuel shipments. The Miami ports close. The New York hotels shut down."
She leaned over the table, looking directly into Don Salvatore’s stunned eyes.
"I didn't need a mob daddy to give me a name," Brielle declared, her voice dropping into pure, iron-clad steel. "I built my territory from the ground up with the hands you called trash. You aren't judging whether I'm worthy of the Lion Ring... you're asking if I will allow you to keep operating in my city."
Dead silence filled the subterranean chamber.
The Miami Don looked down at the dossier, scanning the signed union treaties and shipping logistics that Brielle had organized in twenty-one days.
A slow grin spread across the Miami Don's face. He looked up at Nico.
"Nico... where the hell did you find this woman?" the Miami Don chuckled in amazement. "She has more political brains than all of our captains combined!"
Don Salvatore stared at Brielle for ten agonizing seconds. He looked at her proud, unyielding posture, her gorgeous, full confidence, and the undisputed power radiating from her dark eyes.
Slowly, Don Salvatore stood up from his leather chair.
He raised his glass of red wine.
"To Donnessa Brielle Valenti," Salvatore announced, his voice filled with newfound, deep respect. "The true Queen of Grayhaven."
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One by one, the other five Dons stood up, raising their glasses in unanimous salute.
Nico looked at Brielle, his heart bursting with fierce, blinding love. He reached out, wrapping his iron hand around hers, lifting her hand to press a deep, reverent kiss against the black diamond signet ring.
