Chapter 9 - The Gathering of the Syndicate
The lobby of the Swiss consulate fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Lord Sterling’s hands shook violently as he read the lines of Italian script. "This... this cannot be legal..."
"It is fully legal, Sterling," Agatha stated coldly, stepping up beside the desk. "When Carmine realized I had delivered twins, he did not strip Vivienne of her rights out of cruelty. He created a private trust in Zurich that accumulated twenty percent of all Ravelli global profits every year for forty years."
Dominic looked at his sister Vivienne, his voice deep and solemn. "You were never denied your inheritance, Vivienne. Carmine deposited forty million dollars into an escrow account registered in your birth name. You were granted full financial independence the day you turned twenty-one."
Vivienne gasped, her jaw dropping open in absolute, stunned horror. "Forty... forty million dollars?"
"Yes," Agatha said, tears glistening in her eyes. "Carmine wanted to protect you from the violence of the syndicate life. He wanted you to live as a free woman in Chicago, away from the blood and the guns. But you chose to come back as an enemy."
Vivienne backed away against the glass wall, her eyes wide as the sheer weight of her thirty-year mistake crashed down upon her. She hadn't been cast out—she had been protected and made immensely wealthy by the very father she had hated her entire life!
Lord Sterling realized his political leverage had vanished completely. In a desperate, cowardly move, Sterling reached into his coat, drawing a concealed sidearm aimed directly at Agatha!
"If I can't have the shipping lines, nobody gets them!" Sterling roared.
CRACK!
Before Sterling could pull the trigger, a single precise shot echoed through the glass lobby.
Dominic had drawn his heavy sidearm with blinding speed. The round struck Sterling’s wrist, sending his weapon spinning across the marble floor as Sterling collapsed onto his knees, clutching his bleeding hand in agony.
Frank and the Ravelli vanguard swept into the lobby, disarming Sterling’s twelve mercenaries within five seconds without firing another shot.
Dominic walked slowly up to Lord Sterling, standing over the groveling crime lord like an undisputed king.
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"The Ravelli empire doesn't break for European vultures, Sterling," Dominic whispered, his voice cold as ice.
Dominic turned to Frank. "Hand Lord Sterling and his team over to the federal prosecutor's office. The European board is officially severed from our territory."
