Chapter 6 - the bloodline tribunal
Midnight arrived twenty-four hours later under a cold, clear Chicago sky.
The grand dining hall of the Caruso estate was illuminated by dozens of tall silver candles. Sitting along the long mahogany table were twelve senior captains and elder branch bosses from across the Midwest—the supreme ruling council of the syndicate.
Sitting at the head of the table was Dominic Caruso, wearing his dark blue three-piece suit, his posture regal, dark, and unshakeable.
Sitting to his right was Hannah, wearing an elegant dark velvet dress, her brown hair pinned up neatly, looking beautiful and dignified. In her lap sat nine-month-old Grace, wearing a fresh soft orange dress with her silver Saint Christopher medal resting visibly on her chest.
Sitting near the middle of the table, flanked by four armed guards, was Underboss Dante. His face was tense, his hands trembling slightly as he tried to maintain his composed facade.
Don Carmine, the eighty-five-year-old senior patriarch of the council, struck his wooden gavel against the table.
"Don Dominic Caruso has summoned this emergency tribunal," Carmine announced, his raspy voice echoing through the silent hall. "State your claim, Don Dominic."
Dominic stood up slowly from his seat. His towering broad frame commanded the absolute attention of every man in the room.
He reached into his jacket, pulling out a thick folder containing a certified DNA paternity report from the state laboratory alongside Julian's handwritten letter. He tossed the folder into the center of the table.
"Nine months ago, my brother Julian Caruso was assassinated in a staged vehicle accident," Dominic announced, his deep voice carrying a lethal, calm authority. "Before he died, he left behind a daughter—Grace Caruso."
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Gasps rippled softly through the gathered elder captains.
Dominic pointed his finger directly at Dante. "And forty-eight hours ago, Underboss Dante hired a mercenary crew to break into my private suite to murder my brother's child and erase her claim to the Caruso shipping fleet."
