Chapter 9 - the crown from palermo
Victor took the black leather envelope, breaking the heavy red wax seal with his thumb. He pulled out a single sheet of thick parchment written in fine, elegant Italian script.
Clara watched her brother's face as he read the lines. She saw his relaxed expression instantly vanish, replaced by the terrifying, razor-sharp focus of a battle-hardened boss.
"Victor?" Clara asked softly, her brows furrowing with concern. "What is it?"
Victor slowly translated the Italian text aloud, his voice low and deep:
"To Victor and Clara Bellucci: You have cleaned your house in Chicago, but the blood debt of your father's first alliance in Palermo remains unpaid. The High Council of Sicily claims fifty percent of your foundation's assets by right of the old crown."
Marcus drew a sharp breath. "The High Council? They haven't made a claim on American territory in thirty years!"
"My father's political marriage thirty years ago wasn't just with a local Chicago family," Victor realized, his jaw setting like iron. "It was backed by the Palermo syndicate. When he annulled that marriage to stay with your mother, Clara... he defaulted on a multi-million-dollar blood debt to Sicily."
Clara stood up from her chair, her eyes wide with shock. "They want to destroy the foundation?"
"They want to take everything our father built," Victor corrected her, rising to his full height, his broad frame blocking the morning sun.
May you like
He folded the parchment and placed it into his coat pocket, looking down at his sister with unshakeable resolve.
"I spent my whole life protecting this family's territory, Clara," Victor said, his voice echoing like thunder over the quiet garden. "I won't let a syndicate across the ocean touch what belongs to you."
