Chapter 30
"I do not respond well to threats, Don Valerius," Alessandra replied smoothly, her voice a terrifying anchor of absolute authority. "My shipping lanes belong to my family. They are not open for negotiation."
"Everything is open for negotiation, Alessandra," Valerius chuckled darkly. "You have secured your throne, but you are playing in a much larger arena now. We expect you in Palermo. Do not disappoint us."
The line went dead with a hollow click.
Alessandra slowly lowered the phone, her pretty, adorable features carved into a mask of pure, unforgiving ice. She placed the device on the mahogany table and looked out the massive windows of the dining room.
"Trouble, Boss?" Silas asked, reading the dangerous shift in her posture.
"The Sicilian Commission is demanding a summit in Palermo," Alessandra stated, her American accent returning, sharp and lethal. "They want a piece of our shipping lanes, and they are threatening war if we refuse."
Silas tightened his jaw. "Going to Sicily is highly dangerous. It’s their territory, their rules. They could easily orchestrate an assassination."
"They could try," Alessandra said, a microscopic, terrifying smile touching her lips. "But they are making the same mistake Morreti and Julian made. They assume that because I am a mother, I am vulnerable. They assume that because I purged my family, I am weak."
She turned away from the window, the luxurious sapphire fabric of her dress flowing elegantly around her. She walked toward the heavy oak doors, exuding a quiet but terrifying air of total dominance.
"Prepare the private jet for a transatlantic flight, Silas," Alessandra commanded, her dark eyes flashing with a fierce, sociopathic detachment. "And mobilize the elite strike teams. We are going to Palermo."
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"Understood, Boss," Silas nodded. "What are your orders regarding the summit?"
"We are not going to negotiate, Silas," Alessandra whispered, her voice echoing off the framed family portraits, a lethal promise to anyone who dared challenge her reign. "We are going to show the old country exactly what a new Queen looks like."
