Chapter 9
Julian hurried over to Avice, dropping to one knee on the carpet. He gently draped his tailored tuxedo jacket over her small shoulders, shielding her from the cold air conditioning of the museum. Avice looked up at him, her bright blue eyes searching his face for reassurance.
"I'm sorry, Avice," Julian whispered, tears of profound shame welling in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you."
Avice didn't answer him. She looked past her father, her gaze fixing entirely on Cesare. The Mafia boss gave her a slow, barely perceptible nod of comfort, a silent promise that the monsters in the room had been defeated.
"Now," Cesare said, turning his attention back to the conspirators. "We clean up the mess."
He gestured to the heavy-set bodyguards blocking the exits. "Take Ethan and Vanessa to the subterranean holding cells beneath the estate. They will remain there until their father signs over his remaining assets to the Lombardi family. If he refuses. Send him his son's hands."
"No! Please!" Vanessa shrieked as two massive guards grabbed her by the arms, dragging her away from the aquarium wall. "Julian, help me! Do something!"
Julian stood up, holding Avice's hand tightly. He did not look at Vanessa. He kept his eyes locked respectfully on his father.
"Dom," Ethan growled as he was hauled to his feet by his collar, blood dripping onto his shoes. "You're starting a war you can't finish."
"The war is already over, Ethan," Cesare said quietly. "You just haven't bled out yet."
As the Cole siblings were dragged out of the donor lounge, their screams echoing down the corridor, Cesare turned his cold, intimidating eyes to his sister. Diane was still sitting on the floor, clutching the remnants of her broken pearl necklace, her elegant gala gown covered in dust and foam coral.
"Cesare," Diane pleaded, her aristocratic arrogance completely shattered, replaced by the pathetic whimpering of a cornered animal. "I am your sister. We share the same blood."
"You share my blood. But you do not share my loyalty," Cesare said, stepping closer to her. "You conspired to sell our legacy to outsiders. You attacked an innocent child. You are a disgrace. To the Lombardi name."
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"What are you going to do with me?" Diane asked, her voice a terrified whisper.
"You are going to a secure facility. In upstate New York," Cesare stated. "You will have no phone. No internet. And no visitors. You will spend the rest of your natural life in isolation, contemplating the true cost of your greed."
