Chapter 6
Victor pushed himself up onto his elbows, wiping the blood from his chin with the back of his hand. He glared up at his niece, his rosy skin flushed with a toxic mixture of humiliation and stubborn pride.
"You think this display makes you look strong?" Victor sneered, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "You think these men respect a mother who dives into a fish pond to save a crying child? They respect power, Valentina. They respect ruthlessness."
"And what is more ruthless than what I am about to do to you, Uncle?" Valentina asked, crossing her arms over her soaked silk blouse.
"You won't kill me," Victor scoffed, attempting a confident smirk that failed to mask his trembling jaw. "I am a made man. I served your father. The commission will not allow you to execute a senior adviser without a formal sit-down."
"This is my city, Victor," Valentina reminded him, her American accent clipping the edges of her words with lethal precision. "I am the commission. And you are a traitor who attempted to assassinate my heir."
"He is not an heir, he is a vulnerability!" Victor shouted, finally losing his temper. "Ever since the boy was born, you have hesitated! You refused the weapons contracts because of the risk! You pulled back from the casino expansions! You are turning this syndicate into a legitimate corporation, and we are losing our teeth!"
"I am turning this syndicate into an empire that cannot be touched by the federal government," Valentina corrected smoothly. "I am building a fortress. You are just too old and too stupid to understand the architecture."
Celeste wept on the floor, clinging to the edge of Victor’s ruined suit jacket. "Tell them, Victor! Tell the capos why we did it! Tell them about the Chicago outfit!"
Valentina’s eyes narrowed. The ambient chatter among the bodyguards ceased entirely. The mention of the Chicago outfit was a massive, unexpected variable.
"What about Chicago?" Valentina demanded, stepping closer to her cousin.
Celeste shrank back, terrified of receiving another blow. "Victor... Victor made a deal. If we removed you, Chicago promised to back our claim to the territory. They promised to double the illicit revenue streams if we let them run their narcotics through our ports."
Valentina stared down at her uncle, the pieces of the puzzle snapping together with chilling clarity. "You sold our ports to the Midwestern cartels. You compromised our borders because you wanted to play kingmaker."
May you like
"I did what was necessary for the family's survival!" Victor spat, blood staining his teeth.
"You did what was necessary for your own greed," Valentina said. She turned to the crowd of wealthy donors and capos. "You all heard the confession. He invited an invading army into our home, and he tried to murder my son to pave their way."
