Chapter 10
The confession spilled from Richard’s bloody lips in a pathetic, hurried rush. He named three senior capos, men who had stood beside Elena’s father for decades, men who had smiled in her face while secretly financing the coup against her.
As each name was spoken, the bright, cinematic light of the ballroom seemed to spotlight the guilty men. The loyal bodyguards, acting on Dominic Cole’s silent hand signals, moved with swift, terrifying efficiency. Before the accused capos could even reach for their concealed weapons, they were violently subdued, forced to the marble floor, and secured with heavy tactical zip-ties.
"You sold out the entire family for a promise of power," Elena said, looking down at Richard with unadulterated disgust. "You are pathetic."
"I gave you the names!" Richard cried out, staring up at her with wild, desperate eyes. "You have your traitors! Now let me and my mother walk out of here!"
"You will walk out of here," Elena agreed coldly. She turned to Dominic. "Strip them of everything. Their properties, their bank accounts, their access codes. I want them dropped at the city limits with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If they ever cross into my territory again, execute them on sight."
"No! Elena, you can't!" Eleanor shrieked from across the room as two massive guards hauled her to her feet, dragging her unceremoniously toward the exit. Her emerald gown was torn, her aristocratic dignity completely shattered. "We are your blood! You cannot leave us destitute!"
"You stopped being my blood the second you touched my daughter," Elena replied, her voice echoing with absolute, unforgivable finality.
As Richard and Eleanor were dragged screaming and pleading out of the grand ballroom, the heavy oak doors finally opened, letting in the cool evening air. The remaining loyal guests and capos stood in absolute, reverent silence. They had witnessed the brutal, surgical removal of a cancer within the organization, and the absolute cementing of Elena Sterling’s unquestionable authority.
"Dominic," Elena said softly, turning her attention back to her most trusted lieutenant.
"Yes, Boss," Dominic replied, stepping forward.
"Clear the room. The party is over," Elena commanded, adjusting her grip on little Lily, who had fallen asleep against her shoulder, exhausted by the trauma of the evening. "And prepare the strike teams. The men Richard named... they were negotiating with the Chicago syndicate. They were planning to hand over the western ports."
Dominic’s jaw tightened. "If Chicago was involved, they will retaliate when they learn their inside men have been purged. They will see this as an act of war."
"It is an act of war," Elena murmured, her cold, sharp eyes looking out over the shattered crystal and ruined decorations. The slightly warm golden ambiance of the room felt like the calm before a devastating storm.
She turned and began walking slowly toward the velvet staircase, carrying her daughter toward the safety of the upper floors. The elegant gold gown trailed behind her, a brilliant splash of color in the chaotic room.
May you like
"Let them come," Elena whispered into the quiet, brightly lit hall, a lethal promise hanging in the air. "By the time I am finished, Chicago will know exactly why the Sterling name is feared."
The purge of her own house was complete, but the true war for the survival of her empire had only just begun.
