Chapter 9
The luminous, airy warmth of the dining room offered no solace to the socialite as her empire crumbled. Sabrina sobbed uncontrollably, her face twisted in a mixture of fear and entitlement, her diamond engagement ring catching the bright light in a mocking display of failed ambition.
"He will kill you!" Sabrina pleaded, reaching out to grasp the edge of the carved walnut table. "I am going to be your wife, Rafael! We signed the contracts! You cannot back out now without causing a massive war! You need the Voss family!"
Rafael looked at the trembling woman clinging to the table. He felt absolutely nothing for her. The affection he had feigned for the sake of the syndicate merger evaporated instantly, leaving behind a cold, calculating void that craved only survival and absolute retribution.
"Do you expect me to harbor a child abuser under my roof to appease a shipping magnate?" Rafael asked smoothly, his voice echoing off the cream marble columns.
He didn't wait for her to answer. He reached into his tailored jacket and retrieved a sleek, encrypted smartphone. He dialed a single digit and pressed the phone to his ear. The small artistic tattoo above his collar shifted seamlessly with the movement.
"Are my security details stationed at the outer doors?" Rafael asked into the receiver, his eyes locked on his former fiancée. "Will you come to the dining room and escort Miss Voss to the holding cells beneath the east wing immediately?"
He lowered the phone, the metallic click of the device snapping shut echoing loudly.
"Have you finally realized the price of your ambition, Sabrina?" Rafael asked softly.
"You can't put me in a cell!" Sabrina shrieked, scrambling backward in her velvet chair, nearly tipping it over on the marble floor. "I am a Voss! I am untouchable!"
The heavy mahogany doors of the dining room burst open. Two massive security guards in dark suits entered the room. They marched forward without a word, hauling Sabrina roughly to her feet. She shrieked, thrashing wildly against their iron grip, kicking her expensive heels against their shins, but they were unyielding.
"You will regret this, Rafael!" she screamed as they dragged her backward toward the doors. "You will all burn for this! My father will mount your head on a spike, and he will gut that little maid!"
"Will you convey my deepest regards to your father when I send him the pieces of his syndicate?" Rafael asked quietly, his voice a low, vibrating rumble.
He watched in silence as the heavy mahogany doors slammed shut behind her, severing the alliance and guaranteeing a bloody mafia war. The room was finally quiet again.
Rafael slowly swept his gaze across the room, taking in the numerous capos and donors sitting frozen at the long banquet table.
"The alliance with the Voss family is dissolved," Rafael announced, his deep voice carrying effortlessly. "Any man or woman in this room who harbors sympathy for them, or questions my judgment today, should walk out those doors right now. If you stay, you stand with me in the war to come. There is no middle ground."
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No one moved. Not a single person stepped toward the exit. The display of absolute power, and the terrifying calm with which Rafael had handled the betrayal, solidified their loyalty instantly.
"Good," Rafael murmured. "Secure the perimeter. The dinner is over."
