Chapter 9
The crisp, white pages of the security schematics caught the brilliant daylight as Benedict slowly unfolded them. He scanned the dense, encrypted text, his mind operating at a terrifying, tactical speed. The documents were flawless copies; every patrol route, every guard rotation, and every blind spot of the northern shipping ports was detailed with lethal accuracy. If this had reached Chicago, the Thornmere syndicate would have been slaughtered in their sleep.
"Ten million dollars," Benedict murmured, his deep voice carrying a chilling, philosophical calm. He looked down at Julian, who was bleeding on the marble floor. "You valued the lives of three hundred loyal men at ten million dollars."
"They were going to take the ports anyway!" Julian cried out, spitting blood. "I just wanted to be on the winning side! Chicago is too strong, Benedict! You can't fight them on two fronts!"
"I have fought larger armies with fewer men," Benedict replied coldly. He calmly folded the papers back into perfect squares and slipped them into the inner breast pocket of his tailored suit jacket.
He turned his attention back to Evelina. She was still kneeling on the floor, her sapphire evening gown ruined by her tears and the dust of the floorboards. She looked up at him, a desperate, pathetic hope flickering in her eyes.
"Benedict, you have the papers," Evelina whispered, her voice trembling. "The danger is gone. You stopped it. Please... please just let me leave. I will pack my bags. You will never see me again."
Benedict slowly stepped down from the low presentation platform. He towered over her, his deeply masculine, intimidating presence completely suffocating her.
"You used my daughter," Benedict stated, the words dropping like heavy stones. "You humiliated a three-year-old child in front of my peers to create a distraction. You traumatized my blood."
"I'm sorry!" Evelina sobbed, reaching out to touch his polished leather shoe. "I was panicked! I didn't know what else to do!"
Benedict did not kick her away. He simply stared down at her with eyes that contained absolutely zero mercy.
"An apology does not erase treason," Benedict said softly. He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the two hundred terrified, wealthy guests who were watching the execution of justice. "Let this be an absolute, undeniable lesson to every single person in this room. The Thornmere family does not forgive. We do not forget. And we do not show mercy to those who betray our trust."
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He turned to his lead bodyguard. "Take them both to the warehouse at the docks. Lock them in the soundproof holding cells. I will deal with them personally once the Chicago issue is resolved."
"No! Please! Benedict!" Evelina shrieked hysterically as two guards hauled her to her feet, dragging her backward. Julian struggled violently, but the zip-ties held firm as he was dragged alongside her. Their screams echoed through the bright, beautiful ballroom, a horrifying contrast to the vivid, cheerful colors of the charity reception, until the heavy mahogany doors finally slammed shut behind them, sealing their fate in the dark.
