Chapter 10
The freezing wind howled through the stacks of shipping containers, drowning out the pathetic, ragged sobs of Robert Ashford as he knelt on the cold concrete of Pier 4. Surrounded by heavily armed men, the former patriarch of the Ashford family looked like a broken, discarded piece of trash—a stark, ironic contrast to the elegant, arrogant man who had handed Josephine a battered toy just days ago.
Bennett stood perfectly still, looking down at his grandfather. The cold, cinematic lighting cast deep shadows across his handsome, angular face, highlighting the sheer, terrifying authority he wielded. He didn't feel a shred of pity.
"You wanted to sell my location to Moretti," Bennett stated flatly, his voice slicing through the wind. "You intended to have me murdered so you could reclaim the accounts I froze."
"No! I was just... I was desperate, Bennett!" Robert pleaded, his voice cracking horribly as tears streamed down his weathered face. "I didn't want you dead! I just wanted my money back! I wanted my house back!"
"Your house is currently being seized by the federal government," Bennett informed him with absolute, icy detachment. "Marcus finalized the anonymous tip regarding the illegal casino funds an hour ago. Clara is being investigated for wire fraud. Silas will be arrested the moment he leaves the hospital. I didn't just take your money, Robert. I dismantled your entire existence."
Robert stared up at him in absolute, unadulterated horror. "You... you are a monster."
"I am exactly what you trained me to be," Bennett replied smoothly. "You just never believed I would aim the weapon at you."
Bennett took a slow step backward, signaling to his men. The armed guards stepped forward, grabbing the sobbing old man roughly by the arms and hauling him to his feet.
"What are you doing?!" Robert shrieked, struggling uselessly against their iron grips. "Where are you taking me?! Bennett, please! Don't kill me!"
"I'm not going to kill you, Robert," Bennett said softly, his deep, piercing eyes locking onto the terrified man one final time. "Death is too quick. Death offers peace. You don't deserve peace."
Bennett turned his back on his grandfather and began walking toward his waiting SUV.
"We booked you a one-way ticket on a cargo freighter bound for a very remote, very hostile port in South America," Bennett called over his shoulder, not bothering to look back. "You will be working in the engine room to pay off the debt you owe me. You will spend the rest of your miserable life sweating in the dark, entirely forgotten."
"No! You can't do this! I am an Ashford!" Robert screamed hysterically as the men began dragging him toward a waiting transport container nearby.
"Not anymore," Bennett whispered to himself.
He slid into the back seat of the heavily armored SUV, shutting the heavy door and completely cutting off the sounds of his grandfather's terrified screams. The vehicle immediately began to roll forward, leaving the desolate docks behind and heading back toward the glittering skyline of the city.
The war was over. The toxic, rotting roots of his family tree had been entirely ripped out and burned to ash.
Bennett leaned back against the plush leather seating, pulling out his secure smartphone. He tapped a single button, connecting directly to the nanny back at the penthouse.
"Is she awake?" Bennett asked softly, his voice instantly shedding the lethal, cold authority of the Mafia boss, replaced entirely by the warmth of a devoted father.
"She just woke up, Mr. Ashford," the nanny replied brightly. "She's asking for you. She wants to play with the new dollhouse."
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"Tell her I'm on my way up," Bennett smiled genuinely, looking out the tinted window at the city he now entirely controlled. "Tell her Daddy is coming home."
The SUV merged onto the highway, speeding toward the future he had ruthlessly secured. He had broken an empire to protect his daughter, and he was prepared to break a thousand more to ensure she never shed another tear.
