Chapter 9
"He will kill you!" Serena pleaded, reaching out to grasp the edge of a polished walnut console. "I am the only thing keeping the peace between our families! You cannot back out now without causing a massive war!"
"Do you expect me to harbor a traitor under my roof to appease a shipping magnate?" Adrian asked.
He slowly swept his gaze across the room, taking in the numerous capos, donors, and relatives standing frozen among the burgundy velvet sofas. His eyes locked onto Vincent, his most trusted lieutenant.
"Have you all finished your champagne?" Adrian asked the room at large.
It was phrased as a polite question, but the command hidden within it was unmistakable and absolute.
Guests practically scrambled toward the exits. There were no polite farewells, no lingering handshakes. Men in tailored suits and women in expensive evening gowns fled the bright, elegant room with frantic urgency, eager to escape the blast radius of Adrian Cross’s wrath.
"What are you doing?!" Serena shrieked, watching her audience, her leverage, and her protection sprint for the heavy mahogany doors. "You can't just dismiss them! My family's capos are in this room!"
The men loyal to the Vale family did not stay. They took one look at the cold, calculating fury in Adrian's eyes and the armed men loyal to the Cross syndicate stepping out from the shadows, and they ran just as fast as the civilians.
Within ninety seconds, the expansive grand salon was completely empty, save for Adrian, Serena, Clara, Finn, and four heavily armed Cross bodyguards.
The heavy mahogany doors slammed shut, sealing the room and locking Serena inside with her greatest nightmare.
"Vincent," Adrian said, his eyes locked on his former fiancée. "Will you come to the salon and escort Miss Vale to the holding cells beneath the east wing immediately?"
"Yes, Boss," Vincent replied, stepping forward from the shadows.
"And Vincent," Adrian added, his voice dropping into a gravelly whisper. "Dispatch a strike team to locate my brother. Bring Evan to me. Alive."
Adrian lowered his gaze and looked at the broken socialite one last time.
"Have you finally realized the price of your ambition, Serena?" Adrian asked softly, as Vincent and another massive security guard in dark suits marched forward.
They hauled Serena roughly to her feet. She shrieked, thrashing wildly against their iron grip, but they were unyielding.
"You will regret this, Adrian!" she screamed as they dragged her backward toward the doors. "You will all burn for this!"
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"Will you convey my deepest regards to your father when I send him the pieces of his syndicate?" Adrian asked quietly, watching the doors slam shut.
The profound, ringing silence of the grand salon settled heavily over the remaining figures. The cascading crystal chandeliers continued to cast their warm golden light over the discarded envelope and the towering Christmas tree. The opulent space, designed for celebration, now felt entirely different—it was a war room.
