Chapter 4 - The Serpent's NestAt eleven o'clock the following morning, the top floor of the Rossi Tower in Midtown Manhattan was packed with sixteen regional syndicate bosses, corporate lawyers, and corrupt politicians.
At the head of the long obsidian conference table sat Dominic Vance—my late wife’s uncle and the chief financial officer of the Rossi empire.
Beside him stood Dr. Julian Halloran, wearing a pristine white suit, looking like a man who had just won the lottery.
"Gentlemen," Dominic announced, tapping his pen against a crystal glass to silence the room. "As you are all aware, a tragic fire swept through the Long Island estate last night. Our beloved leader, Lorenzo Rossi, and his infant son have perished."
A few fake groans of sympathy echoed around the table.
"Therefore," Dominic continued, sliding a thick stack of legal documents across the table, "according to our bylaws, all assets of the Rossi estate will be liquidated and distributed among the senior capos, effective immediately."
"Is the ink even dry on the death certificates, Dominic?" a loyal capo named Franco challenged, standing up from his seat. "Lorenzo’s body hasn't even been identified!"
"The mansion was completely destroyed, Franco!" Julian chimed in smugly. "No one could have survived that blaze. The baby was already dying—"
BOOM.
The heavy, double mahogany doors of the boardroom exploded inward off their brass hinges, shattering into splinters as two heavy bodies were thrown across the polished floor.
Six armed guards stood in the doorway, their assault rifles raised, forming a perimeter.
Stepping through the smoke came I, Lorenzo Rossi, wearing a tailored charcoal three-piece suit, my hands buried casually in my pockets.
Beside me walked Hunter, wearing a sharp, tailored black dress, holding Leo securely against her chest in a custom bulletproof baby carrier. Behind us stood twenty of my most loyal soldiers, armed to the teeth.
The entire boardroom froze in absolute, paralyzing shock.
Dominic’s face turned as white as a bedsheet. Julian gasped, stumbling backward against the floor-to-ceiling windows, knocking his chair over.
"L-Lorenzo..." Dominic sputtered, his hands shaking violently. "You're... you're alive!"
"You sound disappointed, Uncle Dominic," I said smoothly, stepping into the room with a slow, measured cadence.
I walked to the head of the table, taking my seat at the head of the empire, while Hunter stood calmly at my right hand, her presence imposing and unbreakable.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Julian shrieked, backing away. "This woman is just a maid! She has no standing here!"
"This 'maid,'" I said, my voice echoing like thunder across the room, "saved the life of the sole heir to the Rossi empire. While you, Dr. Halloran, were slipping paralytic poison into my son’s bottles on the orders of my wife’s uncle."
"That's a lie!" Dominic screamed, standing up. "He has no proof!"
I gestured to Mateo, who stepped forward and tossed a heavy tablet onto the center of the glass table.
A video played automatically—a high-definition recording taken from a hidden camera inside Julian's private laboratory, showing Dominic handing Julian three million dollars in offshore bearer bonds in exchange for the infant paralytic formula.
The room erupted into furious shouts. Franco and four other loyal capos drew their sidearms, pointing them directly at Dominic and Julian's heads.
"You betrayed your own blood, Dominic," I said quietly, leaning back in my chair. "You killed my wife by placing that bomb under her car, hoping to take my chair. And when my son survived, you tried to starve him to death."
"Lorenzo, please!" Dominic dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "It wasn't just me! The Whitlock shipping family backed the deal! They forced my hand!"
"The Whitlocks have already been taken care of," I replied coldly. "Mateo, clear the room."
Within two minutes, every regional boss had been escorted out, leaving only Dominic, Julian, and my personal enforcers.
"What are you going to do to us?" Julian wept, cowering on the floor.
I looked at Hunter, whose face was stoic, her eyes burning with a righteous anger for the baby she had saved.
"Hunter," I said gently, looking up at her. "What should I do with the men who tried to kill our son?"
She looked down at Julian, then at Dominic, her voice dropping into a quiet, chilling register.
May you like
"Give them the same mercy they gave a two-month-old baby," she said.
I nodded once to my enforcers. "Take them down to the docks."
Related Stories
