Chapter 4 - The Gathering of ShadowsWhile my family slept peacefully in the penthouse, the underground networks of New York were in a state of absolute, chaotic war.
Victoria Lane’s father—Victor Lane, a ruthless shipping baron who controlled the city's secondary customs docks—was consumed by blind, murderous rage over the public cancellation of his daughter's engagement.
At 2:00 AM, inside a private cigar lounge in Meatpacking District, Victor Lane sat across from two senior captains of the rival Moretti syndicate.
"Alexander Ashford humiliated my blood in front of three hundred people!" Victor spat, slamming his crystal glass onto the mahogany table. "He threw my daughter out of his hotel for a twenty-six-year-old Filipina maid!"
"The maid isn't just a maid, Victor," one of the Moretti captains warned, leaning forward. "Word from the Ashford ballroom says she's the daughter of Miguel Reyes. She uses the Quiet Current."
Victor Lane let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "I don't care if she uses magic! She's a nobody! Her family lives in a basement in Queens!"
He pulled out an encrypted satellite phone, tapping the screen aggressively.
"Alexander set up a private medical team for her brother at Mount Sinai," Victor revealed, a cruel, yellow-toothed smile spreading across his face. "And her mother is staying at the Ashford penthouse. If we take the girl and her brother tonight... Alexander will hand over the Brooklyn shipping terminals by morning."
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The Moretti captain hesitated. "Striking an Ashford target on hotel property is total war, Victor. Don Carmine Vance protected that girl tonight."
"Don Carmine is an old man sitting in a wheelchair!" Victor sneered, standing up from the table, his eyes burning with toxic, unadulterated venom. "Tell your men to mobilize near the south service entrance of the hotel. We take the maid at 4:00 AM."
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