Chapter 10 - Breaking the Chains
The silence in the grand foyer was suffocating.
Vincent Vance whirled around to face his daughter, his face turning an apoplectic shade of purple. "You fool... what did you put on that drive?!"
"It... it wasn't me, Papa!" Genevieve stammered, terror completely shattering her composure. "She’s lying! The maid planted it!"
"The maid didn't authorize a three-million-dollar wire from the Vance offshore shell company to Rossi’s mercenaries," Damian said, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper. "You sold my supply routes. You gave them the coordinates to my sister's safe house in Vermont. You planned to wipe out the Hail bloodline and claim the port authorities under Vance jurisdiction."
Vincent Vance reached for the firearm tucked beneath his tailored coat.
He was too slow.
In a split second, the shadows of the upper balconies erupted. Twelve red laser dots painted Vincent’s chest and Genevieve’s forehead. The click of a dozen assault rifles cocking in unison echoed off the marble walls like a death knell.
"Make a move, Vincent," Damian whispered, his eyes gleaming with absolute dominance. "Give me an excuse to end your bloodline before breakfast."
Vincent’s hand froze. Slowly, carefully, he raised his empty hands into the air, sweat beading along his receding hairline.
"Damian... let's talk," Vincent pleaded, his bravado entirely crushed. "We can renegotiate. Genevieve was foolish, she was misguided—"
"Genevieve poured wine on my guest," Damian said coldly, glancing upward toward the mezzanine where Marin stood watching. "And she threatened a sick child under my protection."
Damian signaled his head of security. "Disarm them. Confiscate their passports, freeze their domestic assets, and escort them to the city line. If I catch a single Vance associate within fifty miles of this estate by nightfall, shoot them."
Genevieve began to weep hysterically as the guards ripped her designer purse away and shoved her father toward the massive iron doors. As she was dragged out, she cast one last look up at Marin—a look of pure, venomous shock that an invisible servant girl had orchestrated the complete downfall of an empire.
The heavy mahogany doors slammed shut.
May you like
Silence reclaimed the Hail estate. Damian stood amidst the remnants of the fallen dynasty, then turned his gaze upward, meeting Marin’s wide, astonished eyes.
"Come down, Marin," Damian said softly. "Your sister is out of surgery."
