Chapter 13
New York City was a thunderstorm of concrete and steel, a stark, jarring contrast to the peaceful vineyards of Tuscany. Julian Rossi stepped out of his black, armored SUV in front of the towering glass skyscraper that housed the global headquarters of Rossi Enterprises. The relentless rain pounded against the pavement, matching the dark, turbulent storm brewing inside him.
He was flanked by four heavily armed private security contractors, but Julian walked with a lethal grace that made him the most dangerous man in the city.
He bypassed the grand lobby, taking the private executive elevator directly to the top floor. The doors slid open to reveal a frantic scene. Analysts and lawyers were scrambling around the glass-walled conference room, surrounded by glowing monitors displaying plummeting stock graphs and hostile acquisition alerts.
Marcus stepped forward to meet him, looking completely exhausted.
"Report," Julian demanded, tossing his wet overcoat onto a leather chair.
"It’s a shell company called Apex Holdings," Marcus said, handing Julian a thick, encrypted tablet. "In the last forty-eight hours, they’ve aggressively bought up fifty-one percent of the debt tied to three of our most lucrative international resorts. They are preparing to force a massive liquidation."
"Who is the CEO of Apex?" Julian asked, swiping through the financial data.
"A ghost," Marcus replied grimly. "The name on the registry is Lorenzo Costa. He’s an Italian billionaire with deep ties to the European underworld. He operates exclusively in the shadows. He’s ruthless, Julian. And he has never shown an interest in hospitality before."
Julian stared at the name on the screen. Lorenzo Costa. The pieces were finally coming together.
"It’s a proxy war," Julian concluded, his eyes narrowing with lethal intent. "Camila couldn't beat me in the boardroom, so she made a deal with the devil. She gave Lorenzo the internal financial blueprints to the Alcazar empire in exchange for a cut of the liquidation."
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"What’s our play, sir?" Marcus asked, the rest of the executive team pausing to listen to their CEO.
"We don't play defense," Julian said, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "We find Lorenzo Costa’s primary revenue stream. And we burn it to the ground."
