Chapter 19 - The Warning
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Dad pulled a heavy silver revolver from his waistband and pressed the barrel directly against Arthur’s forehead.
"She is not a part of this world," Dad snarled, the hammer of the gun clicking back with a sharp, metallic snap. "I built the legitimate front so she could live in the light. She is not taking the oath, Arthur. Tell the council they can choke on it."
Arthur didn't flinch, even with the steel pressed between his eyes. "You can't protect her forever, Abraham. You're getting old. The wolves are already circling. Brandon was a coward, trying to steal a buyout and run. But the council will send real men next time. Men who won't bother asking for a signature."
Arthur slowly reached out and tapped the black envelope resting on the table.
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"The envelope contains the master ledger," Arthur said, looking past my father to meet my eyes. "Names, accounts, politicians, judges. The keys to the entire underworld of the Eastern Seaboard. If you open it, Emily, the oath is sealed. You become the head of the family. You command the army. And you decide what happens to everyone in this room tonight."
"Emily, don't touch it," Dad pleaded, his voice cracking with desperate, paternal grief. The feared mafia boss looked suddenly fragile, a father watching his daughter stand on the edge of a bottomless cliff. "If you open that, your life as you know it is over. You can never go back. I will kill Brandon, we will bury this night, and you can walk away clean. Just leave it."
