Chapter 51 - The Fall of the High Chair
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The silence in the underground vault was thick, heavy, and lethal.
Victoria Sterling, the untouchable queen of the European Syndicate, stumbled backward, her aristocratic composure completely shattered. She looked wildly at the eleven High Chairs who had just surrounded her, their faces masks of pure, murderous betrayal.
"This is a lie!" Victoria shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at me. "The American fabricated those ledgers! She is trying to divide us! Julian, kill them! Kill all of them!"
Julian raised his weapon, but he didn't aim it at me. He slowly turned his pistol and aimed it directly at Victoria’s head.
"I serve the Council, Madam Sterling," Julian said coldly. "Not a thief."
Victoria’s mercenaries immediately lowered their weapons, stepping away from her. In the criminal underworld, loyalty is bought with gold, and I had just proven that Victoria had stolen all of it. She was entirely alone.
"You can't do this!" Victoria begged, tears of rage and desperation spilling over her sharp cheekbones as she looked at her peers. "I built this empire! I kept the authorities out of our business for thirty years! You need me!"
"We needed a leader, Victoria," the Italian boss spat, stepping forward. "Not a parasite."
I walked slowly across the polished concrete floor, stopping mere inches from the woman who had ordered the murder of my parents. She looked pathetic, stripped of her power and her illusions.
"You told me it was time I claimed my mother's legacy," I whispered softly, so only she could hear. "Thank you for the invitation."
Victoria trembled, her eyes wide with terror. "Emily, please... I can give you everything. I can make you the richest woman in the world."
"I already am," I replied.
I raised my suppressed 9mm pistol and fired a single round into her chest.
Victoria gasped, her eyes going wide with shock. She stumbled backward, crashing into a stack of steel safety deposit boxes before sliding to the cold floor, dead.
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I didn't blink. I slowly holstered my weapon and turned to face the eleven High Chairs. They stood in stunned silence, witnessing the brutal efficiency of the new regime.
"The American and European Syndicates are no longer divided," I declared, my voice echoing through the vault. "I claim my mother's seat. Does anyone object?"
