Chapter 7 - The Declaration of War
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The conference room inside the Romano syndicate's heavily fortified headquarters smelled of stale cigar smoke and impending violence.
Arthur sat at the head of the massive mahogany table. His bloody shirt had been replaced by a crisp black turtleneck, but the lethal energy radiating from him was palpable.
His five highest-ranking capos sat around the table, looking incredibly nervous.
“Leo tested the wine from the altar,” Arthur announced, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly calm register. “It contained a concentrated, lethal dose of ricin. Malcolm Croft intended to murder me in front of a thousand witnesses and seize our ports by sunrise.”
The capos erupted into angry shouts, slamming their fists on the table.
“We burn them to the ground, Boss!” one capo roared.
“We hit their warehouses tonight!” another agreed.
Arthur raised his hand. The room fell instantly silent.
“We will tear the Croft empire apart brick by brick,” Arthur agreed coldly. “But there is another matter we must address.”
He stood up, looking at each of his men with absolute, uncompromising authority.
“The woman who crashed the wedding today is Chloe Henderson. She is not a distraction. She is not collateral damage. She is carrying my child.”
A heavy silence descended upon the room. The men exchanged uneasy glances.
“Boss,” an older capo named Vincenzo started carefully. “With all due respect, acknowledging a civilian mistress and a bastard child right now... it makes you look vulnerable. The other families will view her as a target.”
Arthur pulled his sidearm from his shoulder holster and slammed it onto the table. The loud crack made Vincenzo flinch.
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“She is not my mistress, and my child is not a bastard,” Arthur snarled, his eyes burning with absolute dominance. “She is the future Queen of this syndicate. Any man who questions her place, or fails to protect her with his life, will answer to my gun. Are we clear?”
“Crystal clear, Boss,” the men murmured in unison.
