Chapter 9 - THE COMMISSION (THE RESOLUTION)
The Grand Ballroom of the Continental was a cavern of mahogany and cigar smoke.
Twelve of the most powerful syndicate bosses in the country sat around a massive circular table.
Vanessa stood at the head of the room, looking triumphant in a black mourning dress. She placed the forged marriage certificate and a fake will on the table.
"As you all know, my beloved fiancé Luca perished in a tragic fire," Vanessa said, wiping a perfectly manufactured tear. "His last wish was for the Bellini family to merge with the Morettis under my leadership."
The eldest Don, a man named Falcone, frowned. "And the original succession document?"
"Burned in the fire," Vanessa lied seamlessly.
The heavy oak doors of the ballroom suddenly shattered open.
Every bodyguard in the room reached for their weapons.
Luca walked in, covered in soot, wearing the chauffeur's jacket, looking like a demon returning from hell.
I walked right behind him.
"Luca!" Vanessa screamed, stepping back so fast she nearly tripped over her heels. Her face lost every ounce of color.
"Sit down, Vanessa," Luca commanded. His voice boomed through the room, vibrating with absolute authority.
He threw the blood-stained ferry ticket and the Bellini ledger onto the center of the table.
"The Bellini family ordered the hit on my parents thirty-one years ago," Luca announced to the stunned Dons. "Vanessa tried to burn me alive in my own carriage house to cover it up. And she is currently holding a six-year-old boy hostage in a hotel suite upstairs."
Falcone picked up the ledger. He flipped through the pages. The evidence was irrefutable.
Vanessa lunged for the table, desperate and feral. "He's lying! He’s an imposter! He doesn't have the Ring of Succession!"
I stepped out from behind Luca.
I walked directly up to the table. I didn't flinch as twenty guns were pointed in my direction.
I reached into my pocket and slammed the heavy gold Moretti family heirloom ring onto the polished mahogany.
The clack echoed like a gunshot.
"My mother was Elena Moretti," I said, my voice ringing clear and steady. "She saved his life. She kept the ring safe. And if anyone in this room tries to validate this woman's claim, you declare war on the true bloodline."
Falcone stared at the ring. Then he looked at my face.
"She has Elena's eyes," he whispered to the man next to him.
Falcone stood up. He looked at Vanessa with utter disgust.
"Take her," Falcone ordered his men.
"No! You can't!" Vanessa shrieked as two massive guards grabbed her arms. She thrashed and kicked, her dignity completely shattered, her perfect mask destroyed. She was dragged out of the ballroom, screaming obscenities until the doors closed behind her.
Luca didn't waste another second.
He ran to the service elevator. I followed close behind. We rode it to the top floor where the GPS tracker showed Daniel.
We burst into the suite.
Daniel had already neutralized the two Bellini guards. He was sitting on the couch, letting Toby play a game on his phone.
"Mommy!" Toby yelled, dropping the phone and running into my arms.
I buried my face in his hair, sobbing with pure relief. He was safe. He was unharmed.
I looked up through my tears. Luca was standing there, watching us with a softness I had never seen in him before.
May you like
He walked over and knelt beside us, wrapping his massive arms around both of us.
"It's over," Luca whispered into my hair. "You're safe. Both of you. Forever."
