Chapter 15
Silas Cole sat in the dimly lit study of his heavily guarded compound across the city, a crystal glass of bourbon resting in his weathered, trembling hand. He was a man in his late sixties, his face lined with decades of ruthless ambition and cold betrayals. Across the desk sat Valentina, her face pale, the red mark on her cheek a glaring testament to her catastrophic failure. Silas did not look at his daughter with pity; he looked at her with profound, disgusted disappointment. "You let a child dismantle our alliance," Silas rasped, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "You humiliated this family for a seat at a dinner table." Valentina opened her mouth to speak, but her father raised a silencing hand. "Marcus is in a coma. The ports are bleeding money, and my men are dying on Domenico's lawn." He turned his gaze to the window, watching the distant glow of city lights. "Domenico Falcone is a rabid dog, but he is a dog that loved you, once. We must use the only leverage we have left." Silas picked up a secured phone, dialing a number that bypassed all standard networks. "Call the inside man. Tell him to ignore the perimeter. I want the girl. Bring me Ruby Falcone, and this war ends on my terms." Valentina gasped, realizing the depths of the darkness her father was willing to plunge into to secure their empire.
