Chapter 11 - The Rival's Ultimatum: A Voice from the Deep Shadows, The Threat Against the Accountant, and the Declaration of a New Syndicate War
The heavy receiver felt incredibly cold against my sweating palm,
as I slowly brought the highly secure phone up to my trembling ear.
"Hello,"
I whispered cautiously,
my voice barely audible over the loud and frantic beating of my own terrified heart.
A dark,
raspy,
and highly amused laugh echoed clearly through the encrypted digital line,
a sound that immediately made the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up in pure terror.
"So it is actually true,"
the cruel voice hissed maliciously,
the heavy Italian accent dripping with undeniable venom and quiet malice.
"The great and seemingly untouchable Ethan Moretti has finally placed a fragile little bird upon his corporate throne,
replacing the very useful and greedy Richard Hale with a completely inexperienced accounting girl."
I froze completely in my ergonomic leather office chair,
my wide and panicked eyes locking instantly onto Ethan's intense and observing face across the massive room.
"Who exactly is this?"
I demanded bravely,
trying desperately to keep the overwhelming and paralyzing fear out of my shaking voice.
"You can simply call me Victor,
sweetheart,"
the dangerous man purred darkly,
his tone laced heavily with an undeniable and violently explicit threat.
"And you need to carefully tell your arrogant boss that Richard Hale belonged entirely to the Romano family,
and taking our primary earner out of the massive financial game is a severe act of absolute and unforgivable war."
Before I could even process the terrifying magnitude of his violent words,
Ethan moved with terrifying and completely predatory speed across the large office,
snatching the heavy phone receiver directly out of my trembling hand without a single moment of hesitation.
"Victor,"
Ethan said coldly,
his deep voice dropping instantly into a deadly and uncompromising register that offered absolutely no mercy or negotiation.
"I was sincerely hoping you would be foolish enough to call me today,
because I wanted to personally inform you that your pathetic financial pipeline is now permanently and entirely closed."
I could clearly hear Victor Romano shouting angrily through the small speaker of the phone,
his previous dark amusement completely replaced by a blind and furious underworld rage,
but Ethan remained as completely unbothered and solid as a massive stone wall in a violent hurricane.
"If you ever dare to threaten my chief financial officer again,
Victor,
I will not just quietly freeze your hidden offshore bank accounts,
I will personally burn your entire criminal empire to the absolute ground,"
Ethan promised darkly,
his dark eyes flashing with a terrifying and lethal promise of impending and brutal violence.
He slammed the heavy receiver down onto the expensive console with brutal and unforgiving force,
the loud and sharp crack echoing sharply through the pristine and luxurious corner office.
"Pack up the confidential ghost ledgers immediately,
Claire,"
Ethan commanded swiftly,
his previously calm and reassuring demeanor shifting instantly into a highly tactical and incredibly dangerous survival mode.
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"The Romano crime family has just officially declared a violent and massive syndicate war in our city,
and this glass corporate building is absolutely no longer a safe place for you to be."
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