Chapter 17 - The Mastermind's Ultimatum
Maria shrieked in terror as the massive, enraged mafia boss landed on the grass like a vengeful titan. She scrambled toward the open door of the black SUV, trying to shove the crying four-year-old inside.
Before the driver could hit the gas, Luca closed the distance with terrifying, explosive speed. He reached through the open window of the vehicle, grabbed the driver by the collar of his tactical vest, and violently hurled him straight out of the moving car onto the hard cobblestone driveway.
The SUV slammed into a stone pillar, coming to a sudden, smoking halt.
Maria abandoned the child, attempting to sprint toward the heavy iron gates. Elias and five heavily armed guards swarmed the courtyard, tackling the traitorous nanny to the ground and locking her in steel cuffs.
Hannah rushed out of the mansion, sprinting across the grass. She pulled Sophia from the backseat of the crashed SUV, burying her face in her daughter's golden-brown curls, sobbing with absolute, overwhelming relief as she held her tightly.
Luca stood over the unconscious driver, his chest heaving, his fists dripping with blood. He pulled a sleek satellite phone from the driver's tactical vest.
The phone was ringing.
Luca stared at the encrypted caller ID. He pressed the green accept button and slowly lifted the phone to his ear.
"You missed, Arthur," Luca whispered, his voice vibrating with a cold, absolute promise of death.
A smooth, chillingly calm voice echoed through the speaker. It was Arthur Sterling.
"I didn't miss, Luca," Arthur replied, sipping a glass of whiskey in his distant, hidden compound. "I just wanted to prove a point. Your walls are not impenetrable. Your inner circle is for sale. The Obsidian Syndicate can reach into your child's bedroom whenever we please."
"You are a dead man," Luca growled, his gray eyes locking onto the terrified, weeping Maria on the ground.
"I am a businessman," Arthur corrected coldly. "Thirty years ago, your father stole this city from me. I want it back. I want you to sign over the entire Moretti network, all the legitimate front corporations, and the offshore accounts. You have twenty-four hours to transfer the empire. If you refuse, I will order a coordinated strike on every clinic, every hospital, and every charity foundation your beautiful wife has built."
Arthur paused, letting the devastating threat hang in the air.
"Sign the papers, Luca. Or watch your world burn."
The line went dead.
Luca lowered the phone, looking at Hannah as she rocked their crying daughter in the grass. Arthur thought he could use terror to force a surrender. He thought he was dealing with a businessman.
May you like
He forgot he was dealing with a monster who had found his heart.
👉 Arthur Sterling has declared absolute war, but what devastating, tactical counterstrike is Luca preparing to launch before the clock runs out?
