Chapter 21 - the black wax seal
the fragile peace in new york lasted exactly three months. tessa sat in the penthouse office of the rossi tower, tracing the rim of her coffee cup. the antique silver locket hung heavily against her collarbone. a heavy oak door swung open, and gabriel walked in, his expression darker than a thunderstorm. he tossed a thick, coarse envelope onto her mahogany desk. there was no stamp, no return address, only a black wax seal bearing the insignia of a two-headed wolf. it was the crest of the lucchese family, the oldest and most ruthless syndicate in southern italy. salvatore, sitting in his leather armchair in the corner, gripped his silver cane until his knuckles turned white. he warned them that the old world would never accept a young woman ruling the american empire. tessa did not blink. she gracefully picked up a silver letter opener and sliced the envelope. inside was a single sheet of parchment, demanding she surrender control of the eastern docks or face a bloodbath in the streets of manhattan. gabriel drew his weapon, checking the chamber with a lethal metallic click. but tessa simply smiled, a cold, cinematic smirk that mirrored her late father perfectly. she struck a match and set the letter on fire.
👉 how will tessa respond to the old world's deadly ultimatum?
