Elsie Rivera had soap up past her elbows and no intention of stopping. Rex lay flat on the warm flagstones of the courtyard with one hind leg twitching and his eyes half

The envelope contained a single silver flash drive and a high-resolution photograph.

Julian sat in his study, staring at the photo under the bright desk lamp. It showed his primary shipping warehouse at the Nashville river port—surrounded by four black delivery vans belonging to the Vance family.

He plugged the flash drive into his encrypted laptop. A video file opened automatically.

The screen showed the face of Victor Vance—a ruthless, silver-haired mob boss who had been trying to expand his territory into Tennessee for five years.

"Good evening, Julian," Victor’s slick, raspy voice echoed through the speaker. "If you're watching this, it means your little dog caught Bennett's wire. A pity. He was a very expensive asset to buy."

Julian watched the screen in dead silence, his pulse unhurried, his hands steady.

"Here is the situation," Victor continued with a dark grin. "Bennett gave us your master banking codes before he got caught. By midnight, my tech team will drain your overseas accounts. And if you attempt to lock those accounts or contact the authorities, the FBI task force sitting outside your gate will receive a package containing twenty years of your syndicate's tax evasions and shipping manifests."

Victor leaned closer to the camera, his eyes narrowing.

"You have two choices, Ashworth. Sign over the deed to the river port facilities to my firm by sunrise, pack your bags, and leave Tennessee forever. Or stay, let the feds put you in a federal pen for the rest of your life, and let us take your estate anyway. Oh... and give my regards to the little maid and her girl. Bennett told us all about your new domestic additions. It would be a shame if something unfortunate happened to them while you're away in prison."

The video went black.

Julian sat in the dark room, the blue light of the laptop screen reflecting off his cold grey eyes.

Marcus slammed his fist down on the desk. "That bastard! He bought Bennett to set us up for a hostile takeover!"

"He didn't just buy Bennett," Julian said softly. "He timed this. He knew the FBI was closing in. He used the feds as his private army to force my hand."

"What do we do, Boss?" Marcus asked, his forehead dripping with nervous sweat. "If we sign over the port, we're broke. If we don't, the feds take everything tomorrow morning."

Julian stood up slowly. He walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling map of Tennessee hanging on his wall. He reached out and touched the red pin marking his river port.

"Victor Vance thinks like a accountant," Julian said, a cold, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "He thinks in terms of money, deeds, and leverage. He doesn't understand how this city works."

"Boss?"

"Call my legal team. Tell them to draft a full, unrestricted deed of gift for the river port," Julian commanded.