The iron gates of the Gallow estate stood wide open, swinging uselessly in the autumn rain. Dominic Gallow didn’t wait for his driver to put the sedan in park. He hit the wet gravel before the tires stopped spinning, his hand already buried under his coat, fingers wrapped around the custom grip of his Sig Sauer.

The tension in the ballroom was thick enough to choke on. Kosta stared into Norah’s eyes, searching for any sign of a bluff, any flicker of hesitation. He found none. Standing behind her, Dominic Gallow looked like a demon waiting for the signal to unleash hell, his hand steady inside his coat.

Slowly, agonizingly, Kosta pulled his hand away from his jacket and sat back down in his heavy chair.

"You always did have your father's nerve, Eleanor," Kosta grunted, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his upper lip.

"It's not nerve, Kosta," Norah replied, pulling out the chair at the head of the table and gracefully sitting down. "It's preparation."

She looked around the table at the eleven other men. "By tomorrow morning, all current territory disputes between the Vance family and the Gallow family are officially settled. We are forming a permanent alliance. Dominic will handle the logistics and port security; I will oversee the financial restructuring and political connections."

A capo near the middle of the table raised his hand cautiously. "And what about Vivien?"

Norah glanced down the table at her half-sister. Vivien sat frozen, pale and trembling.

"Vivien has proven herself incapable of leadership," Norah stated coldly. "She will retain her trust fund and her personal residence, but her operational command is revoked immediately. She will have no seat on this council."

Vivien slammed her hands on the table, her face twisting with rage. "You can't do this to me! I built this family back up while you were hiding!"

"You nearly bankrupted us, Vivien!" Kosta barked, turning his anger onto her. "Sit down and shut your mouth before Eleanor decides to take your trust fund too!"

Vivien bit her lip so hard it bled, but she slowly sank back into her seat, crushed under the combined weight of her sister’s authority and the council's betrayal.

Norah stood up, resting her fingertips on the glossy wood. "Details of the financial distribution will be sent to your secure phones by midnight. Meeting adjourned."

Without waiting for a response, Norah turned and walked toward the exit. Dominic fell into step beside her, his bodyguards forming a tight wall around them as they exited into the private elevator lobby.

The moment the heavy brass elevator doors slid shut, sealing them in privacy, the icy demeanor that Norah had maintained vanished. She leaned her back against the mirrored wall, let out a long, shaky breath, and closed her eyes.

Dominic immediately stepped up to her, placing a gentle hand on her waist. "You were incredible back there."

Norah opened her eyes, looking up at him with a soft, exhausted smile. "My hands are shaking."

Dominic looked down and saw her small fingers trembling against her dark green dress. He gathered both of her hands in his, bringing them to his lips and kissing her bruised knuckles softly.

"You fooled every single one of those men," he murmured. "Including Kosta."

"It wasn't entirely a bluff, Dominic," she admitted softly, resting her head against his chest as the elevator descended. "The drive really is encrypted with my biometrics. If they had killed you or me tonight, they wouldn't have gotten a single dollar."

Dominic wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as the elevator reached the basement parking garage. "It doesn't matter now. You took control. The city is ours."

"Not yet," Norah whispered into his jacket, her voice laced with a sudden, sharp anxiety. "Kosta surrendered too easily, Dominic. He’s an old rat. He wouldn't give up seven years of absolute power after one twenty-minute meeting."

The elevator doors chimed and slid open.

Standing in the dimly lit concrete parking garage was Leo, holding a heavy submachine gun, surrounded by six of Dominic’s men. Their weapons were drawn, aimed toward the far side of the garage.

"Boss! Get back!" Leo yelled.

Before Dominic could react, the screech of heavy tires echoed through the underground space. Two black, unlit vans rounded the concrete pillar at breakneck speed, swerving sideways to block the garage exit.

The side doors of the vans slid open, revealing armed men wearing tactical gear and black masks.

"Kosta," Dominic growled, immediately shoving Norah behind his back and pulling his Sig Sauer from its holster.