The porcelain cup trembled in Elena Cruz’s hands before it ever touched the mahogany desk.

By dawn, the thunderstorm had passed, leaving the Chicago skyline bathed in cool, brilliant sunlight.

While the police cordoned off the Reyes estate to document the home invasion—operating under the watchful and compliant eye of federal marshals aligned with Damian—a quiet, systematic purge swept across the city.

Dominic Moretti sat in his penthouse suite at the Drake Hotel, frantically packing stacks of bearer bonds and diamond jewelry into leather duffel bags. His hands shook so violently he could barely zip the luggage.

The television in the corner blared a breaking news bulletin:

*“...Federal authorities have seized seven commercial shipping vessels belonging to the Moretti Maritime Corporation following an anonymous tip containing detailed logs of illegal weapons trafficking. Simultaneously, state police have issued arrest warrants for Dominic Moretti and twelve senior lieutenants...”*

“How did he get the logs?” Moretti screamed, hurling a crystal decanter against the wall. “Nobody had access to those books except—”

The private suite doors swung open without a sound.

Christian stepped inside, flanked by four federal agents and two Reyes security operators.

“Dominic Moretti,” Christian said, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his tactical belt. “Mr. Reyes asked me to deliver a message.”

Moretti backed against his desk, reaching for his weapon, but a federal agent instantly tackled him to the Persian carpet, pinning his arms behind his back with brutal efficiency.

“What message?” Moretti spat into the rug. “Tell Damian I’ll beat these charges! My lawyers will have me out by Monday!”

Christian crouched down, meeting Moretti’s bloodshot eyes with icy detachment. “Mr. Reyes says you made two fatal errors. First, you assumed his heart was a weakness. Second, you forgot who built this city’s foundations. You won't be seeing a state court, Dominic. You’re being transferred directly to ADX Florence Supermax on federal treason and domestic terrorism charges. You will spend the rest of your natural life in a concrete box, wondering what Chicago looks like in the daylight.”