Chapter 5 - THE FALL OF THE REED ALLIANCE
The leak of the red drive sent shockwaves through New York's underworld. Within forty-eight hours, federal marshals seized three cargo vessels containing fifty million dollars in unregistered goods. The Reed family, furious at being exposed and facing catastrophic financial ruin, immediately broke off their alliance with the Moretti syndicate.
In a high-end penthouse overlooking Central Park, Arthur Reed—Vanessa's father and the ruthless patriarch of the shipping family—confronted Dominic.
"You brought the feds to my door!" Arthur roared, throwing a copy of the indictment onto a glass coffee table. "We had an agreement, Moretti! You married into my family, you secured the ports, and we share the city! Now my assets are frozen, and my daughter is being subpoenaed!"
Vanessa stood near the window, her arms crossed, still wearing the blue-diamond necklace like a shield. "Fix this, Dominic! You promised me protection! You gave me this necklace to prove our partnership!"
Dominic stood in the center of the room, looking at the two of them. For years, he had spent his life playing these political games, sacrificing his integrity, his wife, and his child on the altar of ambition.
And for what?
He looked at Vanessa. He looked at the necklace around her neck—the stolen dream of a little girl who had spent nine years waiting for her father to love her back.
"Take it off," Dominic said quietly.
Vanessa blinked, confused. "What?"
"Take off the necklace," Dominic repeated, his voice dropping into a register that made even Arthur Reed step back.
"Are you insane?" Vanessa spat. "This was a gift! It's worth two million dollars!"
"It isn't yours," Dominic said, stepping forward. His eyes were devoid of the political diplomacy he usually maintained. "It was never yours. It was designed by a child who believed her father was a good man. You don't deserve to wear it. None of us deserve to even look at it."
"Dominic, if you walk out that door, the Reed family will destroy what's left of your empire!" Arthur threatened, his face flushed red. "We will testify against you! We will give the feds everything!"
Dominic turned back at the doorway. He looked at Arthur, then at Vanessa, and for the first time in ten years, he felt a strange, liberating lightness in his chest.
"Do it," Dominic said calmly. "Burn it all down. I'll even lend you the matches."
He walked out of the penthouse, leaving the powerful Reed family standing in stunned silence. As he stepped into the elevator, he called Marco.
"Boss?" Marco answered immediately. "The lawyers are ready. We can still fight the indictment if we push the blame onto the Reeds—"
"Cancel the lawyers," Dominic commanded.
"What?"
"Cancel the lawyers, Marco. Close the accounts. Dissolve the shell corporations. Give the legitimate holdings to Grace and Sophie. Transfer everything into an untouchable trust in their names."
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"Boss, if you do that, you won't have any leverage! You'll be facing ten years in federal prison!"
"Then I'll serve ten years," Dominic said, looking at his reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator. "It's time I started paying my debts."
