Chapter 7 - Cleaning House
By 7:00 a.m., the rain over Chicago had stopped, giving way to a pale, crisp morning light that filtered through the broken windows of the Grand Plaza Hotel.
The ballroom was silent now. The remaining heads of the commission families sat rigidly in their chairs, their hands resting flat on the table, watching in terrified respect as my loyal soldiers secured the room.
Paul Mercer, the traitor accountant, was kneeling on the floor near the broken windows, weeping uncontrollably, his glasses hanging crookedly from one ear.
"Vincent, please..." Mercer sobbed, clutching at the hem of my trench coat. "They threatened my family! Dominic said he would kill my daughter if I didn't give up the override codes! I had no choice!"
I didn't look down at him. I stood at the head of the commission table, leaning my hands on the mahogany wood, looking around at the surviving leaders of Chicago's underworld.
"Paul," I said quietly, my voice carrying across the silent room. "You had twenty years to learn that if someone threatens your family, you come to me. You don't sell my house to my enemies."
Elena stepped up behind Mercer. She didn't draw a gun; she simply pulled a heavy black binder from her coat and tossed it onto the table in front of Old Man Lucchesi.
"That binder contains the complete paper trail of Paul Mercer’s offshore thefts," Elena announced to the room. "He didn't just betray Mr. Carter. He stole twelve million dollars from the commission’s collective pension fund over the last six months."
Lucchesi opened the binder, his ancient eyes scanning the bank statements. His expression darkened instantly from fear to pure, lethal fury.
Lucchesi looked up at me, nodding his head slowly in a gesture of absolute submission. "He's yours, Vincent. Do whatever you want with him. The commission recognizes the Carter family as the sole authority over the Chicago logistics network."
"No," I corrected Lucchesi, turning my gaze to Marcus, who was standing by the entrance, his shoulders straight, his weapon held at his side. "Not me. The Carter family will now be represented by my nephew, Marcus."
Marcus looked up in shock, his jaw dropping slightly. "Uncle Vincent... what?"
"I built an empire on silence and blood because I had to protect what was left of our family," I said, walking down the length of the table toward him. "But I am tired of living in the dark, Marcus. You have your father's heart and my resilience. It’s time for the new generation to lead—not with fear, but with strength."
I turned back to the room, my hand resting on Marcus’s shoulder. "If any family in this city raises a hand against Marcus Carter, they answer to me personally from the shadows. Is that understood?"
May you like
Every commission boss around the table nodded solemnly, standing to their feet one by one to pay their respects to the new head of the Carter empire.
As for Paul Mercer, two of Lucchesi’s own enforcers grabbed him by his arms, dragging his screaming frame away into the back stairwell. His fate was sealed by the very men he had tried to enrich.
