Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Ambush
Three days later, the rain was pouring over downtown Chicago, slamming against the tall glass windows of the Vale Enterprises corporate tower.
On the fortieth floor, the executive board of the Vale Syndicate had assembled for an emergency meeting. Twelve men in expensive Italian suits sat around a thirty-foot conference table made of polished mahogany. These were the senior capos, the logistics directors, and the old-guard commanders who had served Dominic’s father.
At the head of the table sat Dominic, dressed in a sharp dark charcoal suit.
Standing directly to his right, wearing an elegant ivory pantsuit with her dark hair pulled into a sleek chignon, was Evelyn Hart.
The old capos were whispering among themselves, casting displeased, distrustful glances toward the young woman.
"Dominic," spoke up Uncle Vincent, a heavy-set man in his sixties with scar tissue along his jaw, who had managed the southern docks for thirty years. "With all due respect, this is a war council. We are discussing the tactical response to the Moretti family's incursions along Interstate 90. Why is your doctors' daughter standing in our boardroom?"
"She is not here as my doctor's daughter, Vincent," Dominic said smoothly, leaning back in his leather chair. "She is here as the Head of Security and Intelligence for the Vale estate."
A wave of scoffing chuckles echoed across the table.
"A woman who lost her medical license?" another capo sneered. "Dominic, you're letting your grief over your brother cloud your judgment. She's a civilian. She belongs in the mansion taking care of the baby, not looking at shipping manifests."
Evelyn didn't wait for Dominic to defend her. She took two steps forward, placing a heavy leather binder onto the center of the glass table with a loud thud.
"Capo Vincent," Evelyn said, her voice clear, commanding, and instantly cutting through the room’s chatter. "On Tuesday at 4:15 AM, three of your primary container trucks left the South Side port carrying what was listed as imported Italian olive oil."
Vincent’s smile vanished. His dark eyes narrowed. "That's standard logistics."
"Standard logistics don't require an unauthorized two-hour stop at a private warehouse in Rockford," Evelyn continued, tapping a digital tablet in her hand. The massive presentation screen behind Dominic instantly flicked to life, displaying satellite imagery, GPS tracking coordinates, and financial wire transfers.
"While you were telling Dominic that the Morettis were intercepting your shipments by force," Evelyn revealed coldly, "your personal shell company in the Cayman Islands received three payments of four hundred thousand dollars each from a pharmaceutical distribution firm owned by Senator Moretti."
The entire boardroom went dead silent.
Vincent’s face turned bright red. He stood up so fast his heavy leather chair slammed into the wall behind him. "You treacherous little bitch! How dare you hack my private financial records?!"
"I didn't hack your records, Vincent," Evelyn replied calmly, holding up a sleek USB drive. "You used the estate’s secure medical network to process your offshore transfers, assuming no one in this company had the technical capability to audit medical shell entities. You were wrong."
Dominic didn't raise his voice. He didn't draw a gun. He simply turned his head slowly toward Vincent.
"Is this true, Uncle?" Dominic asked softly.
"Dominic, listen to me!" Vincent stammered, sweat breaking out across his forehead. "The Morettis offered me a deal! They said your brother was weak, that you were soft! They were going to take the docks anyway—"
"Marko," Dominic said flatly.
Two heavy security doors at the back of the room swung open. Marko and four armed guards stepped inside, moving swiftly behind Vincent’s chair.
"Remove his badge, his keys, and his weapons," Dominic commanded coldly. "Take him to the Indiana facility to keep Mara company."
Vincent began screaming curses as he was disarmed and dragged out of the room, his fingernails clawing uselessly against the polished mahogany table until the heavy doors slammed shut behind him.
The remaining ten capos sat frozen in their seats, staring at Evelyn with a sudden, overwhelming mixture of fear and profound respect. They realized in that single moment that the woman standing beside Dominic was far more dangerous than any soldier carrying a submachine gun.
Dominic stood up, placing his hands flat on the table, looking around at his remaining commanders.
"Does anyone else have an opinion on my fiancée’s presence in this room?" Dominic asked softly.
May you like
No one spoke. Every capo lowered his head in silent submission.
"Good," Dominic said. He turned to Evelyn, his eyes shining with a deep, fierce pride. "Lead the briefing, Evelyn. Tell them how we are going to destroy the Moretti family."
