Chapter 4 - The Old Don's Judgment
At noon the following day, a heavy snow was falling over Staten Island.
Dominic’s black armored sedan pulled up to a massive, gated estate overlooking the harbor. This was the sanctuary of Don Carmine Lucchese—the seventy-eight-year-old Chairman of the New York Syndicate Commission. A man who had survived four decades of mob wars by being smarter, colder, and more pragmatic than anyone else.
Dominic walked into the glass conservatory at the back of the house alone, leaving his guards outside.
Don Carmine sat in a wicker chair surrounded by blooming orchids, wearing a heavy wool cardigan, a blanket over his knees, sipping espresso. Beside him stood two silent, imposing enforcers.
"Dominic," Don Carmine said, his voice gravelly, like stones grinding together. "Sit."
Dominic sat in the iron chair opposite the old man.
"You caused quite a storm last night, boy," Carmine said, setting his espresso cup down with a delicate click. "Antonio Romano called me three times before sunrise, screaming for your head. Your uncle Vince says you’ve lost your mind over a maid’s child."
"She’s not a maid's child, Carmine," Dominic said calmly. "She is my daughter. Sophia Carter’s daughter."
Carmine’s thick grey eyebrows lifted slightly. "Sophia Carter... the girl your mother forced out four years ago?"
Dominic’s eyes narrowed. "You knew?"
Carmine sighed, leaning back. "I know everything that happens in this city, Dominic. Lucia came to me back then. She asked for my blessing to remove the girl. I told her that personal affairs were her business, so long as it didn't disrupt the families."
"My mother lied to me," Dominic said, his tone dropping dangerously low. "She threatened to murder Sophia and my child. Sophia died in exile because of her."
Carmine watched him quietly for a long moment. "And now you’ve broken a multi-million-dollar alliance with the Romano family, publicly humiliated Antonio's daughter, banished your own mother, and split your syndicate into two factions. Over a ghost."
"Over my blood!" Dominic snapped, leaning forward, his jaw tight. "Over my daughter! If I cannot protect my own child, Carmine, what am I? What is any of this power worth?!"
Carmine did not get angry. He simply looked at Dominic with ancient, tired eyes.
"Power is worth nothing if you have no legacy to leave it to," Carmine admitted quietly. "I lost my son thirty years ago in a hit, Dominic. I would give every dollar in my bank accounts, every acre of this city, just to hold his hand for five minutes."
Carmine leaned forward, resting his liver-spotted hands on his cane. "So tell me, Dominic. What do you want from the Commission?"
"I want neutrality," Dominic stated firmly. "This is a Moretti blood feud. My uncle Vince betrayed his don. Antonio Romano tried to dictate who I marry in my own house. I am going to eliminate Vince, and I am going to bring Romano to his knees. I want the Commission to stand down and let me clear my house."
Carmine considered this, staring out at the falling snow over the harbor.
"And if Antonio Romano refuses to stand down?" Carmine asked. "If he brings full war to your streets?"
"Then I will burn the Romano family to ash," Dominic replied without a second of hesitation. "And I will build a safer city for my daughter on top of them."
Carmine smiled slowly—a cold, terrifying smile that showed why he had survived seventy-eight years in a blood-soaked world.
"You sound like your father, Dominic," Carmine said. "He was a lunatic when someone threatened his family, too."
Carmine stood up slowly, leaning on his cane. "The Commission will remain neutral for seven days. You have one week to put down Vince’s rebellion and settle your score with Romano. If you fail, or if civilian blood spills on the news, I will authorize Antonio to put you down. Understand?"
"Seven days is more than enough," Dominic said, standing up.
May you like
"One more thing, Dominic," Carmine added, his voice softening slightly. "Bring the child here one day. I want to see the girl who made Dominic Moretti turn against his own empire."
Dominic nodded once, turned, and walked out into the snow.
