Chapter 2 - The Underboss's Shadow
The tension in the study became so thick that nobody dared to breathe.
Elena took a protective step backward into the corner, keeping her eyes locked on Dominic's armed guards.
Luca rested his hands flat on the polished armrests of his wheelchair, not showing an ounce of fear.
"You've been paying Adler since the night of my collapse, Dominic," Luca said, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper.
"I didn't pay him to harm you, brother," Dominic replied, stepping smoothly toward the center of the room.
"I paid him to keep you alive and comfortable."
"You were always too sentimental, Luca; you wanted peace on the docks and schools in the neighborhoods."
"A city like Chicago eats men like that alive."
"So you decided to put me in a wheelchair and run my empire from behind my back?" Luca asked.
Dominic chuckled softly, lighting a thin cigar with a gold lighter.
"You ruled from this chair, Luca, and the other families respected your legend while I did the dirty work."
"It was a perfect arrangement until that little maid's brat came crawling through your hedge."
Elena's breath caught sharply in her throat at the mention of Maya.
Dominic turned his cold gaze toward Elena, puffing a cloud of gray smoke into the air.
"You thought you could hide her in the servants' quarters, Elena?" Dominic sneered.
"I have eyes on every corner of this compound."
"A little girl with Luca Costello's grandfather's eyes isn't something that goes unnoticed."
Luca felt a flash of white-hot fury ignite in his chest, an emotion he hadn't felt in over a decade.
"If you lay a single finger on that child, Dominic, I will feed you to the stray dogs on the South Side," Luca growled.
Dominic's smile faded, replaced by the calculating expression of a seasoned predator.
"You're in no position to issue threats, old friend," Dominic said coldly.
"The capos have already agreed to a change in leadership."
"Dr. Adler here is going to sign a certificate of cognitive incapacitation."
"By midnight, you will be legally declared unfit to manage the Costello assets, and I will be appointed conservator."
Dr. Adler nodded nervously, his pen shaking as he held a legal document against his clipboard.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the garden outside the terrace.
Tommy Reyes burst through the French doors holding a heavy wooden baseball bat, his clothes soaked in mud.
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"Mr. Costello!" Tommy screamed at the top of his lungs.
"They just grabbed Maya by the baseball dugout and threw her into a black van!"
