Chapter 6 - A Cold Cup of Coffee
Jessica gripped the lapels of Giovanni’s tuxedo jacket, her knuckles white, her breath hitching in ragged sobs. The pristine white shirt beneath her hands felt warm and solid, the only steady thing in a world that had just collapsed beneath her feet.
""He's going to take her,"" Jessica wept, completely unraveling. ""Tyler... his uncle is a judge. Vanessa just said they're filing for full custody of Lily on Monday. They're going to say I'm unfit because I work too much, because I don't have money, because I'm around... around you!""
Giovanni didn't flinch. He didn't ask foolish questions. He simply tightened his arm around her waist, lifting her effortlessly against his chest as if she weighed nothing at all. He turned toward his head of security, a hulking man in a dark suit who stood silently near the ballroom entrance.
""Marco,"" Giovanni commanded in Italian, his tone sharper than a razor. ""Get the car to the front immediately. Clear the entrance. We are leaving.""
""Right away, Boss.""
Within three minutes, Giovanni had escorted Jessica out of the Grand Marquee Ballroom, shielding her from the rain with his heavy overcoat. They swept past the stunned valet line and slipped into the back of a black, armored Maybach that purred silently against the curb.
The rain hammered against the reinforced glass windows as the luxury sedan pulled smoothly into the neon-lit Chicago night. Jessica sat in the leather seat, shivering violently despite the vehicle's heated interior. Her mind was a storm of panic, envisioning police officers knocking on her door, taking Lily away in the back of a squad car while Tyler smirked from his sports car.
Giovanni leaned forward, taking a thermos of hot black coffee from the console bar and pouring it into a silver travel mug. He pressed it into her trembling hands.
""Drink,"" he ordered gently. ""Small sips.""
The warmth of the cup seeped into her cold skin, but Jessica couldn't swallow. ""You don't understand, Giovanni. The Mitchell family owns half the legal circuit in this city. If Tyler files an emergency petition claiming Lily is in danger because of your mafia connections, no public defender in the state can save me. I don't have twenty thousand dollars for a retainer fee. I live paycheck to paycheck!""
Giovanni reached out, cupping her chin with his leather-gloved hand and gently lifting her face until her tear-filled blue eyes met his fierce, unyielding amber gaze.
""Look at me, Jessica,"" he commanded softly.
She swallowed hard, looking into eyes that held neither doubt nor fear.
""Tyler Mitchell has a corrupt judge for an uncle,"" Giovanni said, each word deliberate and absolute. ""I own the district attorney. I own the chief of police. And by eight o'clock tomorrow morning, Judge Mitchell will receive an envelope containing every offshore bribe, every mistress payout, and every illegal wire transfer he has authorized in the last ten years.""
Jessica’s eyes widened. ""What?""
""No one touches what belongs to me,"" Giovanni stated coldly. ""Tyler Mitchell signed his own death warrant the moment he threatened a five-year-old child to satisfy his pathetic ego. He wanted a war? I will give him an execution.""
""Giovanni, please,"" Jessica pleaded, her heart racing with a different kind of fear now. ""No violence. If you hurt him, it will only make things worse for Lily. I can't raise my daughter while visiting you in prison!""
Giovanni’s lips curved into a faint, melancholic smile. He brushed a wet lock of brown hair behind her ear. ""There are many ways to destroy a man without firing a single bullet, Jessica. Poverty and humiliation are far more painful than a quick death. I will strip Tyler Mitchell of his inheritance, his firm, and his social standing. By the time I am finished, he won't be able to afford a lawyer to defend himself, let alone sue for custody.""
He picked up his phone, dialed a three-digit extension, and placed it against his ear.
""Luigi,"" Giovanni spoke in cold, fluid Italian. ""Initiate the Mitchell protocol. Freeze the logistics contracts with Mitchell & Sons Law Firm. Inform the banking commission to flag their trust funds for fraud review. And tell Judge Mitchell that if he signs any emergency petitions on Monday, his retirement will be spent inside a federal penitentiary.""
May you like
Giovanni hung up the phone and set it aside. He turned back to Jessica, his expression shifting from a ruthless mob boss to something terrifyingly tender.
""The war is already won, Jessica,"" he whispered. ""Now, take me to see Lily. I want to meet my future daughter.""
