Chapter 5 - The Panic in the Penthouse
Back at the Gold Coast penthouse, Alexander was enjoying an espresso on the terrace while Sophia painted her nails at the glass dining table.
His phone began buzzing violently against the marble counter, vibrating so hard it knocked over a silver cream pitcher.
He picked it up with an irritated scowl, expecting his business associates to praise his latest shipment.
"Boss, you need to get down to the river right now!" Marco’s frantic voice screamed through the receiver over the roar of ship horns.
"The Coast Guard has impounded the entire fleet at Terminal 4! They’ve locked the cranes and seized the manifests!"
Alexander stood up so fast his chair tumbled backward onto the terrace flagstones.
"What are you talking about? Who authorized an inspection on my private terminal?"
"It wasn't an inspection, boss... it was Claire!" Marco shouted back, the sound of federal sirens echoing in the background.
"She has the original land deeds and maritime trust covenants! She locked the gates and brought forty armed port marshals with her!"
Sophia dropped her nail polish brush, staring at Alexander as his face turned an ash-grey shade of pure shock.
"Claire?" Alexander choked out, his throat constricting like an iron vise.
"Claire doesn't know anything about the shipping yards! She's a housewife!"
"She's Elena Rossi's daughter, Alexander!" Marco yelled before the line erupted in static.
"Her grandfather built this harbor fifty years ago! She owns the dirt, she owns the water rights, and she’s shutting down our entire supply line!"
Alexander let the phone drop from his hand, his chest heaving as the reality of his blunder hit him like a freight train.
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He had spent seven years treating his wife like an invisible ghost, blind to the royal bloodline running through her veins.
Now, the woman he had discarded with empty pockets was holding his entire criminal empire by the throat.
