Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
"Claire..." Alexander murmured, reaching across the table toward my hand.
I pulled my hand back, folding my arms neatly. "Don't touch me, Alexander."
"Please," he begged, tears spilling openly down his rugged cheeks. "Come home. We can arrest my father. I’ll strip him of everything. I’ll give you the entire Chicago empire! You can run it! Just bring Lily and Noah back to me. I can't breathe without you. I haven't slept a second since you vanished."
Victor Sterling stood up, towering over Alexander. "My daughter isn't your property, boy. And you don't own Chicago anymore. While you were flying down here, Richard discovered that Don Carmine pulled all New York support. Your father has barricaded himself in the Lake Michigan compound with thirty rogue mercenaries. He knows his game is up."
Alexander's eyes snapped wide. "He’s at the compound?"
"He’s liquidating your family's offshore reserves and preparing to flee to South America," I said, sliding an iPad across the table. The screen showed real-time surveillance footage of Richard Moretti loading duffel bags of cash and gold bullion into armored trucks at the Chicago estate. "He’s taking everything you built, Alexander. And he left a kill order on your head the moment your plane touched down in Florida."
Alexander stood up, the despair in his eyes suddenly hardening into pure, unadulterated fury. The mafia boss Chicago feared had finally resurfaced, but this time, his wrath was directed at the man who gave him life.
"He tried to kill my wife," Alexander whispered, his voice trembling with homicidal coldness. "He used my son. And he made me lose the only real happiness I ever had."
"What are you going to do, Alexander?" I asked, watching him closely.
"I’m going back to Chicago," Alexander said, looking directly into my eyes. "I’m going to end my father's syndicate. Every illegal asset, every dirty warehouse, every blood-soaked dollar—I’m burning it all to the ground. I won't let my children inherit a legacy of poison."
"And if you survive?" I asked quietly.
Alexander swallowed hard, kneeling beside my chair so he was looking up at me, humble and broken. "If I survive, Claire... I won't bother you again. I’ll sign whatever divorce papers your lawyers draft. I’ll surrender full legal custody. I just want you and the kids to be safe. But before I walk away, I’m going to make sure no one can ever threaten you again."
He leaned forward, gently kissing the hem of my sleeve, before standing up and walking down the gangway toward the waiting car.
May you like
Victor watched him leave, then looked down at me. "Do you believe him, Claire?"
I looked down at the empty chair where Alexander had sat. "For seven years, he lived in the dark, Dad. Let’s see if he has the courage to burn it down."
