Chapter 7 - THE COUSIN’S REVENGE
Peace within the Rossi estate, however, was always destined to be brief.
While I was bonding with Hannah in the master wing, my cousin Victor was busy plotting his counterattack in the shadows of Manhattan. Humiliated by the way I had manhandled him in my study, Victor had aligned himself with the very corporate rivals I had crushed months ago.
It was Monday morning when Augusto burst into my private office without knocking, holding a decrypted intelligence report.
"Boss, we have a serious breach," Augusto said, slamming a file onto my desk.
I looked up from my laptop, my expression instantly hardening. "Speak."
"Victor didn't just go lick his wounds after Friday. He met with Marcus Vance's associates—the ones operating out of Brooklyn," Augusto reported rapidly. "They don't know about Marcus being locked in the container yet, but they do know that Hannah Hayes is living in the master wing and nursing your son."
My blood ran cold. "How did they find out?"
"Elena," Augusto said grimly. "She overheard us talking about the background check and leaked it to Victor out of spite. They’re planning to use Hannah to crack your armor. They figure if they can abduct her, they can blackmail you into handing over control of Cole Maritime."
I stood up so fast my leather chair crashed backward onto the floor. The fury that erupted inside me was blinding—a white-hot rage that threatened to consume everything in its path.
"Where is Victor right now?" I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm.
"He’s hosting a board meeting at the Manhattan headquarters downtown. But his associates are moving toward the Long Island estate right now. They plan to hit the house during the afternoon shift change."
I reached for my shoulder holster, strapping my Sig Sauer into place, and grabbed my suit jacket.
"Augusto, lock down the entire perimeter. Activate the inner security grid. Put the estate on code red," I ordered, marching toward the door. "And put a tactical team outside Hannah's suite immediately. If a single fly gets within ten feet of her or my son, I want it vaporized."
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"Understood, boss. What about Victor?"
"Let him finish his board meeting," I said coldly, pulling my car keys from my pocket. "When I get back from downtown, I’m going to deal with my cousin personally."
