Chapter 6 - A Cold Reunion
The ballroom erupted into chaos as flashbulbs exploded like machine-gun fire, illuminating every angle of our entrance. Lucian didn't care about the cameras, the press, or the armed guards who instinctively reached inside their jackets. He shoved past society patrons and security personnel alike, descending the staircase three steps at a time like a feral beast breaking free from an iron cage. ""Clear the room!"" his underboss roared, and within two minutes, his men had evacuated the ballroom with ruthless efficiency, locking the heavy brass doors from the inside and leaving only the high-ranking syndicate members, Victoria, and my small family in the cavernous space.
Lucian stopped six feet away from us, his chest heaving as if he had just run through fire. His eyes raced across my face, cataloging every line, every breath, before dropping down to the small boy standing at my hip. Leo did not flinch; he did not hide behind my skirt. He simply tilted his chin up, meeting Lucian’s wild, manic gaze with an eerie, composed detachment that sent a shiver through the room. ""You're alive,"" Lucian breathed, his voice cracking with an agony that five years of power could never heal. He took an unsteady step forward, his hand trembling as he reached out toward me. ""Serena... my God, you're alive. And he... he survived.""
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""Do not take another step, Mr. Moretti,"" I said, my voice cutting through the silence like an icy razor. ""If you cross that line, my private security team outside will release the full unredacted forensic audit of the Romano family port negotiations to the Southern District of New York. You will be in federal custody before your breakfast coffee gets cold."" Lucian froze mid-stride, his outstretched hand suspended in the empty air. Behind him, Victoria Vance hurried forward, her voice shrill with desperate venom. ""Lucian, this is an ambush! Don't look at her! She staged her own death, she stole your property, she humiliated you in front of every major investor in North America! Arrest her!""
Leo didn't even look at Victoria. Instead, he reached into his miniature tuxedo jacket, pulled out a small titanium flash drive, and calmly tossed it onto the glass coffee table between us. It slid across the polished surface, stopping directly at Lucian’s feet. ""What is this?"" Lucian asked, his eyes never leaving our son’s face. ""That,"" I replied with a cold, triumphant smile, ""is the complete transfer protocol for sixty-two percent of Moretti Industries' voting equity. Your accounts were frozen twenty minutes ago when Acheron Holdings triggered the cross-default covenants on your shipping fleet. You don't own this city anymore, Lucian. My son does. And unlike you, he doesn't need to lie to keep what is his.""
