Chapter 8 - The Syndicate's Ultimatum
The massive explosion had completely destroyed one of Adrian’s most lucrative downtown shipping warehouses.
The Falcone family, desperate and heavily cornered, had called in massive favors from the national Mafia Commission.
The Commission was the absolute ruling body of all organized crime in the country.
They despised open warfare because it heavily disrupted their illegal cash flow and attracted federal attention.
The next morning, Adrian was officially summoned to a neutral, highly secure location in Brooklyn.
He walked into a dimly lit, smoke-filled restaurant to face the five most powerful bosses in America.
Don Falcone was sitting at the massive table, looking incredibly smug and confident.
"You have started a massive war over a completely worthless cleaning woman, Adrian," the head of the Commission growled.
"You are heavily disrupting our business, and it ends completely today."
The Commission handed Adrian a formal, non-negotiable ultimatum written on heavy parchment.
He had exactly twenty-four hours to hand over half of his shipping territory to the Falcone family as an apology.
If he refused, the entire combined weight of the national syndicate would violently crush his organization.
They would aggressively hunt down his loyal men, and they would brutally murder Sarah and Mia to make a violent point.
Adrian read the heavy document slowly, his face completely devoid of any human emotion.
Don Falcone smiled wickedly, absolutely certain that he had finally defeated his greatest rival.
"Give it up, Moretti," Falcone sneered arrogantly. "You cannot possibly fight the entire country by yourself."
Adrian slowly placed the ultimatum document flat on the heavy wooden table.
He pulled his silver lighter from his pocket and calmly set the heavy paper on fire.
The five bosses gasped in absolute, horrified shock as the ashes floated onto the table.
"I do not negotiate with cowards who target innocent children," Adrian declared with absolute authority.
"If the Commission wants a war, I will gladly bring the absolute fires of hell to every single one of your doorsteps."
"But I will never, under any circumstances, surrender what is rightfully mine."
Adrian turned his back on the most dangerous men in the country and walked smoothly out of the restaurant.
He knew he had just officially signed his own violent death warrant.
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But as he thought about the peaceful smile on Mia’s face, he knew it was absolutely worth it.
He drove back to his heavily fortified mansion, preparing to fight the absolute final battle of his entire life.
