Chapter 6 - The Broken Alliance
By nine o'clock the following morning, the financial district of Boston was in absolute turmoil.
The headline on the front page of the *Boston Globe* screamed: **MORETTI-BARRETT MERGER COLLAPSES: HEIR WALKS OUT ON ENGAGEMENT OF THE DECADE.**
Inside the top-floor boardroom of Moretti Enterprises on State Street, the tension was suffocating.
Victoria Moretti sat at the head of the forty-foot mahogany table. Surrounding her were the seven senior partners of the firm’s executive board, three corporate attorneys, and Senator Thomas Barrett himself. Barrett’s face was dark, a glass of bourbon sitting untouched before him despite the early hour.
"He publicly disgraced my daughter, Victoria," Barrett snarled, leaning across the table. "He threw our contract back in my face in front of the entire political establishment of Massachusetts. By noon today, the state port authority will revoke your berthing licenses. You will lose forty million dollars by Friday."
Victoria didn't flinch. Her silver hair was perfect, her black Armani suit immaculate. "The licenses will remain intact, Thomas. Dominic was having a temporary psychological crisis. He will be handled."
"Handled?" Barrett scoffed. "He’s the CEO! He controls fifty-one percent of the voting equity through his grandfather’s trust. You can't fire him, Victoria!"
"The trust has an insanity clause," Victoria said, her voice dropping into a chilling, calculated cadence. "A provision inserted by his grandfather stating that if the head of the family acts in a manner that presents an imminent, existential threat to the preservation of the estate, a board vote of seventy-five percent can temporarily strip him of executive authority."
The lawyers exchanged nervous glances. One of them, a man named Henderson who had served the Moretti family for thirty years, cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Moretti... executing that clause requires medical proof of incapacity. Dominic is entirely lucid. If he files an injunction—"
The heavy double doors of the boardroom were kicked off their latch.
The oak doors slammed against the drywall with a resounding crack that made two board members jump out of their chairs.
Dominic walked in.
He had showered and changed. He wore a bespoke charcoal three-piece suit, a crisp white shirt, and a dark silver tie. His cufflinks were solid black onyx. Behind him, standing in the doorway with arms crossed, were Marcus Vance and four imposing men in dark tactical suits, their hands resting loosely at their waists.
Dominic didn't look at Barrett. He didn't look at the lawyers.
He walked straight down the length of the table, his heavy steps measured and rhythmic, until he reached the head where his mother sat.
"Dominic," Victoria said, raising her chin, though her fingers tightened imperceptibly on her pen. "You are not authorized to interrupt an executive session."
Dominic placed his hands flat on the mahogany table, leaning down until his face was six inches from hers.
"The executive session is over, Mother."
Thomas Barrett slammed his fist onto the table. "Moretti! You think you can walk in here with your hired thugs and—"
Dominic’s left hand shot out like a viper.
His fingers wrapped around the lapels of Barrett’s thousand-dollar suit jacket. With a single, explosive heave, Dominic dragged the sixty-year-old senator across the polished mahogany, sending water glasses and legal documents crashing to the floor, until Barrett’s face was pinned against the wood.
"Dominic!" Victoria gasped, rising to her feet.
"Shut up," Dominic said, not turning his head. He leaned over Barrett, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying whisper. "You have sixty seconds to take your documents, walk out of this building, and never utter my name again, Thomas. If one of your inspectors steps foot near my South Boston dock projects, I will release the offshore accounts you maintain in the Cayman Islands to the Federal Trade Commission."
Barrett’s eyes bulged with terror. "You... you don't have those—"
"Marcus has had them for three years," Dominic whispered. "I kept them in reserve in case your daughter wasn't as charming as advertised. Now get out of my office before I throw you through the glass."
Dominic released him with a shove. Barrett scrambled backward, his dignity completely shattered, his tie askew. He grabbed his coat and fled through the double doors without looking back.
The room was deathly quiet. The board members sat frozen, terrified to draw a full breath.
Dominic straightened his jacket. He turned his gaze upon the seven men seated around the table.
"Henderson," Dominic said smoothly.
"Y-yes, Dominic?" the lawyer stammered.
"Prepare the transfer documents. Victoria Moretti is resigning from the board of directors, effective immediately. Her executive compensation is suspended, her access to corporate accounts is revoked, and her security clearance at all Moretti facilities is permanently terminated."
Victoria let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. "You cannot remove me! I built this empire while you were still in prep school! I am your mother!"
Dominic turned to her. His eyes were devoid of any filial warmth. They were the eyes of a sovereign dismantling a traitor.
"You brought Salvatore Genovese into this," Dominic said, the words falling like lead weights.
Victoria’s breath caught in her throat.
"Genovese’s two primary captains were intercepted in an alley behind Hanover Street at four this morning," Dominic continued. "They are currently in the basement of one of my warehouses in Chelsea, having a very enlightening conversation with Marcus’s team. Genovese has already agreed to retire to Florida by noon today. He knows if he stays in Massachusetts, he won't survive the sunset."
Victoria’s hands began to shake. Her network was dissolving before her eyes.
"You gave away my sons, Mother," Dominic whispered, leaning close so only she could hear the venom in his voice. "You threatened the woman I loved, you forged documents, and you stole six years of my bloodline. You are lucky I am leaving you enough money to pay the heating bill at the family estate."
"They are bastards!" Victoria hissed, her control finally shattering, her voice rising into an ugly, shrill shriek that echoed off the boardroom glass. "They are the children of a baker’s daughter! They have no pedigree! They will drag the Moretti name into the mud!"
Dominic leaned down, his voice steady, absolute, and merciless.
May you like
"They are four Morettis, Mother. And by the time I am finished teaching them how to rule this city, they will own every street you ever walked on. Now get out of my chair."
***
