Chapter 9 - The Meeting in the City
Two weeks after the attack, Adriano Blake walked into the private dining room of The Obsidian, the exclusive New York club where Julian Sterling ran his empire.
The room was quiet, smelling of expensive cigars and premium whiskey. Julian sat at the head of the table, his charcoal suit perfect, his dark eyes watching Adriano enter with a calm, unbothered expression.
"Mr. Blake," Julian said, gesturing to the chair opposite him. "I hear you’ve been having some security issues at your estate. I’m glad to see you survived."
Adriano did not sit down. He stood at the edge of the table, his hands resting flat on the mahogany surface.
"I didn't come here to talk, Julian," Adriano said. "I came to hand you this."
He tossed a thick blue folder onto the table. It slid across the wood, stopping right next to Julian’s glass of scotch.
"What is this?" Julian asked, his brow furrowing as he opened the folder.
"It’s the deed to the Jersey shipping terminals," Adriano said. "And the complete financial ledger of every transaction your sister, Vanessa, made using your Cayman accounts."
Julian’s eyes narrowed. "You can't transfer these terminals, Adriano. My lawyers looked at Clara’s trust. It’s locked."
"It was locked," Adriano corrected. "Until I petitioned the federal court last week. I proved to the judge that the terminals were a direct threat to the lives of my children. The court approved the sale of the terminals to an independent, state-run logistics board. The money from the sale has already been deposited into the boys' trust in Singapore."
Julian stood up, his face losing its calm, polite expression. "You sold them? To the state?"
"Yes," Adriano said, a cold, hard smile touching his lips. "Which means the terminals are now federal property. If you try to take them, or if you try to use your unions to smuggle one single gram of cargo through those docks, you won't be dealing with me, Julian. You’ll be dealing with the FBI."
Julian’s hand moved toward his pocket, but Adriano didn't flinch.
"I’ve also sent a copy of those Cayman files to the district attorney," Adriano continued. "If anything happens to me, my children, or Helena Morales, those files will be released to every newspaper on the East Coast. You’ll be spent before you can even hire a lawyer."
Julian stared at him, his jaw tight, his chest heaving as he realized he had been completely, utterly outplayed.
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"You’re a bold man, Blake," Julian hissed.
"I’m a father, Sterling," Adriano said, turning to leave. "And there is nothing more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose but his children."
