Chapter 10 - The Waterfront War
“Mention the families again, Arthur,” Luca said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying register as he walked slowly around the desk toward the older man. “And I won't just audit your investment firm. I’ll foreclose on your summer estate in the Hamptons before dinner, and by midnight, you’ll be liquidating your watch collection to pay your legal fees.”
Arthur took a hurried step backward, hitting the edge of the mahogany table, his chest heaving as he realized he had crossed a line from which there was no return.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Duca,” Arthur muttered, his voice shaking as he pointed a trembling finger. “The people moving into the Brooklyn harbor aren't businessmen. They don't care about your SEC reports.”
“Let them come,” Luca replied coldly, stopping two feet away from him. “I built this empire on the ashes of men who thought distance and darkness could protect them. Tell your associates in Brooklyn that if they want the harbor, they can come through my front door. Now... get out of my building before I decide you’ve worn out your welcome.”
Arthur didn't say another word. He turned on his heel, practically sprinting toward the private elevator, hammering the call button until the doors snapped open, swallowing him into the descent.
The elevator bell chimed as it cleared the floor.
Silence descended over the penthouse suite once more, broken only by the distant hum of traffic forty-five floors below.
Clare let out a long, shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding, leaning back against the edge of the glass desk. She looked at Luca, whose expression had already smoothed back into its customary, impassive mask.
“Syndicate families in Brooklyn?” Clare asked quietly, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what Arthur was rambling about, or is there another crisis on my morning schedule that you forgot to mention?”
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Luca turned to look at her, a faint, ghost-like smile touching the corner of his lips for the first time that morning. He walked slowly back across the room, stopping just inches away from her, the clean scent of cedarwood and rain lingering in the air.
“There is always another crisis, Clare,” Luca said softly, his dark eyes searching her face with an intensity that made her pulse race. “The question is whether you want to keep managing my portfolio from a distance, or if you’re ready to help me run the entire city.”
