CHAPTER 41
Luca’s POV
“For now,” Marco admitted, “but there‘ s… chatter. People are questioning your leadership, boss. They are saying you are distracted, that you have lost control.”
I shot to my feet, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. “I haven‘ t lost control,” I growled. “I am still the head of this Syndicate, and anyone who doubts that can answer to me personally.”
Marco nodded quickly, but I could see the doubt in his eyes. It was a look I had seen too many times lately, and it gnawed at me.
“Anything else?” I demanded.
He hesitated again, and I knew I was not going to like what he said next.
“There‘ s… another rumor, boss. About
uh… inability to produce an heir.”
your,
The words hit me like a physical blow, and
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for a moment, I could not breathe.
“Who’s spreading that?” I asked, threateningly.
Marco shook his head. “Don‘ t know for
sure, but it is spreading fast. People are questioning your… future, boss. Without an heir, some are wondering if the Syndicate will-”
“Enough,” I cut him off, sharply enough to make him flinch. “I‘ ll deal with it.”
He nodded and quickly exited the room, leaving me alone with the chaos swirling in my head.
Casey had planted the seeds of this disaster, but I had let them grow. I had indulged her madness, thinking I could control her, and now I was paying the price. My empire was on the brink of collapse, my reputation in tatters, and the woman I love was lying in a hospital bed because of my mistakes.
The Obsidian Syndicate had been my
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life’s work, a symbol of my power and control. Now it was slipping through my fingers like sand, and I could not stop it.
My thoughts drifted to Amara, and a wave of regret washed over me. I had pushed her away, betrayed her, and for what? A fling with a woman who had turned out to be a liability? I had thought I could have it all, power, respect, control… but I had been a fool.
“Luca,” I muttered to myself, staring at my reflection in the glass of the office window. “You did this to yourself. Now fix it before there is nothing left.”
The ringing of my backup phone jolted me out of my thoughts. I grabbed it, hoping it was Casey. Instead, it was another. lieutenant, panicking.
“Boss, we’ve got a problem,” he said.
“What now?” I snapped.
“Some of the men are refusing to take orders. They are saying you are not fit to
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lead, and they are planning to leave.”
I felt a cold knot form in my stomach.
“Who’s behind it?”
“Don’t know yet, but it’s spreading. We need to act fast before it gets out of hand.”
I ended the call without responding, and I knew that I did not have the luxury of time to fix it, nor the resources that were
becoming scarce. My reputation was one to hold the syndicate together, but now, I doubt, it could hold this family any longer.
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