On the way home, I call Emmanuil and update him on how it went.
“Did you expect him to react any differently?” he asks.
“No, probably not. But at least I know I tried to do things the right way. I gave the old man a choice.”
“So, tomorrow, we’re getting to work then?”
“Yes. You can tell the others to meet at my mansion. We can drive in convoy to the warehouses Ali and Faiz have been using. It’s time to take them back.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he agrees.
When I get home, Georgie is waiting for me, looking anxious. She runs into my arms the moment I climb out of the car. “I was so worried,” she says, holding onto me tightly. “What did he say?”
For a moment, I don’t answer her, I just breathe in that gorgeous scent and let it settle over me.
“Kris?” she huffs. “What happened? How did it go?”
I smile and touch her face. “It went as expected. His mask slipped, his true nature revealed. He won’t sign. And now his chance is over.”
She bites her bottom lip. “I’m so sorry. I know you wanted to try and smooth things over with him if it was possible.”
“It was never going to be possible,” I admit. “It was naive of me to assume I’d be able to break past his ego.”
She slips her arm around my waist and pulls me towards the front door. “But still. He’s your father. I can’t imagine any of this being easy.”
She’s so supportive. So beautiful.
I smile a crooked smile and cock my head to the side as we step into the mansion. Our home.
“Little one, none of it matters. He doesn’t matter anymore. All that I could ever want or need is right here in my arms,” I say, holding her against my chest.
She giggles and nuzzles into me. “So, you aren’t sad?” she grins, mischief glittering in her eyes.
“Did you want me to be sad?” I muse, frowning.
“Well, I just thought that if you were sad…I know of a few ways I could make you feel better.”
Her voice is sultry and seductive, instantly setting my body aflame.
I lean down and lift her into my arms. I don’t need a second invitation.
“In that case. I’mdevastated. I’m practically coming apart at the seams. I need a lot of help to feel better. I’m desperate,” I say, carrying her up the stairs towards our bedroom while she giggles and nuzzles her face into my neck, tracing kisses over my skin.
***
Over the next week, my alliance works at my side, moving through the city and fixing everything my father has been destroying.
I claim my warehouses back, stripping them from the inside and burning everything he was building. I tear down two other buildings he had contracted on the land in relation to the auction-trade event. Word spreads fast through the city. I movewith brutal intent, letting my voice be heard loud and clear in every corner of the city.Mycity.
In person, I visit every single one of my inner-city allies and show them all of the evidence I have collected. One by one, they see the light and shun all connections they had with my father. Day by day, piece by piece, I tear his world apart until there is nothing left but me. My kingdom, my power, and my throne.
The lawyers move everything to my name, and I finally, fully claim my Bratva group as my own.
My father may as well be dead to this city. If he hasn’t already fled, he will soon see that it’s his only option.
There isn’t a single hotel that would host him. Even his mansion is now in my name, and his guards are under my employment.
He has nothing.
