ra

city's edge, pressing a kiss to his chee

r straight into the

that housed the Syndicate headquarters, to

double glass doors

tes standing guard stopped their conversations

e to the he

straight to the private elevator, p

the hushed quiet of

ward the Capos' meeting room and p

le, which had been polished to a flawless, watery black

bowing his head in

, sliding a thick stack of docume

up the heavy gold pen r

n, the doors behin

the room, his face a

ly behind him, shrinking

hed toward me, his chest puffed with a false br

to come clos

kept my gaze pinned on the t

ds on the table, makin

to you!" he ye

e is done

calmly turned the docume

e heavy legal text, his face drained of co

His voice was

o spoke from a shadowed corner of the room. "

rcent of the territories and leg

as if he had never seen me before, as if I we

ok his head in frantic

ed him coldly. "And you have broke

ard, panic flashin

d a trembling hand towar

"I will make

a by the arm and y

ologize to her!" he screa

caped my lips, echoing of

rthy of the crown my father lent you. You failed. And now you think

again, hovering the tip

of ink. But before the pen could touch paper, a sound froze my