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His eyes widen with fear at that. He scrambles like he’s about to run, but the men clamp down on his arm, keeping him in place. I get to my feet, smoothing out the cuffs of my shirt.
“I value loyalty above all else. If I ever died, or if something happened to me and I had to leave my men behind, I’d expect them to continue to uphold that sense of loyalty, even years after I’m deep in the grave,” I state.
“I told you!” Paulo yells. “He’s insane.”
“And you’re a dead man. Take him away. Torture him until he confesses his brother’s location and then kill him,” I order.
They drag him out immediately, and the room falls still. Camila speaks up once they’re gone.
“What are you going to do to his brother?” she asks.
I shrug. “Take him in. The kid won’t have anyone. Might as well take care of him.”
“Aww, you’re such a big softie, Ramirez.”
“Don’t tell anybody,” I say dryly. “I’m leaving. There’s a meeting tonight, and I don’t want to be late.”
“Good luck,” she tells me, knowing full well what the agenda of the meeting is.
“You and I both know I don’t need luck. I’ll see you later,” I tell her. “Lukas,” I say in acknowledgment.
The blonde man simply grunts in reply. After several days of research, I’ve decided to trust them. I searched for any traces of foul play and found none.
When I arrive back at the mansion, Adrian and Marco’s cars are already parked outside, their men milling about. Instead of heading straight for the meeting room, I ask Vlad to inform Sebastian that I’d like to speak to him privately.
The old man arrives a few minutes later, anger in his eyes at being summoned.
“Is this a last-minute surrender?” he asks.
“Yes. Yours,” I answer simply. His eyes narrow. “Do you really think I don’t know that you promised to give Adrian control over the organization’s accounts if he voted for you in the meeting? I mean, the asshole likes money, but he apparently likes me more for some reason.”
Sebastian’s fists clench. But I’m not done.
“And Marco? What did you promise him? You and I both know he’s a slimy eel. He’ll vote last and will be on the side of the majority, regardless of any deal you two might have. I’m sure you’re also hoping the Shadow will send a message that he’s on your side. But unfortunately, that’s not going to happen either. In case it isn’t clear, Seb. You’re going to lose,” I state.
His jaw tightens. “I still need to agree for the outfit to accept your position. All four of us need to come to a unanimous decision. Do you really think I’m going to vote for you in that meeting? Your delusion knows no bounds, Ramirez,” he says with a scoff.
“Of course I think you’re going to vote for me. You want to know why?”
“Why?” he grits out.
“Because I know your secret. Twenty-five years ago, you got a woman pregnant. That woman then had a daughter. Your daughter. Instead of claiming them and taking care of them, you abandoned them, turned your back on them. Do you even know where she is right now?”
Sebastian’s eyes widen.
“How do you know all that?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters now is what I plan to do with that information. Do you think your daughter will be happy to know who you are? Maybe I’ll pay her a visit.”
“No! She has no reason to be a part of this life. Leave her the fuck alone!” he snaps.
“If you want me to, you know what you have to do, Seb,” I tell him.
His expression twists into one of rage. “You’ll pay for this, Ramirez. I promise you.”
“That was the last time you will ever open your mouth to threaten me. After the meeting tonight, I’ll be Don, and you’ll respect me.”
“Burn in hell,” he spits.
