Chapter 9 - The Trial of Faith
The quiet peace of the estate was tested three weeks later during the annual winter summit of the Eastern Transport Syndicate—a coalition of legitimate logistics executives and secret faction leaders who governed maritime trade.
The summit was held at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.
Lena attended as Victor’s official chief of operations—a title that had raised eyebrows across the industry, but one that no one dared challenge after seeing Victor’s cold execution of those who had supported Mercer.
During a private break in the glass-walled conservatory, Lena was approached by FBI Special Agent Marcus Vance—a sharp, gray-haired investigator who had spent fifteen years trying to build a racketeering case against the Romano family.
Vance stood beside her near a display of orchids, keeping his voice extremely low.
"Miss Hart," Vance said without looking at her. "You don't belong with these people."
Lena did not flinch. She kept her eyes on the flowers. "You don't know where I belong, Agent Vance."
"I know you were a clean, hard-working woman whose brother was sick," Vance said, slipping a small white business card into her coat pocket. "I know Victor Romano brought you into his world to buy your silence. But the Department of Justice is preparing an indictment against his entire inner circle. If you stay at his side, you will go down with him."
"Victor hasn't bought my silence," Lena said coldly, turning to face the agent. "He saved my brother’s life when every social program in this city failed us. He wiped out a ring of murderers who were poisoning people in public ballrooms."
"He is a mob boss, Miss Hart!" Vance hissed.
"He is a man who keeps his word," Lena replied, stepping around the agent with absolute poise. "Which is more than I can say for the city officials who let my family starve for three years."
From across the conservatory, Victor watched the interaction. He stood near the entrance, his dark eyes fixed on Agent Vance as the investigator walked away with a frustrated scowl.
When Lena returned to Victor’s side, he looked down at her coat pocket.
"Did he offer you immunity?" Victor asked calmly.
Lena pulled the white business card from her pocket, looked at it for a fraction of a second, and then dropped it into a crystal ash bucket beside the door.
"He offered me a chance to betray the only man who ever treated me like an equal," Lena said softly.
May you like
Victor stared at her, his chest swelling with a feeling he had not allowed himself to experience in over twenty years. He reached out, took her hand in his, and squeezed it tightly in front of fifty corporate executives and syndicate leaders.
"Let them try," Victor whispered, his dark eyes blazing with dangerous pride. "Together, Lena, we will burn this city to the ground before we let them touch us."
