Chapter 5 - The Ripple Effect

By evening, the news had swept through the Chicago underworld and corporate circles alike with the speed of a prairie fire.

Vincent Kane shut down Sterling’s Bistro over a cleaner’s unpaid wages.

In most cities, a mob boss stepping into a labor dispute would have made the front page of the Tribune as a mafia shakedown. But in Chicago, everyone knew the truth: the city’s legal and labor boards had ignored Sarah Carter’s complaints for months because David Sterling was a campaign donor to half the city council. The police department hadn't lifted a finger.

It took a four-year-old girl with a red hoodie and a notebook of purple stars to achieve what a stack of union grievances couldn't.

Inside his penthouse office overlooking the glittering expanse of Lake Michigan, Vincent sat at his massive walnut desk, reviewing a stack of property acquisitions.

Marcus knocked twice before stepping into the room.

"Boss," Marcus said, keeping his hands clasped behind his back. "The word is out. The restaurant union reps have been calling all afternoon. They want to know if you're taking over the hospitality labor advocacy portfolio."

Vincent didn't look up from his papers. "I'm a businessman, Marcus, not a social worker."

"Right. But word on the street is also that Sterling tried to catch a flight to Miami this afternoon and TSA flagged his passport because of some discrepancies in his corporate tax filings." Marcus smirked. "Looks like the receiver you appointed found a few extra skeletons in the bistro's basement."

"David Sterling was skimming from his investors to fund his lifestyle," Vincent said coldly. "He was a liability to the city long before he decided to cheat a single mother out of grocery money."

"And the Carter family?"

Vincent paused. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small, folded piece of cheap notebook paper—the one with the purple stars.

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"Ensure their rent is paid for the next year," Vincent instructed. "Quietly. Use a shell company. And make sure Rory gets a proper set of colored markers so she doesn't have to use dull crayons on cheap paper."

Marcus nodded, a genuine smile touching his hardened features. "Will do, Boss."