Chapter 9 - The Ghost of the Commission
The peaceful hum of spring in the Moretti vineyard was short-lived. Three months after Julian DeLuca’s death, the fragile balance of power within the Chicago Commission began to buckle. While Julian’s treason had disgraced his immediate family, his uncle, Don Carmine DeLuca, refused to let the boy’s bloodline die out without a fight.
Sitting at the grand dining table, Dominic reviewed heavy leather files provided by Nico. The Commission—an oversight board of the city's five dominant families—had summoned an emergency council at the historic Blackstone Hotel.
"Carmine is claiming that regardless of Julian's crimes, Matteo carries DeLuca blood and belongs under their legal and syndicate guardianship," Nico reported, his tone grim. "He's bribed two of the neutral dons to vote in his favor."
Dominic’s jaw tightened. "Over my dead body. He doesn't want the child for lineage; he wants the boy to claim Elena's legal trust funds in Switzerland."
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Sophie entered the room carrying a sleepy Matteo. She had overheard enough to feel the cold phantom of fear returning. "They can't take him, Dominic. He doesn't know them."
Dominic stood up, walking toward her. He gently squeezed her shoulder, his eyes burning with absolute conviction. "No one is taking him. Tomorrow, I go to the Commission. But I won't go alone as a mobster—I'm going as his father."
