Chapter 11: The Empty Throne

After that cold afternoon by the ocean, Adrian returned to Manhattan.

He did not order his men to watch my cottage. He did not ask me to follow him. He did not call my new phone number every single day. He didn’t try to arrogantly convince me that one emotional conversation on a beach had fixed fifteen years of distance.

Instead, he did something far more surprising. He actually gave me space.

Meanwhile, inside the heavily fortified walls of the Moretti syndicate, absolute chaos was brewing.

Adrian walked into the concrete basement headquarters forty-eight hours after leaving Maine. Julian, Leo, and Marcus were standing around the metal table, reviewing shipping manifests.

“Boss,” Julian stood up, looking relieved. “You found her. When is the extraction team bringing her home?”

Adrian walked to the head of the table. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down heavily.

“There is no extraction team, Julian,” Adrian stated flatly. “She is staying in Maine. And nobody from this family is to go within fifty miles of Oakhaven. Is that understood?”

Julian stared at him in pure disbelief. “You went all the way up there, found her, and you just… walked away?”

“It was her choice,” Adrian said, his tone leaving absolutely no room for debate. “Now, give me the report on the docks.”

Before Julian could answer, the heavy steel doors to the basement swung open.

Lucia Moretti marched into the room, her heels clicking aggressively against the concrete. Two armed capos trailed closely behind her, looking nervous.

“I heard the pathetic rumors, but I refused to believe them,” Lucia sneered, slamming her leather purse onto the table. “You left your wife in a fishing village. You look incredibly weak, Adrian.”

Adrian didn’t even blink. He leaned back in his chair, staring at his mother with cold, dead eyes.

“My marriage is none of your concern, Mother.”

“It is the concern of this entire family!” Lucia shouted, slamming her hand on the metal table. “The Russians are testing our borders in Queens because they smell blood! They think you’ve gone soft over a woman who deserted you!”

“If the Russians step one foot into Queens, I will personally burn their warehouses to the ground,” Adrian replied smoothly. “My handling of this business hasn’t changed.”

“Hasn’t it?” Lucia challenged, stepping dangerously close to him. “You canceled three meetings this week to visit that pathetic charity center she used to run. You are losing your edge, Adrian.”

It was true. Adrian had found himself unable to return to his ruthless life as usual.

For years, he had believed success was strictly measured by violence, growth, and absolute influence. Now, he sat in boardrooms wondering how a man could build so much power and still lose the only person who actually mattered.

“I am running this family exactly how I see fit,” Adrian warned, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “Do not test me, Mother.”

Lucia glared at him for a long, heavy moment. Her eyes darted to Julian, then back to her son.

“A king who refuses to protect his crown will quickly find his head removed,” Lucia whispered venomously.

She turned and marched out of the room, her capos scrambling to follow her.

Adrian watched the door close. He knew his mother better than anyone. She wasn’t just offering a warning. She was making a promise.

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