Queen of the Black Coast

Dominic didn't pick up the drive. He stared down at it for a fraction of a second, a flicker of doubt crossing his iron-clad features before his arrogance took over.

"What is that? Another pathetic attempt at alimony extortion?" Dominic sneered, stepping past the USB drive as if it were a speck of dust. "Sign the papers, Seraphina. You take the settlement account in Zurich, you take the house in Cicero, and you stay out of my ports. That's your final offer."

Seraphina didn't blink. She knelt down, picked up the drive, and slipped it back into her pocket. She took Aurora's small, trembling hand in hers.

"Enjoy your gala, Dominic," Seraphina whispered as she walked past him toward the private elevator. "Check your primary offshore terminal at midnight. Let me know if you still think you own the Black Coast."

The heavy elevator doors closed, sealing off the penthouse lights.

Inside the private car descending to the subterranean garage, Aurora looked up with wide, tear-stained eyes. "Mommy… are we homeless now?"

Seraphina knelt down, wiping a stray tear from her daughter's cheek. Her face was no longer that of a frightened housewife; it was the face of a queen preparing to reclaim her crown.

"Never, my sweet girl," Seraphina said, her voice fierce and steady. "We are simply moving out of a house built on borrowed sand. Tonight, we take back everything that belongs to us."

They stepped out into the damp, concrete-walled garage. Waiting beside a matte-black armored SUV was Marcus Vance—no relation to Vanessa, but rather the former head of maritime intelligence for the Moretti syndicate, a man who had secretly remained loyal to Seraphina long after Dominic tried to purge the old guard.

Marcus held the rear door open, nodding respectfully. "Everything is in place, Mrs. Moretti. The encrypted transfer protocols have been severed. Every port container ship from Rotterdam to Los Angeles flying the Moretti flag has paused its transponder."

Seraphina slid into the back seat, pulling Aurora close. "Good. How long before Dominic notices?"

"Not long," Marcus said, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the engine with a low, throaty roar. "The midnight automated customs clearance is about to hit. Without your master decryption key, the port authorities will lock down every terminal on the eastern seaboard within twenty minutes."

Seraphina looked out the tinted window as the SUV tore out of the underground garage and accelerated into the pouring rain.