Chapter 5

The idea behind the port network had been mine from the beginning.

Years ago, before the Morettis controlled anything worth mentioning along the harbor, I had spent countless nights studying shipping schedules, customs rotations, warehouse ownership, and every route that could move cargo through the city without attracting attention.

The first maps had been drawn by hand at my kitchen table.

The first contacts had been mine.

So were the coded manifests, emergency routes, payment channels, and contingency plans that later became the foundation of the entire operation.

From the beginning, my name had been tied to every part of it.

Back then, the Moretti operation had consisted of barely a dozen people working out of two rundown warehouses.

Over the years, we grew.

One route became three. Three became an entire network.

Eventually, the Morettis controlled three major ports, and the operation brought in five hundred million dollars.

The Family's influence spread with it.

At the time, the head of the Family was Richard Jefferson.

Richard was sharp, practical, and respected results above everything else.

He trusted me completely when it came to the harbor.

Sometimes, after a successful operation, he would clap a hand on my shoulder and joke in front of the capos, "If Grant had half Adriana's judgment, I'd sleep better at night. Maybe one day I'll leave both him and this whole damn operation in her hands."

Grant was overseas then, far away from the daily business of the Family.

None of us took Richard's words too seriously.

Still, his trust meant something to me.

It made all those sleepless nights feel worthwhile.

Then Richard fell ill and died unexpectedly.

Grant came home and took his father's place.

At first, he treated me with respect.

He asked for my opinion before making decisions about the docks and rarely interfered with the systems his father and I had built.

But slowly, things changed.

Richard had cared about results.

Grant cared about appearances.

He praised the men who stayed at headquarters until midnight, even when they had nothing left to do. He favored people who followed him from meeting to meeting, agreed with every decision, and made sure they were always visible when he walked through the warehouses.

To him, that was loyalty.

Quietly solving problems and going home when the work was done wasn't enough anymore.

I never paid much attention to the change.

I was too busy keeping the operation running.

It wasn't until Grant handed my ten million dollars to Regina that I finally understood.

He didn't want someone who could build an empire for him.

He wanted someone who looked devoted to him.

And Regina had learned exactly how to play that role.

After a month away from the Morettis, I decided it was time to move on.

I quietly contacted several Families with operations along the East Coast.

At first, I wasn't worried.

With nine years of experience and the routes I'd built, I knew what I was worth.

But most of my messages received no response.

A few Families agreed to meet with me, only for their attitudes to change afterward.

The conversations became shorter.

Offers disappeared.

Doors that should have been open suddenly closed.

After several failed meetings, an old contact finally told me why.

"Adriana, your ability isn't the problem."

He hesitated before lowering his voice.

"Someone's been talking."

I looked at him.

"What are they saying?"

"That you're difficult. That you used your seniority to bully younger associates. That you took credit for other people's work."

He paused.

"And that you assaulted Regina when she tried to make peace with you."

Everything suddenly made sense.

Grant.

Forcing me out hadn't been enough.

He wanted to make sure no other Family would take me in either.

When my mother noticed how quiet I'd become over the next few days, she finally asked what was wrong.

I told her.

Her face changed immediately.

"He's telling people those things about you?"

She stood up.

"I'm going to speak to that man myself."

I caught her hand before she could take another step.

"Mom, don't."

"Adriana, you can't let him ruin your name."

"Not yet."

I looked toward the window.

Strangely, I wasn't angry anymore.

"It's almost time."

My mother frowned.

"Time for what?"

I gave a faint smile.

"For Grant to come looking for me himself."

She stared at me in confusion.

Before she could ask another question, my phone rang on the table.

I looked down.

Grant Jefferson.

I answered and put the call on speaker.

"Adriana?"

For the first time, Grant's voice wasn't calm.

There was tension behind every word.

"You need to get down to Pier Seventeen immediately. We have a serious problem."

I said nothing.

"The shipment for the Bellini Family came in tonight, but something went wrong with the route. Customs locked down the east side of the harbor, two of our backup warehouses have been exposed, and Bellini's men are already there demanding answers."

Voices shouted behind him.

Grant kept talking.

"If we don't get that cargo out tonight, we're going to lose the entire deal. I need you here now."

I waited until he finished.

Then I spoke calmly.

"Don Jefferson, did you call the wrong person?"

Silence.

"I don't work for you anymore."

His breathing went still on the other end.

"If there's a problem with the port operation, you should call the person who received the ten million dollars."

I paused.

"Regina stays at the warehouses until midnight every night, doesn't she?"

My voice remained perfectly even.

"So ask her."