Chapter 6 - The Fall of Evanston
The rain had turned into a torrential downpour by the time Arthur’s convoy reached the heavily fortified estate in Evanston.
The property was surrounded by a ten-foot wrought-iron fence and guarded by a dozen armed Croft mercenaries. Searchlights cut through the darkness, sweeping across the slick green lawn.
Arthur sat in the rear of his armored vehicle, racking the slide of an assault rifle.
“Rules of engagement, boss?” Leo asked from the front seat.
“There are no rules,” Arthur replied coldly. “Anyone carrying a weapon for Malcolm Croft dies tonight.”
At precisely 4:30 AM, two armored bulldozers belonging to the Romano construction division crashed through the front gates of the estate, crushing the guard shacks and breaching the outer perimeter.
The night exploded into absolute chaos.
Romano soldiers poured through the breach, suppressing the guard towers with heavy automatic fire. Flares illuminated the grey sky, dropping white phosphorus onto the estate’s driveway, blinding the defenders.
Arthur walked through the gates behind his men, moving with steady, terrifying precision. Whenever a Croft mercenary raised a weapon, Arthur fired, his shots landing with lethal accuracy.
He swept through the grand front entrance of the mansion, stepping over shattered glass and broken antiques. His men cleared the ground floor in three minutes, securing the staircases and cutting off all escape routes.
Arthur walked up the grand marble staircase, his heavy boots leaving bloody footprints on the Persian rug.
He pushed open the double doors of the master study.
Malcolm Croft stood behind his desk, holding a silver-plated pistol with a shaking hand. Beside him, Vivien Croft cowered against the bookshelf, her white silk dress ruined, her immaculate hair wild and unkempt.
“Arthur!” Malcolm screamed, pointing the gun at Arthur’s chest. “Stay back! I built this city! You can't destroy me!”
Arthur didn't even raise his rifle. He simply walked toward the desk, his dark eyes fixing on Malcolm with absolute indifference.
“You tried to poison me at an altar, Malcolm,” Arthur said softly. “You sent hitmen to a hospital room where the mother of my child was fighting for her life.”
“She’s a nobody!” Vivien shrieked from the corner, her face twisted in rage and terror. “She’s a fat, pathetic South Side waitress! You threw away an empire for her? For a bastard child?”
Arthur stopped moving. He turned his head slowly to look at Vivien.
The sheer, suffocating menace emanating from Arthur made Vivien choke on her next breath, her knees giving out as she slid down against the bookshelf.
“My child,” Arthur said, his voice dropping into a tone that chilled the warm air of the room, “is the heir to the Romano family. And Chloe Henderson is the woman who owns every breath I take.”
Malcolm pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck Arthur in the shoulder, tearing through his tactical vest, but Arthur didn't even flinch. He stepped forward, grabbed the barrel of Malcolm’s pistol with his bare hand, snapped Malcolm’s wrist with an audible crack, and ripped the weapon away.
Malcolm screamed in agony, falling to his knees behind the desk.
Arthur leaned over the desk, taking Malcolm by his collar and pulling him up until their faces were inches apart.
“The Croft family ends tonight,” Arthur whispered.
He pressed his pistol beneath Malcolm’s jaw and pulled the trigger.
Vivien screamed, covering her head as Malcolm’s body fell back onto the rug. Arthur turned to look at her, his expression cold and devoid of pity.
“Leo,” Arthur called out without breaking eye contact with Vivien.
Leo stepped into the room, his weapon lowered. “Yes, Arthur?”
“Take Miss Croft to our holding facility in Indiana,” Arthur commanded. “Stripped of all family assets, all money, and all titles. She will spend the rest of her life in a federal penitentiary for attempted murder and conspiracy.”
“No! Please! Arthur!” Vivien sobbed, crawling toward him, grabbing at his boots. “I loved you! I did it for us!”
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Arthur kicked her hand away with disgust. “You loved an empire, Vivien. I love Chloe.”
He turned his back on her screams and walked out into the rain, leaving the burning estate behind him.
