The Matriarch Ring

Chapter 3 Freezing the Empire

I left Dante in the garage and took the private elevator to the penthouse. Before I reached the top floor, my secure phone buzzed.

Someone was trying to move a large sum from a primary Rossi family trust to an anonymous offshore account. The destination had no name, but the authorization page carried my father's signature.

The slant was wrong. One letter had been copied twice. Chloe's work.

Beside the alert sat an override I had programmed years ago: *Rectify & Conceal.*

One touch would reroute the funds, repair the ledger, and erase the trail before the bank's review system opened the request.

I had used it a hundred times to bury Dante's gambles, thefts, and bad decisions. He never saw a warning because I always cleared it first.

My thumb went to the familiar icon on its own. This time, I locked the phone and put it back in my coat. The transfer alert flashed against the dark screen until it disappeared into my pocket.

The elevator opened into the Rossi command center. Market data, shipping routes, and surveillance feeds from every Rossi territory covered its circular walls.

My father had run the family from that room.

Dante stood at the central console with a whiskey. Chloe sat on its edge, tapping through controls she had no clearance to use.

"There you are." Relief crossed Dante's face before he covered it. "Chloe was helping me streamline the cash flow. She has a real talent for this."

The screen behind her showed three red warnings. Each one waited for her to confirm the forged transfer.

One more click would flag the account for federal review and expose the international route tied to it. Dante watched her work with open approval.

"Step away from the console."

Dante moved in front of her. "That's enough, Elena. I'm trying to run an empire, and your jealousy is becoming a liability. Start thinking about the bigger picture."

"I am the bigger picture."

I picked up the cold coffee from the side table and walked past him. Dante caught my arm before I reached Chloe. His fingers tightened through the sleeve of my coat.

"I am the Don of this family now. You will show me respect."

I kept my eyes on Dante and tipped the coffee over Chloe's keyboard.

Coffee ran between the keys. The panel hissed, gave one sharp c***k, and went black before Chloe could approve the transfer.

She shrieked and jumped off the console. Dante shoved me hard enough to make me take a step back.

"Are you insane? You'll pay for that!"

I crossed to the main interface. "Activate Peregrine Protocol. Authorization: Elena Rossi, blood heir."

Pale blue light scanned my face and eyes. The interface opened a menu Dante had never seen.

My father built the Peregrine Protocol as a final defense against a corrupt proxy. Only he and I knew it was real. No one had ever used it.

***"Biometrics confirmed,"*** the system announced. ***"All proxy authorities assigned to Dante Moretti are pending revocation. Final confirmation required."***

"What confirmation?" Dante asked.

I set my palm on the interface. "Mine. Confirm."

***"Revocation complete."***

Every screen turned red. Market data vanished. The shipping maps closed, and an alarm started overhead.

The main display filled with three lines: *ACCESS DENIED. ASSETS FROZEN. ALL SYSTEMS LOCKED.*

Dante rushed to a terminal and entered the password I had issued him. It failed. He tried his private override, then pressed his thumb against the reader.

*EXILED* filled the screen and stayed there.

"Guards!" He pointed at me. "Seize her. Now!"

The two men inside the room drew their weapons out of habit. Both had been paid through Dante's proxy authority, now revoked across the red screens.

Neither man seemed sure where to aim.

The titanium doors slid open. Victor stood in the doorway with the Surgeon behind him.