2026-01-23 22:53:12
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Pregnancy
"Then we will handle it," Marcus said. He made the decision even as doubts screamed at him from every direction. "Regardless of paternity, regardless of how complicated this looks, we will make sure you and that baby have everything you need.""Marcus, you don't owe me anything. After what I did, and after how my family treated you, you have every right to walk away and let me figure this out alone." Victoria was crying now, tears falling despite her attempts to maintain composure. "I wouldn't blame you. I don't deserve your help.""This isn't about what you deserve. It's about what is right." Marcus pulled out his phone, already planning."You need better medical care than you are getting. I want the best obstetrician in the city and a hospital that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. We need every advantage to ensure this baby is healthy.""I cannot afford that. I am barely making rent on a receptionist salary." Victoria wiped her eyes with napkins from the dispenser. "Marcus, I ap
Architects of a Broken Lineage
Marcus stared at his coffee as a thin layer of oil formed on the surface of the cold liquid. Victoria continued to speak with a steady voice that contradicted the visible tremor in her fingers. She traced specific dates on a paper napkin with a ballpoint pen."It happened the night before Judge Richardson finalized the decree," Victoria said, her focus remaining strictly on the napkin instead of meeting Marcus's gaze. "We had met to sign the closing documents at the office of Margaret Chen. Surely you remember that evening. You walked me out to the sidewalk and we just stood there because neither of us knew how to articulate a final goodbye after five years of marriage."Marcus remembered. They had gone to a nearby bar that neither of them had ever visited, an anonymous space where they could grieve the death of their union without the burden of public scrutiny."We were both intoxicated," Marcus said in a low tone."We eventually went back to my hotel room, the small suite I rented a
The Pregnancy Revelation
Victor stood guard at the entrance of the Queens warehouse after accompanying Marcus."Your father is waiting inside," Victor said."He has been pacing for the better part of an hour.""Is this another lecture, Victor? Another sermon on the necessity of ruthlessness?""It is more complicated than that." Victor leaned in. "There is a man in there. He was caught skimming from the Laurent operations. Your father intends for you to settle the account personally."A cold weight settled in the pit of Marcus’s stomach. "Settle it how, exactly?""In the manner of the old guard." Victor met his gaze, and for a fleeting second, Marcus detected a trace of genuine regret. "I attempted to dissuade him. I argued that your work with the Castellanos and the Council had already established your value. But he is convinced that you require this specific education, and he has no intention of letting you walk out of that door until the lesson is finished."Stark work lights beat down on a man bound to a re
One That Wouldn't Offer Mercy As An Option.
The video arrived in Marcus's inbox at 2 AM, forwarded through a dozen encrypted servers before landing with the subject line "THE TRUTH ABOUT MARCUS LAURENT." Victor called ninety seconds later."Don't watch it alone," Victor said. "I'm coming to your hotel."But Marcus had already clicked play, and Daniel's face filled his screen."My name is Daniel Laurent," the video began, Daniel's voice steady despite the wildness in his eyes. "And I'm here to tell you the truth about my brother Marcus, the man who's been pretending to be a legitimate heir to our father's empire while playing college boy games with real criminals' lives."The video quality was professional. Behind his brother, Marcus could see concrete walls and exposed pipes."Marcus Laurent isn't one of us," Daniel continued. "He's a Harvard-educated coward who thinks he can run a criminal empire through spreadsheets and blackmail instead of through strength and respect. He let Luca Castellano live because he doesn't have the
The Next phase
Robert walked to the window, staring out at the jagged, glittering skyline of Manhattan. Marcus watched his father's reflection in the glass, seeing the gears of a predatory mind at work as he calculated the cost of compliance."The operations you want to cut represent about sixty million in annual turnover," Robert said eventually. "You are asking me to amputate a vital limb of this empire for the sake of your conscience.""I am asking you to eliminate the high-risk variables that lead to federal indictments. Eight percent is a small price to pay for longevity." Marcus stepped closer, his voice dropping an octave. "You cannot stay ahead of the FBI forever. Removing the most scrutinized industries gives the Laurent family a future. It is basic risk management."Robert turned back, and for the first time, Marcus saw a flicker of genuine respect in his father's eyes. "You aren't arguing from a place of morality. You are arguing from a place of sustainability. That is a sophisticated piv
The Expanding Board
"By all means." Robert gestured toward the ivory telephone sitting on the mahogany desk with a flourish that felt entirely too practiced. "Though I suspect you will find the coming conversation profoundly unsatisfying. She will undoubtedly offer a desperate justification or claim she orchestrated this betrayal for your own benefit. Parents possess a remarkable talent for rationalizing the way they dismantle the lives of their children."Marcus dialed the secure number Elena had provided him months ago. She answered before the second ring concluded, her voice thick with a maternal concern that now felt like a carefully rehearsed script."Marcus? Thank God. Victor informed me that Robert summoned you to the gallery. Are you safe?""Did you do it?" Marcus asked, his voice sounding flat and hollow even to his own ears. "Did you provide him with my location when I attempted to disappear? Did you tell him about Victoria?"The silence on the other end of the line stretched out, heavy and suf
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