Chapter 7 - RIPPLES IN THE WATER
By December, the atmosphere inside the Kelly estate had shifted so completely that even Levi noticed.
The constant sound of smashing glass and roaring anger on the third floor had ceased entirely. Diamond was taking his nerve medication regularly, allowing his physical therapist back into the house twice a week, and actively running his business operations with sharp, cold efficiency instead of blind rage.
The reason for the change was obvious to everyone in the compound: Caprice.
She had transitioned from a night cleaner into something entirely uncategorized. She still carried her cleaning bucket, but she now took her meals with Diamond in his private dining room. She read his financial reports to him when his eyes were tired, adjusted his footrests without asking, and stood beside his chair during high-level meetings with his street captains.
The syndicate men were bewildered. They watched their terrifying boss—a man who had executed rivals without blinking—soften his dark eyes whenever the pale maid walked into the room carrying his tea.
However, peace in the underworld was a fleeting illusion.
On a cold Thursday afternoon, a convoy of dark sedans pulled up the driveway.
Johnny "The Blade" Vane, the ruthless boss of the Southside Syndicate and Diamond’s primary rival, had requested a sit-down to discuss shipping territory along the riverfront.
Diamond sat at the head of the long mahogany conference table in his grand library. Levi stood to his right, his hand resting near his shoulder holster. Four armed guards lined the walls.
Johnny Vane walked in, flanked by two large enforcers. Johnny was a slick, greasy man in an expensive Italian suit, with sharp, ferret-like eyes and a cruel smile.
"Diamond," Johnny sneered, taking a seat at the far end of the table. "You look... comfortable in that fancy chair. I see retirement suits you."
Diamond’s face was an unreadable marble mask. "Get to the point, Johnny. You're bleeding my patience."
As they began negotiating territory shares, the library door creaked open.
Caprice walked in carrying a silver tray with fresh espresso cups. She was wearing her clean maid's uniform—a simple black dress with a crisp white apron. She moved quietly along the side of the room, heading toward Diamond's end of the table.
Johnny Vane’s eyes tracked her movement. His greasy smile widened into a disgusting sneer.
"Well, well, well," Johnny drawled loudly, leaning back in his chair. "What’s this? Is this the little stray you've been keeping around, Dom? I heard rumors you had a cute little maid wiping your chin these days."
Caprice froze, the silver tray resting in her hands.
Diamond’s posture instantly went rigid as iron. The air in the library plummeted ten degrees.
Johnny looked Caprice up and down with vulgar disgust. "Hey, sweetie. When you're done taking care of the cripple, why don't you come down to the Southside? I pay better, and my legs work just fine."
Johnny’s two enforcers let out a low, crude laugh.
Before the laugh could even finish, A THUNDEROUS CRASH ECHOED THROUGH THE ROOM!
Diamond hit the quick-release on his wheelchair, slammed his heavy hands onto the mahogany table, and used his immense upper-body strength to surge forward, launching his massive torso halfway across the wide table!
He snatched a heavy, solid-brass fountain pen stand off his desk and hurled it with lethal, terrifying force!
THE BRASS STAND SMASHED DIRECTLY INTO JOHNNY VANE’S FACE!
Bones cracked loudly. Blood exploded from Johnny’s nose as he screamed, his chair tipping backward, sending him crashing onto the hard parquet floor!
In a split second, Levi and all four Gallow guards drew their weapons, pointing ten gun barrels directly at Johnny’s two enforcers, who froze with their hands hovering over their suits.
"DON'T MOVE!" Levi roared.
The library was dead silent, save for Johnny Vane groaning wetly on the floor, clutching his broken, bloody nose.
Diamond pulled himself back into his wheelchair, his chest heaving violently, his dark eyes glowing with a feral, terrifying madness that made every man in the room break into a cold sweat.
He pointed a thick, steady finger at the bleeding mob boss on the floor.
"If you ever speak to her again," Diamond said, his voice dropping to an icy, demonic whisper that vibrated through the floorboards, "if you even look in her direction, I will personally feed your organs to my dogs while you're still breathing to watch it."
He looked at Johnny’s terrified enforcers. "Get this garbage out of my house before I decide to break the treaty entirely."
The enforcers grabbed their bleeding boss by his arms and dragged him hurriedly out of the library, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind them.
Diamond sat in his chair, his hands clenched into tight fists, his breathing heavy.
He slowly turned his head to look at Caprice.
She was standing near the wall, holding the silver tray, her gray eyes wide with shock.
"Are you alright?" Diamond rasped, his violent anger instantly melting into desperate concern as he looked at her.
Caprice looked at the broken brass stand on the floor, then at the blood on the rug, and finally at the giant man sitting in the wheelchair who had just declared war on a rival syndicate because someone insulted her.
She set the tray down on a side table, walked slowly over to his chair, knelt down beside him, and placed her small hand over his clenched fist.
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"I'm fine, Diamond," she whispered softly.
Diamond opened his heavy fist, wrapping his long fingers around her small hand, squeezing her so tightly it felt like he was holding onto his very life.
