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The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 26: When Dragons Count Their Golds
Thunder cracked overhead as Ethan Langford burst into Ramirez's study, rainwater dripping from his thousand-dollar suit. The usual polish was gone, replaced by something raw and desperate. His perfectly styled hair hung in wet strands, and his designer shoes squeaked against the imported marble.Maria watched from her position behind Ramirez's chair, cataloging every detail. The tremor in Ethan's manicured hands. The wild look in those calculating eyes. The way his chest heaved with barely controlled panic."Ricardo," Ethan started, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "We need to talk."Ramirez didn't look up from his tablet, letting the silence stretch until it burned. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the warmth of an Arctic wind. "Talking costs money, amigo. Speaking of which..." He tapped the screen. "You owe me quite a bit, no?""That's why I'm here." Ethan moved closer, water pooling beneath his feet. "The warehouse-""Ah yes, the warehouse." Ramirez's smile
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 27: Ghosts of What Could Be
Eve's fingers traced the message on Mason's phone screen, its blue glow painting shadows across her face in the dimly lit penthouse bedroom. The text about Ethan's deadline with Ramirez burned into her mind, but her attention kept drifting to the man lying unconscious before her.Mason's chest rose and fell steadily, his features softened by sleep and medication. The bullet had torn through his shoulder, missing anything vital. Eve had patched him up with practiced efficiency. That's what obscene amounts of money bought in Chicago – making beds out of people."Helluva mess you stepped in," Eve muttered, adjusting the IV drip. Her fingers lingered on Mason's arm, feeling the warmth of his skin. Something stirred in her chest – that damn feeling she'd been trying to squash more lately.First time that feeling hit her, she was just a scrawny kid, she'd been fifteen, face-to-face, trying to lift Leo King's wallet on Maxwell Street – stupid, desperate move.Her fingers? Then clumsy and col
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 28: Ghosts of Grace
Mason's eyes yanked open to harsh morning light streaming through floor-to-ceiling bulletproofed windows. His shoulder throbbed with each heartbeat, a steady reminder of last night's firefight. Beside Mason's king-sized bed lay a bloody steel plate - the bullet that had tried to claim his life."Some guardian angel you got there, Rivers," Mason shifted, testing the limits of his bandaged shoulder. The movement sent lightning bolts of pain down his arm, but he'd had worse. Construction work wasn't exactly gentle on the body. Though these days, his calluses were getting soft, replaced by the kind of hands that signed death warrants instead of timecards.The crucifix on his wall caught his eye. Sister Agnes's voice rang in his head, clear as Sunday bells: "Remember, bambinos, every choice carves your soul."Mason almost laughed. If only the good Sister could see her star pupil now. The little boy who'd spent hours helping her tend the orphanage garden, now watering Chicago's streets with
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 29: The Weight of Lies
Mason padded toward his kitchen, a parade of "Morning, boss" and "Looking berter, Mr. King" following him down the marble hallway. Even the cleaning lady, Maria, dropped her duster to bow slightly. "Coffee's fresh, señor Rivers. Colombian, like you prefer."The penthouse screamed money louder than a stool pigeon under pressure. Italian marble that cost more than most guys made in a year. Art worth killing for (and some of it actually had been). Floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of Chicago that'd make God jealous.The coffee maker - some fancy German thing that probably cost more than his first car - hummed to life like it was greeting its master. "Good morning, Mr. King," the digital display actually read, programmed to kiss his ring just like everyone else.As he waited for the imported coffee maker to work its magic, Mason caught his reflection in the chrome, Mason barely recognized himself. Gone was the wide-eyed kid who'd helped Sister Agnes plant flowers. These eyes belong
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 30: The Gospel According to King
Mason's religion talk hit the room like a Tommy gun - loud and dangerous. Eve's fingers did their usual dance, hunting for steel at her hip. Something wasn't adding up, and in their world, math errors got people killed."Religion?" Eve barked out a laugh that'd wake the dead. "What's next? Joining them holy rollers down at Saint Mary's?"Mason squared his shoulders, Leo King's authority flooding his stance. "You forgetting Morrison's deal last spring? When I switched the whole game plan ten minutes before showtime because the feng shui felt wrong?"Eve's retort died in her throat. She remembered that night - Leo tearing up a million-dollar setup because something in his gut screamed sideways. They'd thought he'd lost it until the feds raided the original location exactly when they should've been there.Leo's little black book Mason had found turned out to be his ace in Eve's hole. Who knew it could be in this situation?"Or that time in Detroit," Mason continued, voice dropping to tha
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 31: The Devil's Dance Card
Mason drummed his fingers on the mahogany table. Eve posted up by the door, loose but ready."Ramirez wants a sit-down. All seven families." Mason kept his voice flat.Sergei, a mountain in an expensive suit, leaned forward. "Last time families had such meeting, didn't make it home." His accent thick as molasses. "Was beautiful funeral though. Very expensive flowers."Sarah touched the fresh bandages at her neck. "Yeah, and those flowers ended up decorating five more graves before the month was out.""Different times," Thomas countered, cigarette smoke curling around his words. "Different players.""Same game though." Viktor's scarred hands splayed across blueprints of neutral territories. "Same rules. Same price for losing."Mason let that sink in. Outside, Chicago pretended to be honest while its real business happened in rooms like this."Boss." Sophia never looked up from her tablet. "Ramirez's movements last forty-eight hours. Three meetings with Ethan Langford. Two visits to Jud
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 32: Devils in the Details
Eve fell into step beside Mason as they strode toward Leo's office, her heels clicking a deadly rhythm on marble floors."You're really doing this thing." Not a question. Her voice carried something new - respect mixed with concern.Mason shouldered through Leo's office doors, breathing in that gotten familiar smell of money and power. "Doing what?""Getting in bed with the devil." Eve's lips curled mean. "In the pale moonlight."Mason dropped into his chair, ignoring his bad singing shoulder. "Way I see it, Chicago's already got its devil." His good hand found a crystal tumbler, amber liquid catching the light. "Might as well show him some new steps.""This ain't some back-alley dice game.""Never is." Dark laughter colored his words. "That's the trade."Mason settled behind his desk, ignoring the throb in his shoulder. "You're playing a dangerous game.""Always am." Mason's voice held dark amusement. "Nature of the business.""This is different." Eve leaned in close. "Ramirez ain't
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 33: Inside Man
"Wish I was." Eve pulled up her tablet, showing him the event page. "Noon at the Drake Hotel. Black tie, champagne brunch, silent auction - the whole nine yards. And you... Leo can't exactly ghost his own family shindig.""Christ." Mason's head spun. Friday's sit-down with Chicago's deadliest crime families, then Saturday glad-handing with the city's elite? "Talk about working both sides of the street.""Gets better." Eve scrolled names. Eve scrolled through the guest list. "Look who RSVPed."Mason's eyes went wide. "Ethan Langford.""Plus Olivia." Eve's voice softened. "Judge Martinez, Commissioner Burke - half of Ramirez's recent lunch dates."Mason pushed to his feet, his shoulder throbbing in time with his racing thoughts. He crossed to the window, watching his reflection ghosted against Chicago's skyline. In the glass, he saw both versions of himself - Mason Rivers, the nobody who'd lost everything, and Leo King, the man who owned this city's shadows."You know what this means, r
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- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 87: Chicago's New Testament
The spotlight found Mason like an old friend as he approached the podium. Three hundred of Chicago's finest waited in pristine silence, their expectations heavy as Lake Michigan storm clouds.He adjusted his tie and let his eyes sweep the crowd. Petrov, hunched over his cane, eyes sharp as winter steel. The Calabrese twins lounged like mirror-image panthers. Tommy Chen's tattooed dragons writhed beneath his collar as he lit another cigarette.And there, in the back, Helena King - the woman who'd claimed him today as her son. She watched from the shadows, her gaze dissecting him layer by layer."Ladies and gentlemen." Mason's voice carried quiet authority. "Thanks for sticking around this late."The words felt strange in his mouth - too polished, too proper. This wasn't his world. He belonged in construction sites and back alleys, not addressing society's cream in the Drake Hotel's grand ballroom.But Eve's eyes found his from the crowd, carrying that mix of challenge and faith that ma
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 86: Mission Accomplished?
The chandeliers sparkled overhead as Mason and Eve stood frozen in time, the crowd's chanting growing louder. Eve's green eyes met Mason's, a mixture of challenge and vulnerability in their depths."What do you say, sugar?" Eve whispered, her voice carrying just enough edge to make it a dare. "Ready to give Chicago something to talk about?"Mason's hand tightened on her waist. The boy from St. Catherine's, who'd carved chess pieces from soap and stolen chocolate bars, warred with the man he'd become. Around them, smartphone cameras lifted like fireflies, ready to capture whatever came next."Your call, doll," Mason murmured. "Always has been."Eve's smile bloomed slow and dangerous. She reached up, fingers curling around his neck, and pulled him down to meet her lips. The kiss exploded through the room like summer lightning, electric and inevitable. Cameras flashed, capturing the moment Chicago's most eligible bachelor fell for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks.Helena watched f
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 85: Collateral Desires
She studied him through hooded eyes. Vincent Romano - self-made billionaire, corporate shark, the man who'd whispered poison in Thomas's ear about bloodlines and legacy. The same man who'd nearly succeeded in destroying her marriage when no male heir appeared after Charlotte."Thinking about masks," Helena's voice carried cut crystal edges. "And the men who wear them.""No masks tonight." Vincent's thumb traced dangerous patterns on her waist. "Just truth.""Truth?" Helena's laugh could've frozen champagne. "From the man who tried to convince my husband I was barren? Who suggested Thai surrogates and discrete divorce lawyers?"Vincent had the grace to flinch. "Ancient history.""Nothing's ancient in Chicago." Helena's nails dug into his shoulder. "Power has a long memory.""Then let me make new memories." Vincent pulled her closer, cologne wrapping around them like expensive sin. "Let me prove my worth.""Worth?" Helena's smile could gut a banker. "And what exactly do you think you're
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 84: Ghosts of Yesterday's Crown
Meanwhile across the floor, Helena and Vincent wove through their own dangerous ballet, decades of rivalry and respect spinning between them like a spider's web made of platinum and poison."Your thoughts are thundering, Vincent." Helena's voice carried the kind of amusement that preceded bloodshed. "Rather crude for a man of your... reputation. Now drop the charming rogue act." Her tone could've frozen Dom Pérignon mid-pour. "What's your real play here?"Vincent's laugh rolled rich and dark. "Can't a gentleman simply savor excellence?""Gentlemen like you don't do simple." Helena's eyes narrowed. "And they certainly don't waltz with their greatest threat without proper motivation.""Threat?" Vincent pulled her closer, testing boundaries. "Such harsh language for such an... intimate moment.""Sweet talk is for amateurs." Helena's smile could gut a diamond. "I expected more finesse."Vincent's eyes mapped her features like territory to conquer. "Time's been kinder to you than most, Hel
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 83: Echoes of Yesterday's Promise
The orchestra's music washed over the ballroom like memories turned liquid. Eve pressed closer to Mason, her breath warm against his collar. The champagne and caviar crowd faded to background noise, leaving just the two of them spinning through moments stolen from fate itself."Ya know what's funny about dancing?" Eve drawled, her fingers tracing patterns on Mason's shoulder. "Gets a girl thinking about the old days."Mason's grip tightened on her waist, protective and possessive all at once. "That so, doll?""Mmhmm." Eve's eyes went distant, seeing past the glittering chandeliers to a concrete garden years ago. "Got me remembering this kid I knew back in the joint - St. Catherine's. Funny thing about them orphanage dumps," her voice carried whiskey-smooth over the music. "Sometimes you strike gold in all that garbage."Mason's heart stopped, then stuttered back to life. But his feet kept moving, muscle memory carrying them through the waltz. "Tell me more.""Had this sweet kid there.
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 82: Sweet Poison
Charlotte King wasn't the type to stumble. Not in six-inch Louboutins, not in business, and definitely not into strange men at charity functions. But those eyes - deep brown with flecks of gold, like expensive bourbon in crystal - they made her forget about steady feet."Adrian De Silva." His voice carried Old World charm wrapped in New Money confidence. "And you must be Charlotte King." He caught her elbow as she steadied herself, his touch precise as a surgeon's."Must I?" Charlotte's eyebrow arched with practiced disdain, but her pulse quickened traitorously. The velvet box felt warm in her hands."The camera loves you," Adrian gestured to her phone. "Though it hardly does you justice.""Smooth." Charlotte's laugh held razors. "You practice that line in the mirror?""Only for the past hour." His smile turned self-deprecating. "Was it too much?""Honey, everything in this room's too much." Charlotte glanced around the opulent ballroom. "That's kind of the point."Adrian stepped clos
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 81: The Stranger's Charm
While Mason and Eve claimed their spot on the dance floor, Olivia dragged what remained of her dignity toward the restroom. The walls of the Drake seemed to close in, each step on Italian marble echoing her downfall. No escape route tonight – not with Ethan locked into this circus of a party. Her only refuge? The powder room, where at least she could fall apart in private.She stumbled inside, her dress snagging the door like some bargain basement knockoff. Cold marble bit into her palms as she gripped the counter, staring at her reflection through tears that turned five grand worth of makeup into abstract art."Pull yourself together," she hissed, voice raw. "You're Olivia fucking Parker. You don't break. You break others."But the mirror wasn't buying her tough act. Designer dress, couture makeup, social media throne – all of it crashing harder than her her father's career. Fresh tears carved new paths down her cheeks, and this time she didn't fight them.The bathroom door creaked.
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 80: The Battle for the Aurora Borealis Diamond
Eve moved with the grace of a street cat in designer heels, increasing the room's heartbeat, the small velvet box cradled in her hands."Mrs. King. Since we ain't been properly acquainted till now, I thought it right to mark the occasion." She extended the box with practiced elegance. "Something to show proper respect."Helena's fingers accepted the offering with aristocratic grace. "How... thoughtful." Her tone carried decades of social superiority. She paused, studying Eve with the intensity of a jeweler examining a suspicious stone. "Though one wonders what could warrant such... generosity.""Consider it a down payment," Eve purred, the street's edge barely masked by designer vowels. "On future family dinners."Charlotte perked up like a shark scenting blood. "Oh, this gonna be good." Her phone stayed steady, catching every micro-expression. The box opened with a whisper of expensive hinges.Light exploded.The Aurora Borealis Diamond caught the chandeliers' glow and multiplied it
- The Underdog Turned Kingpin
Chapter 79: The Weight of a Single Call
Mason watched Olivia crumble with the detached interest of a man studying a particularly fascinating car crash. The designer dress that had once made her feel invincible now looked like expensive wrapping paper after Christmas – beautiful, but ultimately disposable."You know what's funny?" His voice carried that particular South Side quiet that made smart people nervous. "All them followers, all them likes... and not one of them's gonna help you up off that floor."Charlotte's livestream count hit six figures. Comments flew past faster than bullets on a bad night:"THE QUEEN OF INSTA IS DEAD 👑💀""karma serving LOOKS tonight 💅""this tea is nuclear ☢️"Eve's laugh sparkled like broken glass. "Sugar, where I come from, we call this a biblical dropping of receipts.""Mr. Langford. Ms. Parker." Her voice cut through. "I believe your... performance has concluded. Though do remember – social media is forever. And Chicago..." Her smile promised winter in August. "Chicago never forgets."
