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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
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 34: A Way Out?
And Ethan? He's gonna learn what that word 'survival' really means. Mason smiled to all the thoughts weaving through his mind. He's gonna watch Ethan squirm while he pulls the rope tighter, day by day. Teaching him why you don't mess with another man's wife.""Letting Ramirez handle Ethan would be... efficient." Mason's fingers traced patterns on the cold glass. "Man's got a reputation for making problems disappear."Eve's approached. "But?""But efficient ain't satisfying." Mason's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Ramirez would make it quick. Business-like. Just numbers on a ledger.""And that's not what you want.""No." Mason turned from the window, his eyes holding that dangerous gleam Eve had learned to recognize. "I want Ethan to understand exactly how far he's fallen. Want him to feel what it's like when everything you built turns to ash in your mouth.""You're thinking long game.""Always am." Mason crossed to his desk, each step measured. "Get Sophia on
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 35: Playing with Dynamite
Next in his list. Burke.Mason flipped Burke's business card between his fingers. The edges had gone soft, worn down like the man's principles.Eve watched from her position, cataloging the minute changes in Mason's posture - the tightening around his eyes, the way his jaw worked.Burke's had his hand in Leo's pocket for years. Time to remind him who signs his real paychecks.Mason's phone blue glowed as he dialed. Three rings, then a gruff voice: "Burke.""Commissioner." Mason let ice coat the word. "Word is you broke bread with Ricardo Ramirez today. Must've been quite the conversation."Silence crackled across the line. Then: "Who is this?""Playing dumb doesn't suit you, James." Mason's voice dropped lower, dangerous. "Neither does betrayal.""King?" Burke's voice went wobbly, uncertainty bleeding through. "Look, that lunch wasn't what you think-""Stow it." Mason sliced through the excuses. "I want Carlos in my custody by sundown."Burke sucked air. "That's... complicated.""Unco
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 36: Non-Negotiable
Gibson's Steakhouse was the kind of joint where money talked in whispers - all dark wood and brass that caught the light just so. In the Lancaster Room, Ethan Langford's fingers played a nervous tune on the tablecloth, matching the drum in his chest.Sophia sat across from Ethan, her Armani suit as sharp as the smile she wore. Next to her, Sergei's bulk filled an entire side of the table, while their lawyer, Harrison Wells, arranged papers with practiced precision. They'd picked this spot - their kind of territory, where deals got done over rare steaks and hundred-dollar pours.The whole setup stank of aged beef and old leather, mixing with the smell of Ethan's fear. His collar felt like a noose, custom-made or not."Another scotch, Mr. Langford?" Sophia's voice carried silk-wrapped steel.Ethan's hand trembled slightly as he lifted his glass. "No... no, I'm good."Smart man. Sophia's blood-red nails tapped the contract. "Shall we proceed?"The room's careful climate control fought a
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 37: Five Percent Paradise
Ethan stiffened. "Matter with you? This is pure profit."Sophia traded a look with Sergei. "Then we'll make that call ourselves."Ethan's glance dropped to his watch. The bruise from Ramirez throbbed. He exhaled. "How about you make it fast."Outside, the L-train thundered overhead as Sophia punched in Mason's private number."Talk." Mason's voice cut through the train's clatter."Recording's solid. Got Ramirez, the payment structure-" Sophia dropped her voice. "Plus a bonus. Our friend wants the wife installed as Operations Director. Overseeing his remaining stake."Mason's laugh had teeth in it. "Perfect." The L-train screeched around a corner. "That's better than we originally planned. Having her in-house... that's poetry.""What about the media leak? The investigation?""New play. Give him everything - Ramirez's payment, his cut, the wife's position. Let him think he's won." Steel crept into Mason's voice over the train's screech. "Olivia under our thumb beats any scandal."Someti
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 38: High-Rise Hunters
Trying to kill time, Ethan stood to watch Chicago from up here in his penthouse. Chicago spread out below him like his personal kingdom. The penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows framed Chicago's skyline, all those lights twinkling like scattered diamonds.All that power. His power.Speaking of diamonds...Ethan's fingers tapped a familiar number. The auction house's receptionist answered on the second ring."Morrison's Private Collections, how may I assist you?""Judas Morrison. Put him on." Ethan's voice carried the weight of old money.A pause. "I'm sorry, Mr. Morrison is in a meeting—""Tell him it's Ethan Langford." He examined his manicured nails. "He'll take it."Muzak filtered through the line. Ethan's mind wandered to the King family's charity luncheon. Such a perfect opportunity. All of Chicago's elite gathered in one place, including their precious Aurora Borealis."Ethan!" Judas's voice boomed through the speaker. "To what do I owe the pleasure?""That King girl." Ethan kep
The Underdog Turned Kingpin Chapter 39: The Snake and The Saint
Mason strolled up to Jake's apartment complex in a modest sedan - not the kind of ride Leo King would be caught dead in, but perfect for keeping a low profile. The box with him held a stack of comic books, medical journals for Sarah, and a tablet loaded with games for Tommy.Chicago's late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the crumbling concrete, highlighting every crack and water stain on the building's facade. The place looked even worse than Mason remembered. A constant reminder of how the other half lived - the half he used to belong to.The security door buzzed him in, its hinges protesting with a screech that made Mason wince. Jake's voice crackled through the ancient intercom: "Third floor's still working, brother. Elevator's about as reliable as campaign promises."Mason took the stairs two at a time, his footsteps echoing in the narrow stairwell. The smell of curry from 2B mixed with cleaning supplies from the super's closet. Some things never changed.Jake waited in his
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