Chapter 6 - Leon Destroyed the Empire His Father Left HimThe next seventy-two hours became the bloodiest political and financial battle Chicago had seen in years.
Leon did something no one expected.
He opened the books.
Every account.
Every shell company.
Every hidden property.
Every payment.
Every secret.
He handed the evidence to authorities.
His enemies thought it was weakness.
His allies called it madness.
His mother called it freedom.
Camille watched from his side.
Not as a hostage.
Not as a wife being protected.
As a partner.
When the first arrests began, Leon received threats.
When the first properties were seized, he lost millions.
When the old organization collapsed, he lost most of his power.
And he didn't stop.
One night, Carmine asked:
“Are you sure?”
Leon stared at the paperwork.
“Yes.”
“You're destroying your own organization.”
“It's not mine.”
Carmine looked at him.
“Then whose is it?”
Leon answered:
“The people who survived it.”
Camille heard him.
She smiled.
That night, Leon gave her the final trust document.
“You own this.”
She stared.
“What?”
“Your grandfather's recovered assets.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I don't want money from this.”
“You're not taking money.”
“Then what?”
“The foundation.”
He explained.
A portion would fund healthcare.
A portion scholarships.
A portion compensation.
The rest would be liquidated.
Camille looked at him.
“You're giving it away.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because my family spent generations believing power meant keeping.”
He took her hand.
“I want to learn what it means to give.”
She kissed him.
Then someone shot through the office window.
Leon pulled her down.
Glass shattered.
Security moved.
Carmine rushed in.
The sniper was gone.
But a note had been left on the desk.
Victor wasn't the only one who wanted the ledger.
Leon read it.
A name appeared underneath.
Damon Cross.
The one remaining rival organization.
Damon had been believed dead for years.
He was alive.
And he wanted Camille.
Not because of Leon.
Because of her family.
Camille stared at the note.
“Why me?”
Leon shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Then her grandmother stepped forward.
“I do.”
Everyone turned.
Eleanor looked at Leon.
“Your father didn't hide the ledger.”
She paused.
“He hid something inside it.”
“What?”
“The true ownership of the Mason empire.”
Leon frowned.
“Who owns it?”
Eleanor looked at Camille.
“You.”
Silence.
Camille's face went pale.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Your grandfather inserted a clause.”
“What clause?”
“If the Mason bloodline ever became corrupted, ownership would pass to his daughter's descendants.”
Camille understood.
Her grandmother.
Her mother.
Her.
She was the legal heir to the empire.
Leon stared.
“And Victor knows.”
“Yes.”
“Damon knows?”
“Yes.”
Camille whispered:
“Then I'm not the hostage.”
Eleanor nodded.
“You're the prize.”
Leon took her hand.
“No.”
May you like
He looked toward the window.
“She is the reason this ends.”
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