Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 220: Chapter 4 Taking Control

Dominic’s POV

Monday morning hit like a sledgehammer, and the whiskey from last night’s territory meeting was exacting its brutal revenge. My body felt like it had been worked over by rival family enforcers, every muscle screaming in protest. The dangerous lifestyle of a Thorne family Capo was taking its toll, and I was seriously questioning whether my habit of celebrating successful money laundering operations was worth these punishing mornings.

But today brought salvation in the form of my interview with Zoe Miller, my new intelligence coordinator. After checking with my network of informants and contacts, everyone confirmed she was a force to be reckoned with in the underworld information game. Professional, efficient, and apparently capable of keeping even the most unruly family lieutenants in line.

Mia swept into my Zenith Systems office carrying a stack of laundering contracts that needed my signature. As she placed the documents on my mahogany desk, her eyes gleamed with that particular look she got when she had underground gossip to share.

”I spoke with Heidi this morning,” she began, settling into the leather chair across from me like she was preparing for a detailed briefing. ”She says Don Caleb finally found someone brave enough to work directly under him.”

I glanced up from the financial papers, pen hovering over the first signature line. These documents would funnel another million through our legitimate businesses by week’s end. ”The woman Miller recommended for Thorne operations. Word through the family channels is she’s extremely capable.”

”Oh, she’s capable alright,” Mia said with a knowing smile. ”But Heidi doesn’t think she’ll survive in that inner circle long.”

That caught my attention immediately. I leaned back in my leather chair, studying Mia’s expression with the sharp focus that made me one of the family’s most trusted Capos. ”What makes you say that?”

”Because according to Heidi, this Ivy woman is absolutely stunning. Like she walked straight out of a high-end magazine stunning.”

I raised an eyebrow. In our world, beauty could be both an asset and a deadly liability. ”And that’s a problem because?”

”Because Xavier Black can’t keep his hands to himself around beautiful women, and Don Caleb has the personality of a cactus dipped in acid,” Mia said with a dramatic sigh. ”Ever since his parents were eliminated in that supposed accident, Caleb’s been impossible to work for. Cold, demanding, completely shut off from everyone except you and Xavier.”

I couldn’t argue with that assessment. Caleb had built walls around himself so high that most family associates gave up trying to climb them. He was brilliant at running our operations but terrible with people, especially employees who couldn’t handle his direct communication style and violent outbursts.

”Well, from what Miller told me, she’s tougher than she looks,” I said, leaning forward conspiratorially. ”But if Thorne drives her away with his charming personality, I’ll recruit her for Zenith Systems immediately.”

”You’re incorrigible,” Mia laughed, shaking her head. ”Oh, and before I forget, your father called again from his exile. He’s got another new girlfriend and wants to tell you all about how she’s ’the one’ this time.”

I groaned audibly. My father Marcus’s romantic adventures were the last thing I wanted to deal with while nursing a hangover and managing family business. The man had been banished from Thorne territory for betraying family codes, but he still felt compelled to share every detail of his pathetic new life with me.

Instead of calling him back, I grabbed my secure phone and dialed Xavier’s encrypted number.

”Already missing me, little Dominic?” Xavier’s voice came through with its usual cheerful energy. The man maintained perpetual optimism despite being our family’s most ruthless military strategist, which sometimes made me wonder if he was actually human.

”God, yes,” I said, rubbing my temples. ”I’ve never wanted an excuse to visit the Syndicate Thorne headquarters more desperately.”

”You heard about the new inner circle situation?” Xavier’s voice carried the same curiosity we’d all been feeling about Caleb’s latest hire.

”Put me on speaker if Jude’s there. I have intelligence to share.”

”Jude’s right here at the hotel bar. Don Caleb’s upstairs in his penthouse office, naturally.”

”Of course he is,” I muttered. The man lived and breathed family business. ”Listen, Mia got information from our network.”

”Mia’s a treasure,” Jude’s voice joined the conversation. ”What’s the intelligence report?”

”Apparently Miss Ivy is magazine-cover gorgeous, but Mia thinks she won’t last long with you animals in the inner circle.”

Xavier laughed. ”Why’s that?”

”Either you’ll seduce her, or Thorne will terrorize her with his charming leadership style,” I said. ”But I’m warning you both, if she quits, I’m recruiting her for my operations immediately.”

”Right, because you won’t try to charm her yourself,” Jude said sarcastically. ”You and Xavier are identical when it comes to beautiful women.”

”Hey, I appreciate women,” Xavier protested. ”There’s a fundamental difference between appreciation and predation.”

We continued exchanging information until it was time for my video interview with Zoe Miller. I hung up and dialed her secure number, expecting a standard professional conversation about intelligence coordination.

When her face appeared on my encrypted screen, I was completely unprepared. She was absolutely gorgeous, with sharp intelligent eyes and an aura of complete confidence that radiated danger. Automatically, I flashed my most practiced charming smile.

”Wipe that ridiculous grin off your face right now, Dominic,” she said with deadly calm that would make seasoned enforcers nervous. ”Let me be crystal clear from the start. If you think you’re going to charm or seduce me, abandon that fantasy immediately. Try it, and I’ll make your life so miserable you’ll beg me to terminate our arrangement. Are we understood?”

My smile vanished instantly. I stared at her through the screen, completely speechless. In my world, few people dared speak to a Capo this way.

”Excellent,” she continued without missing a beat. ”Now for heaven’s sake, pull yourself together. You look like you’ve been through a turf war. Fix that tie, smooth down your hair, and clean up that disaster you call a workspace.”

I found myself automatically adjusting my tie and running fingers through my hair while frantically organizing papers into neat piles. The woman had been talking to me for moments and I was already following her orders like a green recruit.

”You do realize I’m interviewing you, right?” I managed to say. ”If I hire you, I’ll technically be your superior in the family hierarchy.”

”Wake up, Dominic,” she said with a laugh that was both beautiful and terrifying. ”You’re going to hire me because I’m exactly what you need, and we both know it. You need someone who won’t be intimidated by your money, your reputation, or your family connections. Someone who’ll keep you organized and functional despite your obvious commitment to chaos.”

She paused, studying me through the camera with those penetrating eyes that seemed to see straight through my Capo facade.

”In this working relationship, I’m the one in control. You’ll be my well-trained, well-behaved little project. Do exactly what I tell you, and maybe I’ll let you think you’re in charge sometimes.”

I was simultaneously insulted and impressed. ”Are you always this confident, or is this a special performance for me?”

”I know exactly who I am and what I’m worth,” she said firmly. ”I don’t need validation from Capos, boyfriends, or anyone else. I’m here to do a job, and I’m the best at what I do.”

”Your father was right about you being unique,” I said, making my decision. ”You start tomorrow.”

I gave her the necessary security clearances and operational details, ending the call and sitting back in my chair with a mixture of excitement and terror. I’d just hired someone who might actually be able to control me, and the thought was both thrilling and deeply unsettling.

After informing Mia about the new hire and sending a quick encrypted message to Miller confirming I’d hired his daughter, I decided to focus on more pleasant tasks. I had plans to see Kira, the flight attendant who’d messaged about being in town tonight.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges with my formidable new intelligence coordinator, but for now, I could enjoy my last day of complete operational chaos.