Vance knew the rules of the underworld. Leo was the Judge. He controlled every port, every union, every illicit contract, and every shadow economy on the coast. He could erase the Vance family entirely. He could turn their wealth to ash in a matter of hours. There was only one way out of this, and Vance knew exactly what it cost.
Vance turned back to Leo.
“Sir,” Vance said, his voice trembling but resolute. “He broke the rules. He laid his hands on you. I ask for the privilege to exact the penalty myself, so that my family’s name may remain in your graces.”
Leo looked down at the billionaire. He didn't smile. He didn't gloat. He just offered a single, slow nod.
Vance turned his head toward the silent line of men in dark suits. “Give me a pipe.”
The young man’s eyes widened in sheer horror. “Dad? Dad, no! What are you doing? I’m your son!”
One of Leo’s men stepped forward, handing a solid steel iron pipe to Vance. The billionaire took it. His hands were shaking, but his grip was tight. He stood up, turning toward his son.
“Dad, please!” the young man sobbed, backing away, his arrogance completely shattered. He bumped against the side of his own armored SUV, trapped. “I didn't know! I didn't know!”
“Hold him,” Vance ordered.
Two of Leo’s suited enforcers stepped forward. They grabbed the young man’s arms, hauling him away from the SUV and throwing him onto the asphalt. They pinned him down, kicking his legs apart.
“Dad, stop! Please!”
Vance stood over his son. The billionaire’s face was wet with tears, but his expression was brutally hard. He raised the heavy iron pipe high into the air.
“This is for our survival,” Vance whispered.
Then he swung the pipe down with a sickening, heavy impact directly onto his son’s right knee.
The snap of the bone was as loud as a gunshot.
The young man let out an agonizing, blood-curdling scream that ripped through the cold night air. His body thrashed violently against the asphalt, but the enforcers held him flat.
Vance didn't stop. He raised the pipe again, his face completely pale, and brought it down on the left knee.
Another brutal crack. Another horrifying scream.
The young man collapsed into a sobbing, hyperventilating heap on the gravel, his legs twisted at unnatural angles. He wasn't arrogant anymore. He was entirely broken.