Chapter 150: Never Stood a Chance
"Luca, seeing you in person is an absolute pleasure."
George Vanderbilt stepped forward first, warmly shaking Luca’s hand.
Then he turned toward the blonde woman beside him.
"Alice, this is Luca Hale, the gentleman I mentioned before we arrived."
His expression became noticeably more respectful.
"Mr. Hale is the true owner and ultimate authority behind Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group."
Although she’d already suspected as much, hearing George confirm it still made Alice’s eyes widen ever so slightly.
She recovered almost instantly, offering a graceful smile as she spoke.
"Mr. Hale, I’m George Vanderbilt’s executive secretary."
"It’s an honor to finally meet you."
"The pleasure is mine."
Luca smiled before resting a hand gently around Vivienne’s waist.
"And this is my partner, Vivienne."
George looked between them and couldn’t help smiling.
"Luca, every time I learn something new about you, I’m amazed all over again."
Then he looked at Vivienne with sincere admiration.
"And your partner is absolutely stunning."
"You truly make a perfect couple."
There wasn’t a trace of flattery in his voice.
Over the years, George had met royalty, presidents, billionaires, and countless remarkable women from every corner of the world.
Yet Vivienne possessed something exceptionally rare.
It wasn’t merely her beauty.
It was the effortless elegance she carried.
Her commanding presence...
Her quiet confidence...
Her noble temperament...
None of it felt forced.
It simply belonged to her.
Standing nearby, Alice found herself reaching the same conclusion.
She had accompanied George to royal banquets, international summits, and elite charity galas.
She’d met famous heiresses, powerful CEOs, and European aristocrats.
Even so...
Vivienne ranked among the most extraordinary women she’d ever encountered.
"Luca."
George glanced at his watch.
"It’s almost time for the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting."
"Shall we?"
Luca nodded.
"Lead the way."
With Vivienne comfortably linking arms with him, the group headed toward the entrance of Luiz Tower.
---
Not far away...
Gordon stood frozen.
His bloodshot eyes suggested he’d barely slept during the past three days.
If hatred alone could kill, Luca would already have been torn apart where he stood.
Still...
He forced an awkward smile onto his face before stepping forward.
"Mr. Vanderbilt..."
He spoke cautiously.
"You know Director Hale?"
George burst into cheerful laughter.
"Actually..."
"This is the first time we’ve ever met in person."
The moment Gordon heard that, the crushing pressure weighing on his chest suddenly disappeared.
His breathing steadied.
The smile on his face became genuine again.
’So that’s all it is...’
’Their first meeting.’
’Excellent.’
’Very excellent.’
Just moments earlier, he’d been terrified they’d formed a close alliance long ago.
Now everything made sense.
In his mind, Luca had simply contacted George because they both happened to hold shares in the Luiz Conglomerate.
Nothing more.
The more he thought about it...
The more convinced he became.
His earlier panic quickly transformed into quiet confidence.
Looking at Luca, his eyes almost seemed to say;
’Did you really think shaking hands with George Vanderbilt would change anything?’
’Do you have any idea who built Vanderbilt’s shipping network throughout New Orleans?’
George represented one of the world’s largest maritime corporations.
Surely stability and long-term profits mattered far more than supporting some outsider from San Fierro.
When forced to choose...
He believed George would naturally stand beside the man who had spent decades building the Gulf pipeline.
Unfortunately...
His confidence lasted only a few seconds.
George smiled again.
"Although this is our first face-to-face meeting..."
"...Mr. Hale is the owner of Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group."
"He is my superior."
"And I work for him."
His tone was calm.
Matter-of-fact.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of exaggeration.
The courtyard fell completely silent.
Gordon’s smug smile froze.
Then...
His legs suddenly gave way.
He stumbled backward down two marble steps before barely catching himself.
His horrified eyes shot toward Luca.
If George had merely been an acquaintance...
There might still have been room to negotiate.
But this...
This changed everything.
Luca...
Owned Vanderbilt Global Maritime Group.
That meant...
Vanderbilt’s forty percent...
Plus Luca’s personal twenty-seven percent...
A combined...
Sixty-seven percent.
Absolute control.
His lips began trembling.
’This...’
’This isn’t the Luiz Conglomerate anymore...’
’With one signature...’
’He could rename it the Hale Conglomerate before sunset...’
His breathing became ragged.
So this...
This was the performance Luca had been talking about.
’I lost...’
’I lost before the meeting even started...’
Luca glanced sideways at him.
His expression remained unreadable.
"President Luiz."
"The first act was entertaining."
A faint smile appeared.
"But the finale..."
"...is only beginning."
Those calm words pierced Gordon’s heart like a blade.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through his expensive tailored shirt.
Only then did he realize...
Owning sixty-seven percent of the company wasn’t Luca’s final move.
He still had another card waiting.
Suddenly...
Secretary Cecelia’s report from yesterday echoed inside his mind.
"Tell him and Dexter to get matching military buzz cuts today..."
"...so the prison guards won’t have to shave them tomorrow."
Then...
Chainsaw’s mysterious disappearance surfaced in his memory.
Every scattered clue finally snapped together.
His face lost every trace of color.
Looking up from the bottom of the staircase, he no longer resembled the proud chairman of a business empire.
He looked like a broken old man.
"Luca..."
His voice trembled.
"Mr. Hale..."
"I beg you..."
"Please..."
"Leave me a way out."
The shareholders watching nearby stood rooted to the ground.
Even George looked surprised by how completely Gordon had collapsed.
Only Luca and Vivienne understood why.
"It isn’t a matter of whether I want to spare you."
Luca’s voice carried the weight of a judge delivering a verdict.
"It’s whether the law will."
"You crossed lines no human being should ever cross."
"You may have had money."
"You may have had influence."
"You may even have believed yourself untouchable."
"But there are some boundaries that cannot be crossed without paying the price."
He never listed the charges aloud.
He didn’t need to.
Everyone present understood exactly what he meant.
One after another...
The minority shareholders quietly stepped away from Gordon.
Nobody wanted to be standing beside him when federal indictments arrived.
Seeing everyone distance themselves, Gordon finally lost control.
The veins on his forehead bulged violently.
"Luca!"
He roared.
"Are you really determined to corner me?"
"All I ever did was survive!"
"I built an empire!"
"What exactly is wrong with that?"
Even now...
Standing on the edge of ruin...
He still believed he’d done nothing wrong.
To him...
The world had bullied him when he was poor.
Then bowed before him once he became rich.
Money solved every problem.
And if money wasn’t enough...
Violence would finish the job.
BANG!
Luca answered with a single punch.
The blow landed squarely in Gordon’s chest.
He was sent tumbling backward down the remaining marble steps before crashing onto the plaza.
"AAAHHH!"
He curled into himself, clutching his ribs while blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Not one person moved to help.
Not even Secretary Cecelia.
She simply watched in silence.
Looking down at him, Luca’s eyes were filled only with disgust.
"You and your son are rotten to the core."
"The crimes you’ve committed over the last twenty years..."
"...are too many to count."
"Even ten executions wouldn’t repay the lives you’ve destroyed."
At that exact moment...
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
The sound grew louder.
Closer.
Each passing second felt like another toll of a funeral bell.
Then...
A convoy of federal vehicles swept into the plaza.
Black tactical SUVs.
Federal sedans.
Armed response units.
Within moments, the entrance to Luiz Tower was completely surrounded.
Lying on the cold marble, Gordon’s face had become ghostly pale.
Yet one final hope still lingered.
’I can fall...’
’I can spend the rest of my life in prison...’
’But Dexter...’
’My son must escape.’
He frantically calculated every offshore account.
Every political favor.
Every remaining contact.
He would get Dexter onto a private jet before sunset if he had to burn everything else.
But before the thought had fully formed...
A desperate scream echoed from one of the federal transport vehicles.
"Dad!"
"DAD!"
"Please save me!"
"I’m still young!"
"I don’t want to spend my life in prison!"
The rear doors swung open.
Dexter stumbled out in handcuffs, sobbing uncontrollably as federal agents dragged him toward the staircase.
The moment Gordon saw his son...
The final light disappeared from his eyes.
Every last shred of hope...
Every ounce of pride...
Every illusion he still clung to...
Shattered completely.
Like fragile glass striking solid stone.