“Then it’s settled.” He raised his voice slightly. “Send word to every sector. Every safe house. Every corner crew. As of midnight tonight, the power vacuum is closed.”
“It requires blood,” rumbled Kaelen Thorne from the far end. The man-mountain’s hands rested on the table like twin battering rams. “The Broker’s bloodline, to be precise. And you don’t have it.” Power Vacuum Chapter 12 Official
“He had one,” Jax said quietly. “He hid her better than any of his secrets. Because she was his greatest secret.” He tapped the chip. “The mother was a rival family’s daughter. An alliance forged in blood and betrayal. When the mother died under suspicious circumstances, the Broker couldn’t risk keeping Elara close. So he erased her. Gave her a new name. A new life. Even she didn’t know who she was until three days ago.” “Then it’s settled
The silence stretched. Then, one by one, the family heads began to speak. Every corner crew
Jax had expected this. The Broker’s successor wasn’t elected. Wasn’t crowned. Wasn’t voted in by committee. The title passed through a single ritual, older than the city’s spires: the Bloodwright’s Rite. The successor had to present a living heir of the previous ruler, bound and kneeling, before the gathered families. Only then did the chains of power transfer.
The room went still.
Across the table, Mira Vos of the Silver Syndicate steepled her fingers. Her augmetic eye whirred softly as it refocused on him. “You’ve been busy, Jax. I’ll give you that. The Docks, Sector 7, the old rail tunnels—all under your flag in less than a month. But official ?” She tilted her head. “That word requires more than just bodies and bullets.”