The basement of the Blue Marlin was silent now, save for the rhythmic drip-drip of a leaking pipe and the distant hum of the resort's industrial coolers. The hitmen had been "removed." The blood had been bleached away.
Stephen stood in the center of the cold room, his tailored white shirt spotless once more. Across from him sat Alliana and Pat. They looked small in the high-backed chairs, their faces pale under the flickering fluorescent lights.
Joie sat on a nearby crate, her leg professionally bandaged, a needle still clutched in her hand. She watched them with a hollow intensity. This was the moment of no return.
"You've seen the basement," Stephen began, his voice smooth as silk and just as cold. "In our world, that usually earns you a permanent residence in the foundation of this building. But my siblings... they have a weakness for you both."
He paced the room, his footsteps echoing.
"Lolo is dead. The old ways—the senseless brutality—died with him. I am building a New Tenorio. One that doesn't just rule through fear, but through indispensability. And for that, I need people who aren't just loyal, but brilliant."
The Offer
Stephen stopped in front of Alliana. "Alliana Marie. You're a marketing genius. You've spent three years selling products people don't need. I want you to head the Tenorio Global Resorts. You'll be the face of our legitimacy. You'll turn our fortresses into the world's most sought-after sanctuaries. You'll handle the optics while we handle the shadows."
He then turned to Pat, who was trembling so hard his teeth were chattering. "And you, Patrick. A pediatrician. You want to save the world? Fine. We are breaking ground on the St. Jude-Tenorio Research Center. A private hospital for children, with a primary focus on terminal cancer research. No budget. No bureaucratic red tape. Just the best tech money—and I mean our money—can buy."
"Why?" Pat whispered, his voice cracking. "You're... you're monsters."
"Monsters with resources, Pat," Timothy chimed in from the shadows, his eyes pleading. "You can spend your life in a public ward struggling for supplies, or you can come to us and actually find a cure. Think of the lives you'll save. Is your moral high ground worth more than those kids?"
Stephen leaned in, his shadow looming over them. "It's a simple trade. You give us your brilliance and your silence. In exchange, you get the power to do the good you've always dreamed of. And, of course, you get to stay beside the people you love. But make no mistake: once you sign the contract, you belong to the family. If you betray us, there is no hospital or resort in the world that can hide you."
The Choice
The silence stretched for a full minute. Alliana looked at Joie. She saw the blood on Joie's hands, the gun on the crate, and the jagged scar on her leg. Then she looked at the power in Stephen's eyes.
"If I take this," Alliana said, her voice growing stronger, "I want full autonomy over the resort's charity foundations. No interference from the 'Main Work.'"
Stephen smirked. "Negotiating already? I like that. Done."
Alliana turned to Joie. A silent communication passed between them—a surrender to the dark so they could keep the light. Alliana reached out and took Joie's hand. "I'm in."
Pat looked at Timothy, then at the floor. He thought of the children in his ward who died because they couldn't afford medicine. He thought of the man Timothy was—the man who protected him tonight.
"The cancer research," Pat whispered. "It stays pure? No... biological weapons? No 'obstacles' in my lab?"
"On my soul, Pat," Timothy vowed.
"Okay," Pat breathed, closing his eyes. "Okay."
The New World Order
One month later.
The funeral for Lolo Tenorio was the event of the decade. The four siblings stood at the front, a united front of black silk and cold eyes. Beside them stood Alliana and Pat—the new pillars of the empire.
The Tenorio Global Empire was now complete:
Stephen: The King (Global Strategy & Arms)
Matthew: The Enforcer (Logistics & International Cleaning)
Timothy: The Architect (Intelligence & Cyber Warfare)
Joie: The Surgeon (The Iron Sister & Medical Operations)
Alliana: The Shield (Global Resorts & Public Image)
Pat: The Soul (Medical Research & Philanthropic Fronts)
As the casket was lowered into the ground, Joie felt a hand slip into hers. It was Alliana. They weren't on a train anymore. They were standing on top of a mountain of secrets, ruling a world that didn't know they existed.
"Are you happy?" Alliana whispered as the first shovelful of dirt hit the wood.
Joie looked at her brothers, then at the sprawling estate, then back at the woman she had ruined and saved all at once. She squeezed Alliana's hand, her grip as steady as a surgeon's.
"I'm a Tenorio," Joie replied, a small, dangerous smile playing on her lips. "We don't do happy. We do powerful."
As they walked away from the grave, a notification pinged on all four siblings' phones simultaneously. A new "obstacle" had appeared in London.
The coronation was over. The reign had begun.