Page 47 of I See You

Hassan shook his head slightly, already knowing how the Italians were with their cigars.

Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on the desk, his face unreadable. He might not like gambling, but Hassan had one hell of a poker face.

"I don’t play at all." His tone was smooth, controlled, like he already owned the damn room.

Vittorio exhaled another slow puff of smoke, intrigued. Luca remained still, watching, calculating.

"Then why this sit-down?

Thechallengeinhistonewasclear,butHassandidn’tflinch.

Didn’t blink.

Hassan pulled a black folder from his side, sliding it across the glass table with ease. His movements were slow, deliberate, the room thick with expectation.

"Acasino.Mynextone.AndIwantitoutsideU.S.borders."His voicewas smooth, unwavering, every word spoken with a confidence that didn’t need exaggeration.

The father were intrigued—not just by what he was offering, but by how effortlessly he carried himself. He was young, but he was made for this business, and that alone commanded respect.

Vittorioopensit,revealingblueprint—primeoverseasland, contracts, infrastructure plans. Hassan watches as realization sets in.

Luca, however, scoffed. The son of the empire, the heir to his father’s power, but nowhere near as sharp.

"That’s a big bargain, and any fool with a connect in Mexico thinks they’re the next kingpin. What do we get?" Luca’s tone was defiant, but his energy was off—forced.

Hassan could already see through him. Luca wasn’t challenging him out of logic. He was challenging him out of jealousy. Because Luca knew Hassan was better at this game than he was.

Knew he was sloppier, more predictable, less respected. And that? That burned him.

Hassan’s cold gaze snapped to Luca, his piercing, lethal eyes locking onto his face like a silent warning. The air shifted. Tension coiled in the space between them.

Luca tried to hold his gaze, but the heat behind Hassan’s stare burned through his composure, making his confidence waver. His shoulders tensed slightly, but he didn’t look away—not yet.

Vittorio, however, sat back in his chair, his cigar resting between his fingers as a small smirk played at his lips. He had seen it happen. Had watched Hassan’s presence alone dismantle his son’s ego without a single raised voice or wasted breath. That kind of control, that kind of power, was rare.

And that? That impressed him.

"A clean pipeline. Your product moves through my floors. No eyes. No heat. No loose ends." Hassan finally spoke, his tone calm, but laced with something dangerous.

His gaze never wavered from Luca’s, his expression daring him to say something else.

Luca, for the first time in the meeting, shut the fuck up.

Satisfied, Hassan shifted his focus back to Vittorio, the true decision-maker in the room. "I can expand with or without you. But what you can’t do—what none of your connects can do—is make a move in my city without me knowing. And now? I’m looking beyond the city."

He flicked his wrist, a silent signal. One of his men stepped forward, placing another folder on the table—this one thicker, heavier.

Vittorio’s smirk deepened as he reached for it, flipping through the pages. Luca leaned in, his earlier arrogance fading as he saw what was inside. Blueprints. Expansion plans. Power moves. Hassan wasn’t just offering them a deal. He was offering them an empire.

Luca scoffed, but Vittorio remained quiet, his expression unreadable, calculating.

Hassan already knew he had him. Vittorio was a businessman first. He didn’t move on impulse—he moved on power plays. And this? This was a power move.

Luca, still trying to find his footing, leaned forward. "And what stops you from taking the land and cutting us out?"

Desperation laced his words. He was still trying to challenge Hassan, but it was too late. Hassan commanded every part of this deal. He exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping once against the glass table before he finally spoke.

“You’re not in a position to ask that.” His tone was cold, emotionless, but filled with so much confidence making the tension in the room thicken.

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