Chapter 7 - The Confrontation
Before Julia could signal the federal agents waiting at the perimeter, the sound of squealing tires echoed across the concrete floor of the warehouse. A heavy black SUV blasted through the loading dock doors, coming to an abrupt halt five yards from Marisa and Vance.
The driver's door swung open, and Dante Caruso stepped into the light, followed by Sal Greco and two armed security personnel. Dante’s face was ashen, his trench coat unbuttoned, his eyes blazing with fury. Tony had confessed to seeing Julia in Queens, and Sal had traced Marisa’s vehicle through company GPS coordinates.
""Marisa,"" Dante’s voice roared through the cavernous warehouse, vibrating against the corrugated metal walls. ""Put the case down.""
Marisa flinched, clutching the briefcase against her chest like a shield. Nicholas Vance instantly reached into his jacket, but Sal raised a firearm with practiced speed, halting Vance in his tracks.
""Dante, please, listen to me,"" Marisa stammered, the smooth, aristocratic composure she had worn for decades shattering completely. ""I did this for the family! The collectors from the 2019 fire were going to go to the press! They would have ruined our name, Dante! I had to settle the accounts quietly!""
""You had my wife searched,"" Dante said, his voice dropping into a deadly, horrifying register. ""You stood in my foyer, looked my wife in the eye, and let me humiliate her while you had my grandmother’s diamonds in your trunk.""
""She was snooping!"" Marisa shrieked, her voice turning shrill and venomous. ""She was an outsider! She was going to drag this entire empire through the mud with her righteous audits! She didn't belong in this family, Dante!""
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""Neither do you,"" a calm, clear voice echoed from the shadows.
Julia stepped out from behind the wooden crates, holding her phone in one hand and the camera in the other. Her hair was pulled back, her face devoid of makeup, her posture ramrod straight. Dante’s breath caught in his throat as he turned to see his wife standing tall, utterly unbreakable.
