Chapter 3 - The Shadow Council
The sun had not yet crested the Chicago skyline, leaving the estate wrapped in pre-dawn gloom. Upstairs, the grand mansion remained quiet, but inside the secure security bunker, an empire was crumbling and rebuilding itself from the foundation up. Dante stood by the steel door, his hands clasped behind his back, listening to the muffled sound of Elena Hayes weeping hysterically in the adjoining service corridor.
She had realized her daughter had slipped away from their basement quarters. When the door opened and she saw Lily standing beside the feared Don of Chicago, Elena dropped to her knees, trembling violently. "Please, Mr. Moretti! She’s just a child! She doesn't know anything, she was just looking for her toy, please don't hurt her!"
Dante did not answer with words. He walked over, knelt down on the cold floor, and offered Elena his hand. Elena hesitated, petrified, before Dante took her trembling fingers and lifted her gently to her feet.
"You have nothing to fear from me, Elena," Dante said, his voice stripped of all mafia bravado. "Your husband was an honorable man. He was framed. And your daughter just did something none of my captains had the spine or the eyes to do."
Elena stared at him through red-rimmed eyes, completely bewildered. "What... what are you saying?"
"I am saying I was lied to," Dante replied, turning to look at Lily, who was now holding her mother's hand tightly. "Carlo Rossi used your husband’s access to rob thirty million dollars, killed Evan to hide the paper trail, and convinced me to pull the trigger. But Evan left a breadcrumb. He knew Lily’s obsession with his watch would lead her to the truth if she ever saw the feeds."
Marcus emerged from the terminal room, his expression darkened by what he had just uncovered. "Boss, it’s worse than the restaurant loop. Carlo didn’t just access the restaurant at 4:08 this morning. He’s currently routing the private transport logs for the downtown vault delivery scheduled for noon today. He’s running the exact same camera loop on the fifth-street depot right now."
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Dante’s eyes narrowed into slits of ice. Carlo Rossi had been by his side for fifteen years, godfather to his nephew, the man who held the keys when Dante traveled abroad. Carlo wasn't just stealing money; he was systematically blindfolding the empire so he could stage a total decapitation strike. By lunch, Dante’s primary assets would be emptied, and Carlo would blame it on an imaginary rival syndicate.
"Elena, take Lily to the upper residence. My personal security detail will guard your door with their lives," Dante ordered softly. He turned to Lily, brushing a loose strand of hair from her forehead. "You gave me the truth, little one. Now watch what happens when a Moretti repays a debt."
