Chapter 5 - Blood and Confessions: Unraveling the Barone Syndicate at Gunpoint
The heavy front doors of the Lake Forest estate clicked shut behind Celeste with a finality that sounded like a prison cell slamming shut.
Before Celeste could raise her silver revolver to aim at us, Adrian’s suppressed Beretta was already leveled directly at her chest, its laser sight painting a small red dot against her fur coat.
From the shadows of the hallway behind Adrian, two of his elite security operatives stepped out silently, their rifles instantly pointed at the four masked Barone enforcers standing on the porch outside the open doorway.
“Drop the gun, Celeste,” Adrian commanded, his voice dropping an octave into a lethal, vibration-filled tone. “Or your men outside will be joining you in a body bag before you can take another breath.”
Celeste’s hands trembled violently, the silver revolver clattering against the marble floor as she realized the catastrophic trap she had walked into.
“You… you’re not paralyzed,” Celeste whispered, staring at Adrian in sheer horror. “Father said the sniper hit your spine… he said you’d never walk again…”
“Your father believes a great many convenient lies,” Adrian replied calmly, stepping closer to her while keeping his weapon steady. “Just as he believed he could send a poisoned bottle of amaro into my home and expect my new wife to take the blame for my murder.”
Celeste’s emerald eyes snapped toward me, filled with venomous hatred and bitter betrayal.
“You!” Celeste hissed, lunging forward as if she wanted to scratch my eyes out. “You stupid, ugly parasite! You were supposed to drink the poison after him! You were supposed to die in that room!”
I didn’t flinch; I simply stepped forward and slapped Celeste across the face with enough force to send her stumbling back against the foyer wall.
“The only parasite in this family is the one who hid behind my face for ten years while I wore a silicone mask to keep Ruth safe,” I said, my voice ice-cold.
Adrian glanced at me with a brief flash of approval before turning his attention back to my sister.
“Your father’s offshore accounts have already been frozen, and his syndicate partners have just received proof that Salvatore embezzled thirty million dollars from their joint reserves to fund his private properties,” Adrian stated casually, watching the color drain entirely from Celeste’s face.
“That’s… that’s impossible…” Celeste gasped, her knees giving out beneath her as she slid down the marble wall. “Father’s accounts are secure… no one can hack them…”
“Your father built an empire on lies, intimidation, and betrayal,” Adrian said, gesturing to his security operatives. “And empires built on sand always collapse when the tide comes in.”
The operatives stepped forward, zip-tying Celeste’s wrists behind her back while her four masked enforcers surrendered without firing a single shot, knowing they were hopelessly outgunned.
As Celeste was dragged away toward the basement holding cells, she screamed curses that echoed off the high ceilings until the heavy iron door slammed shut.
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Adrian turned to me, lowering his weapon and sliding it back into his holster.
“Well, Mrs. Vitali,” Adrian said softly, reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair from my cheek. “That takes care of the midnight visitor. But sunrise is coming, and your father is going to realize his empire is burning to the ground.”
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