Chapter 13 - The Trial by Blood and Paper
The executive boardroom of the Moretti Tower was sealed tight behind bulletproof frosted glass on the fiftieth floor.
Nine elderly syndicate capos sat around an oval table made of imported black marble, their expressions grim and predatory.
At the head of the table sat Elder Vance, an arrogant man in his late sixties with silver hair and cold, calculating blue eyes.
“Gentlemen, the time has come to vote,” Vance announced, tapping his gold pen against a formal legal document.
“Luca Moretti has been absent from public duties for eight months due to severe cardiac decay.”
“Marco’s unfortunate arrest has placed our entire shipping portfolio at the mercy of federal prosecutors.”
“We must invoke Article Nine immediately and transfer operational power to my executive committee before the government seizes our fleets.”
Several board members murmured in quiet agreement, preparing to sign the declaration.
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the boardroom were blown off their hinges by a concussive magnetic breach.
Smoke billowed into the luxurious room as two squads of tactical guards dressed in midnight black secured every corner.
Through the haze walked Luca Moretti, standing tall, imposing, and radiating an aura of terrifying majesty.
Beside him walked Claire Bennett, dressed in a sharp ivory suit, carrying a leather briefcase filled with legal dossiers.
Every single board member scrambled to their feet in sheer terror, knocking chairs backward onto the carpet.
Elder Vance froze in place, his pen dropping from his trembling fingers onto the table.
“L-Luca?” Vance gasped, his voice cracking with disbelief.
“You look disappointed, Vance,” Luca said, walking slowly toward the head of the table with the grace of a panther.
“Did your son fail to report that his ambush in the Blackthorn tunnels had been permanently canceled?”
Vance’s face turned an ashen white as he realized his son was dead.
“You are violating the family bylaws by bringing armed personnel into an executive council!” Vance shouted, attempting to mask his terror with anger.
“I am the sovereign of this family,” Luca growled, slamming his palm onto the marble table with a force that rattled the crystal water glasses.
“And you are a thief, a murderer, and a traitor to the Moretti bloodline.”
Luca stepped aside, gesturing toward Claire.
“Introduce yourself to the council, Claire.”
Claire stepped forward, her voice ringing out like a silver bell of justice in the silent room.
“My name is Claire Bennett,” she announced, looking directly into Vance’s panicked eyes.
“I am the daughter of Dr. Arthur Bennett, the true creator of the BP-704 chemical compound.”
She opened the briefcase and tossed stacks of certified bank statements, offshore wire records, and patent theft filings across the table.
“These documents prove that Elder Vance established Orion Holdings to bankrupt Bennett Pharmaceuticals and steal my father’s research.”
“Furthermore, these encrypted wire transfers prove Vance sold thirty vials of synthetic aconitine to Marco Moretti to poison Luca over eight agonizing months.”
The remaining board members looked down at the irrefutable evidence, gasping in horror at the extent of the conspiracy.
“This is an outrage!” Vance screamed, lunging across the table toward Claire in a blind panic.
Before Vance could even reach the middle of the table, Luca drew his sidearm with lightning speed and pressed the cold steel barrel against Vance’s forehead.
The entire boardroom fell dead silent.
Vance stopped breathing, trembling violently under the weight of Luca’s lethal gaze.
“You took her father’s life,” Luca whispered, the fury in his voice making the hair on the back of everyone’s neck stand up.
“You poisoned my body and tried to destroy my house.”
“You do not deserve a painless ending.”
“Matteo,” Luca commanded without breaking eye contact.
“Hand this filth and every single piece of financial evidence to the Special Federal Prosecutor waiting in the lobby downstairs.”
“Let him share a prison cell with Marco for the rest of his miserable life.”
Matteo dragged the screaming, humiliated old man out of the room, leaving the remaining board members trembling in utter submission.
Luca turned back to the remaining elders, who immediately dropped to their knees in absolute surrender.
“The criminal syndicate of the Moretti family is dead,” Luca declared to the room.
“From this day forward, our entire logistics network transitions into a legal global infrastructure managed by the Bennett-Moretti Foundation.”
“Anyone who objects may step forward right now.”
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Not a single person moved.
The empire was finally, unequivocally, under Luca and Claire’s absolute command.
