Chapter 6 - The Midnight Tribunal and the Betrayal Within
The mahogany doors of the grand syndicate chamber swung open with a resounding thud that echoed off the stone walls.
Midnight had officially struck, wrapping the sprawling estate in a shroud of suffocating silence and tension.
Around the heavy oak conference table sat the seven regional caporegimes who controlled the financial arteries of the Costa family empire.
Victor Rossi sat near the center, leaning back in his leather chair with a smug, arrogant smirk plastered across his weathered face.
He had assumed Roman would be too distracted by his new bride’s sudden illness to attend the emergency tribunal.
The heavy brass doors clicked shut behind Roman as he strode into the room like an impending storm.
His dark suit was immaculate, his expression carved from cold granite and unyielding fury.
“You’re late, Costa,” Rossi drawled, swirling a glass of expensive scotch with deliberate insolence.
“A marriage night is a sacred thing, but business waits for no man, not even a groom.”
Roman did not bother to sit down at the head of the table.
Instead, he placed a small, sleek black flash drive directly onto the center of the mahogany surface.
“The only thing ending tonight, Rossi, is your pathetic tenure in this syndicate,” Roman stated, his voice cutting through the smoky air like a razor blade.
Rossi’s mocking laugh died instantly in his throat as he stared down at the small piece of plastic.
“What is that supposed to be? Another one of your accountant’s fairy tales?” Rossi scoffed, though a bead of nervous sweat slipped down his temple.
“That drive contains every encrypted transaction, offshore shell company, and fraudulent wire transfer you’ve executed over the past three years,” Roman replied calmly.
“It proves you siphoned twenty-four million dollars from our joint European shipping accounts.”
Panic flickered across Rossi’s eyes before he masked it behind a mask of righteous indignation.
“Lies!” Rossi shouted, slamming his fist onto the table.
“Show us the proof right now, or admit your bride’s little scouting mission into my warehouse was nothing more than industrial espionage!”
Roman pressed a small remote in his hand, projecting high-resolution financial ledgers onto the massive wall screen behind them.
Every column, every corrupted digital signature, and every fake invoice bore Victor Rossi’s personal authorization code.
The surrounding caporegimes began murmuring angrily among themselves, casting dark, suspicious glances toward Rossi.
“You think you’re clever, Rossi?” Roman continued, stepping closer to his rival.
“You thought you could rob my operations and frame my accountant while she was recovering from a gunshot wound.”
“But you made one fatal miscalculation.”
Rossi’s face turned pale as chalk. “What miscalculation?”
“You assumed my wedding schedule was public knowledge,” Roman said, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.
“You sent that note to my front gate because you knew the exact hour we returned from the ceremony.”
“And the only people who had access to that exact itinerary were sitting inside my inner circle.”
Roman slowly turned his head away from Rossi and cast a chilling gaze across the men seated at the table.
“Marcus,” Roman called out softly.
The heavy side door opened immediately, and Marcus stepped into the room dragging a trembling, pale-faced man by the collar.
It was Julian, Roman’s long-serving junior logistics manager.
Julian’s knees buckled under the weight of his own terror as he hit the polished floorboards.
“Boss, I swear to God I didn’t mean to—Rossi forced me!” Julian sobbed, thrashing blindly as Marcus pinned him to the ground.
Rossi stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over backward.
“This is a kangaroo court!” Rossi screamed, lunging toward the door.
Before Rossi could take two steps, three enforcers blocked his exit with leveled firearms.
Roman walked slowly over to Rossi, looking down at him with utter contempt.
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“The tribunal has rendered its verdict,” Roman whispered, his voice dangerously low.
“Take them both to the lower vault.”
