Chapter 2 - The Audit of Blood
The atmosphere inside the soundproofed private dining room transformed in a fraction of a second from tense awkwardness into pure, suffocating terror.
Camilla Davenport’s face drained of every drop of color. The cruel, arrogant smirk she had carried into the room vanished completely, replaced by a sudden, frantic flicker of panic.
“Victor... what are you talking about?” Camilla stammered, taking an instinctive step back toward the door, only to find the massive frame of Leo blocking her path, his arms crossed over his chest, his posture stone-cold. “This is a private dinner with the Capotostis. You have no right to bring my family into this!”
Victor didn't even look at her. His intense, dark eyes remained fixed entirely on Nora.
“Miss Hastings,” Victor repeated softly, his voice carrying an iron authority that made the air in the room feel heavy. “Read line forty-seven of the offshore ledger out loud to the room.”
Nora wiped the red wine from her tablet screen with her linen napkin. Her heart was beating frantically against her ribs, but she forced her hands to remain completely steady as she tapped into the encrypted database she had organized just two days prior.
She brought up the file—a hidden record of shell companies and illegal bank transfers that Victor had instructed her to index under high-level security protocols.
Nora cleared her throat, her voice echoing clearly off the wood-paneled walls.
“Line forty-seven,” Nora read aloud, keeping her tone crisp, professional, and completely unwavering. “Eight point five million dollars transferred from the Riverfront Infrastructure Fund directly into an shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands under the name Davenport Holdings. Authorized personally by Senator Thomas Davenport three weeks ago.”
Matteo Capotosti let out a sharp, harsh gasp, his heavy hands slamming down onto the white tablecloth. He glared at Camilla with sudden, bloodthirsty fury.
“What?!” Matteo roared, his face turning an unsightly shade of crimson. “That eight point five million was our shared investment pool for the new freight terminal! Senator Davenport claimed the city held up those funds in committee!”
Victor slowly picked up his glass of water, taking a measured sip.
“The Senator didn't hold up the funds, Matteo,” Victor said, his voice low, measured, and deadly as a silver blade. “He stole them. And he used his daughter to infiltrate my inner circle six months ago to ensure I wouldn't audit the development books before the election.”
Camilla was shaking now, her expensive ivory silk dress trembling as she stared at Victor in absolute horror.
“You... you knew?” Camilla breathed out, her voice cracking. “You’ve known for months?!”
“I knew the moment your father bought his third yacht in Miami, Camilla,” Victor replied coldly, setting his glass down. “I let you play your little games because you were useful in tracing the rest of your father’s offshore network. But tonight, you walked into my private room, insulted my executive assistant, and ruined a dress I personally selected for her.”
Victor stepped around the table, stopping just inches from Camilla. The sheer physical presence of the Don made the senator’s daughter look fragile, weak, and utterly pathetic.
“You thought Nora was just a hired typist,” Victor murmured, leaning down slightly so only Camilla could hear the icy razor-edge of his voice. “You thought she was disposable because she doesn't carry a famous political last name. But Nora Hastings has more brilliance, integrity, and loyalty in her little finger than your entire corrupt bloodline has possessed in a century.”
Nora sat frozen in her chair, her breath catching in her throat as Victor defended her in front of Chicago’s most ruthless syndicate leaders. A strange, powerful warmth bloomed in her chest, washing away every drop of embarrassment from the spilled wine.
“Victor, please!” Camilla wept, dropping her designer handbag onto the floor, her high-society pride completely shattered. “My father will pay the money back! I swear to God he will transfer the eight million back tonight! Just let me leave!”
“Your father won't be transferring anything,” Victor stated flatly.
He tapped his smartphone screen twice.
“Fifteen minutes ago, federal agents executed a search warrant on Senator Davenport’s home in Gold Coast and his private office at the Capitol,” Victor revealed smoothly. “They were provided with a complete, unredacted copy of Miss Hastings’s secondary ledger. By morning, your father will be in federal custody facing forty years for wire fraud, money laundering, and grand embezzlement.”
Camilla let out a high-pitched, hysterical shriek, collapsing onto her knees on the hardwood floor, buried in her ruined ivory dress, weeping uncontrollably.
Victor didn't give her a second glance. He turned to Leo.
“Escort Miss Davenport to the basement holding room,” Victor ordered coldly. “Keep her secure until the federal prosecutors finish processing her father. Then throw her out onto the street with nothing.”
“Understood, Don Romano,” Leo said, roughly grabbing Camilla by her arm and hauling her screaming out of the room, shutting the heavy door behind them.
The private dining room fell into a dead, heavy silence once again.
Matteo Capotosti looked at Victor, then looked at Nora with a newfound, immense sense of fear and respect. The elder mob boss stood up, bowing his head slightly toward Nora.
“My deepest apologies, Miss Hastings,” Matteo said, his voice trembling slightly. “We were unaware of the depth of your work for the Romano family.”
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Victor walked back over to Nora’s chair. He reached into his inner suit jacket pocket, pulled out a clean, crisp silk handkerchief, and gently handed it down to her.
“Dinner is over, Matteo,” Victor declared, looking down at Nora with dark eyes that had suddenly softened into something deeply protective. “My assistant needs to change out of these ruined clothes.”
