Chapter 4 - The Fall of the Traitors
At 2:00 AM, the subterranean holding facility beneath the Romano estate was cold, quiet, and smelled of damp concrete and iron.
Gabriel walked down the hallway, flanked by Dante and four heavily armed enforcers. He wore a crisp black shirt, his sleeves rolled up, his posture projecting the absolute, lethal authority of a Don about to purge his inner circle.
Inside the primary interrogation suite, Uncle Vittorio sat tied to a heavy steel chair, sweating profusely, his expensive tuxedo ruined. Across from him stood Arthur, the night manager, whose arm was in a sling from the blow I had dealt him with the fire extinguisher.
A laptop resting on the metal table displayed live bank records, wiretap recordings, and decrypted text messages that Dante’s team had extracted over the past four hours.
Gabriel walked into the room, pulling a metal chair out and sitting down directly across from his uncle.
“You sold our supply routes to Marcus Vance six weeks ago, Vittorio,” Gabriel said smoothly, his voice devoid of any emotion. “And when you realized my wife’s accounting audits were getting too close to discovering the missing funds, you staged the silver theft to create a distraction.”
Vittorio swallowed hard, his eyes darting wildly toward the door. “Gabriel... listen to me! Vance threatened to kill my son! I had no choice! I was trying to save my boy!”
“You used my wife’s father as leverage,” Gabriel continued, ignoring his uncle’s frantic lies. “You sent threats to a woman under my protection.”
Gabriel leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, his silver eyes flashing with a cold, terrifying light.
“An hour ago,” Gabriel revealed softly, “my strike teams raided Marcus Vance’s private estate in Indiana. The Vance syndicate has been completely neutralized. Their shipping hubs belong to us now.”
Vittorio’s face turned ghostly white. “You... you wiped out the Vances in one night?!”
“I did,” Gabriel replied flatly. “And as for your son... he is currently on a private jet heading toward our estate in Zurich, where he will remain under permanent house arrest for his involvement in your financial fraud.”
Gabriel stood up, turning his back on his uncle.
“Dante,” Gabriel instructed smoothly. “Hand Vittorio and Arthur over to the federal prosecutor’s office along with the encrypted ledgers. Let them spend the rest of their natural lives in a federal penitentiary for grand treason and corporate embezzlement.”
“No! Gabriel, please! Don't do this to your own blood!” Vittorio shrieked, weeping frantically as two guards grabbed his chair.
Gabriel didn't look back. He walked out of the holding room, stepping back into the private elevator that carried him back up to the warmth of the master suite.
When he opened the double doors of our bedroom, he found me sitting near the fireplace, wearing a comfortable cashmere robe, sipping a cup of warm chamomile tea.
The heavy darkness that had surrounded him downstairs vanished the moment his eyes locked onto my face.
He walked over, sitting beside me on the sofa, wrapping his broad arm around my shoulders and pulling me flush against his warm chest.
“It’s done, Catherine,” Gabriel whispered against my hair, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Vittorio, Arthur, and the Vance network are gone. Your father is completely safe. You never have to worry again.”
I closed my eyes, letting out a long, quiet sigh of profound relief, resting my head against his heart.
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“Thank you, Gabriel,” I murmured softly.
“Don't thank me, my love,” Gabriel replied, his fingers gently tracing the heavy diamond ring on my left hand. “You saved my life and my empire today. Now... it’s my turn to spend the rest of my life taking care of yours.”
