Dr. Nathan Bianchi adjusted his steel-rimmed glasses, his expression grim under the dim hallway lights. He glanced back toward the closed door of the staff quarters before stepping closer to Alessandro Moretti.

Guided by the ledgers recovered from Marco’s private office, Alessandro and his elite security team unlocked a reinforced bulkhead behind the laundry wing. Inside was an illegal sublevel operation—a massive, unauthorized narcotics processing and chemical laundering front that Marco had been running under the cover of the estate’s legitimate supply chain, utilizing low-wage staff as unwitting cover.

Sophia had stumbled upon the restricted access door three days ago, inhaling the toxic fumes before Marco’s men caught her and threatened her silence. Terrified for her daughter's life, she had tried to keep working until her body finally collapsed.

Alessandro stood amidst the chemical vats, watching as federal agents—called in under a secure, back-channel syndicate agreement—began seizing the assets and arresting Marco’s co-conspirators.

The betrayal ran deep. Marco had been like a brother. But in Alessandro’s world, sentimentality was a luxury that cost lives.

“Boss,” his head of security reported, jogging up. “The federal sweep is complete. Marco’s offshore accounts have been frozen, and his distribution network in the North District is neutralized.”