Chapter 7 - Blood and Brotherhood"You're too late, Lorenzo!" Matteo yelled, his voice carrying over the screaming jet turbines. "The transfers have already cleared! The board of directors signed the emergency proxy documents this morning! Even if you kill me right now, you don't own the empire anymore—I do!"
I walked slowly toward him through the rain, my pistol locked firmly on his chest. Every step I took felt like walking away from twelve years of lies and stepping into a brutal, unforgiving reality.
"You think paper makes you a king, Matteo?" I asked coldly, stopping ten feet away from him. "You think stealing accounts and hiding babies in the trash makes you powerful?"
Matteo laughed, a manic, broken sound. "Power isn't given, Lorenzo. It’s taken! You were too soft! You spent twelve years mourning a ghost while I built the real foundation of this family!"
"You locked Elena in a cage for twelve years," I said, my finger tightening slightly on the trigger. "You lied to my face every single day. You stole my son's childhood, and you tried to erase our bloodline."
"I saved this family from your weakness!" Matteo screamed, suddenly raising his pistol and aiming it directly at my heart.
He didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing happened. The heavy rain had flooded his firing chamber.
In a fraction of a second, before he could clear the jam, I raised my weapon and fired.
Bang.
The bullet caught Matteo cleanly in the right shoulder.
He dropped his weapon with a sharp cry of pain, stumbling backward against the metal staircase of the jet. The heavy leather briefcase slipped from his hand, bursting open upon impact with the concrete.
Hundreds of documents, bearer bonds, and photographs scattered across the wet tarmac, swirling away in the wind.
Matteo clutched his bleeding shoulder, sliding down the metal stairs until he hit the ground, staring up at me with defeat carved deep into his face.
"Go ahead," Matteo whispered, blood leaking between his fingers. "Finish it."
I stood over my brother, the rain washing the blood from the pavement around our feet. I looked at the man who had been my shield, my partner, and my executioner.
May you like
"No," I said, lowering my weapon slowly. "Death is too easy for you, Matteo. You're going to live. You're going to stand trial in front of the entire international tribunal. And every single asset you stole will be returned to its rightful place."
I signaled to Marcus, who was jogging up with a pair of heavy steel handcuffs. "Lock him up."
