Chapter 14 - The Lawyer's FallThe silence in the boardroom was absolute. You could hear the hum of the HVAC system three floors away.
Luca stared at the drive, then slowly turned his dark, lethal gaze toward Marcus Vance. The lawyer’s knees began to tremble so violently that he had to grip the edge of the table for support.
"You... you're lying," Marcus choked out, sweat beading on his forehead. "That's a fabrication—a forgery—"
"Open it," Luca commanded, his voice dropping into that terrifying, icy register. He tossed his master tablet across the table to Salvatore Rossi. "Plug it in, Salvatore."
The old capo inserted the drive. Within seconds, a holographic projection blinked to life above the table, displaying banking receipts, encrypted email threads between Marcus and Viktor Rostova, and a detailed contract outlining Marcus’s plan to stage a boardroom coup after Luca was eliminated by the Bratva hit squad.
Salvatore looked up slowly. His eyes were cold as winter ice.
"Marcus," Salvatore whispered, standing up from his chair. "You always were an ambitious bastard."
Before Marcus could turn toward the heavy oak doors, two massive security guards stepped out from the shadows, pinning his arms behind his back with bone-crushing force.
"No! Wait! We can talk about this!" Marcus shrieked, thrashing wildly as they dragged him toward the private service elevator. "Luca! Spare me! Please!"
The elevator doors opened, swallowed the screaming lawyer, and shut with a final, heavy thud.
Salvatore sat back down, smoothing his jacket. He looked across the table at Emma, a begrudging, profound respect dawning in his weathered eyes.
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"Well," Salvatore muttered, shaking his head. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Ms. Carter."
Luca didn't say a word. He reached across the table, his fingers finding Emma’s hand, lacing his warm palm through hers.
