Chapter 3 - The Blood Council
The headquarters of the Moretti Family Council was situated in a historic, limestone manor on the outskirts of the city—a place where billions of dollars in legitimate corporate assets and shadowy syndicate decisions had been negotiated for over a century.
The boardroom was clad in dark mahogany, dominated by a massive oval table surrounded by twelve elderly men, the capos and board members who held the true power of the Moretti empire.
When Nikolai and I walked in, the atmosphere in the room turned instantly hostile.
Sitting on the far right was Julian, looking impeccably dressed in a tailored navy suit, though dark circles under his eyes betrayed his sleepless night. Beside him sat my father, Arthur Hart, looking pale and furious.
"Nikolai!" Elder Marcus, a white-haired man with scars running along his jawline, slammed a fist onto the table. "What is the meaning of last night's circus? You publicly humiliated your brother and took his betrothed! This is an insult to the traditions of this council!"
Julian immediately stood up, putting on his best performance of an aggrieved, honorable man. "Elders, my brother has abused his position. He manipulated Evelyn while she was emotionally vulnerable last night. She was heartbroken over a private disagreement Serena and I were having, and Nikolai took advantage of her to steal my position in the succession!"
My father spoke up, his voice tight with fake authority. "As Evelyn's father, I must agree. Evelyn was under immense stress. This engagement to Nikolai is invalid. Our family agreement was made with Julian!"
Nikolai didn't even bother to sit down. He stood at the head of the table, resting his hands lightly on the back of a leather chair, looking down at the assembled men as if they were squabbling children.
"Are you finished?" Nikolai asked softly.
The calm in his voice was far more terrifying than any outburst. The room fell into an uneasy hush.
"You speak of tradition, Marcus," Nikolai continued, turning his sharp gaze toward the elder. "Tradition dictates that a Moretti leader must possess judgment, discipline, and absolute control over his personal affairs. Let us examine how my brother demonstrated those qualities last night."
Nikolai glanced at me and gave a subtle nod.
I stepped forward, opening a leather briefcase I had brought with me. I pulled out several bound stacks of financial documents and distributed them neatly in front of each elder, including Marcus.
Julian’s eyes widened as he looked at the cover page. "What is that? What are you doing?"
"These are the forensic audit reports for the Hart Foundation's offshore accounts, as well as the subsidiary accounts of Moretti Enterprises’ real estate division," I said, my voice cutting cleanly through the room. "For the past eighteen months, Julian has been illegally funneling company assets—over fourteen million dollars—into shell accounts registered under my sister Serena's name."
"That's a lie!" Julian shouted, standing up so fast his chair screeched against the hardwood floor. "She’s lying! She forged those!"
"I don't forge documents, Julian. I fix them," I said coldly, looking him directly in the eye. "You used those funds to buy Serena's luxury properties, fund her failing fashion line, and cover your own disastrous losses on unregulated crypto futures. You were planning to use our marriage to merge the Hart family assets to cover up your embezzlement before the annual audit next month."
The elders began flipping frantically through the pages. Marcus’s face darkened as he scanned the paper trails, signatures, and bank stamps that bore Julian’s distinct handwriting.
"Julian," Marcus whispered, his voice dripping with deadly anger. "Is this true?"
"It... it was an investment!" Julian stammered, his confidence completely evaporating. Sweat broke out across his forehead. "Serena and I... we were building a new media platform! It was going to benefit the family!"
"You stole from the family to buy my sister’s affection," I corrected him mercilessly. "And you intended to use my personal inheritance from my grandmother to replace the missing funds after our wedding."
I turned to the council. "Julian didn't betray me last night because of 'love.' He betrayed me because Serena panicked when she learned the federal authorities were closing in on one of those shell companies, and he made a desperate, public spectacle to distract everyone from the financial blood loss."
Nikolai stepped forward, leaning over the table toward Julian. "You didn't just act recklessly, brother. You brought federal exposure to this table. You compromised our operations for a girl who doesn't even know how to balance a checkbook."
The silence in the council room was deafening.
Elder Marcus slammed the folder shut and looked at Nikolai, then at me. A rare look of cold respect flickered in the old man's eyes.
"Julian Moretti," Marcus declared, his voice echoing off the wood paneling. "Your candidacy for the leadership succession is hereby suspended indefinitely. You will surrender all corporate credentials and undergo a full internal investigation."
Julian collapsed back into his chair, looking utterly destroyed. He stared at me with a mix of rage and horror, as if seeing me for the very first time.
My father tried to speak. "Evelyn, you can't do this to your own family—"
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"I didn't do this to you, Father," I said, looking at him without a shred of pity. "You did it to yourselves the moment you decided I was only valuable when I was silent."
As Nikolai and I walked out of the council room, Nikolai leaned closer to me, his breath warm against my ear. "Magnificent, my queen. Now... let us prepare for the real war."
