Chapter 4 - The Spider’s WebThe revelation hit Alessandro not with rage, but with a cold, terrifying clarity that was far more dangerous. For fifteen years, he had operated under the assumption that his inner circle was impenetrable. Luca was his brother in blood and bullets; Vivian was the strategic bridge to northern New Jersey’s syndicates.
"Show me," Alessandro commanded quietly. "Show me the records your husband left behind, Rosa."
Rosa hesitated, her eyes darting toward the small locker where she kept her personal cleaning apron and bag. With trembling fingers, she reached inside the hidden lining of a worn leather pouch and pulled out a thumb drive encased in a cracked plastic shell.
"Miguel hid this in the lining of his tool belt the night he died," Rosa said, her voice shaking violently. "He told me if anything ever happened to him, I should give it to the police. But I knew the police were on the Moretti payroll. I had nowhere else to go, so I came here to clean your floors, hoping one day I’d find a way to make them pay."
Alessandro took the small drive. It felt weightless, yet it held enough explosive data to burn his entire empire to ash—or hand it over completely to the traitors currently sipping champagne in his ballroom.
"If this data shows what you claim," Alessandro said, his voice dropping an octave, "your husband’s death will be avenged a thousand times over. But right now, we are walking inside a trap. They think the poison is already in my bloodstream. They are waiting for me to collapse."
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Rosa wiped a tear from her cheek, her fear suddenly hardening into an unyielding resolve. "What do we do, sir? The whole house is surrounded by their men. Half the private security guards outside aren't yours anymore—they’re Luca’s payroll."
A grim, humorless smile touched the corner of Alessandro’s mouth. "Then it’s a good thing, Rosa, that I never trusted a single wall in this house without building a secret door behind it."
