Chapter 14 - THE MOLE UNMASKEDAn hour after Vance was thrown out into the freezing night, the heavy double doors of the private study opened, and Leo stepped inside. He wasn't alone.
Between two armed guards walked Julian, the estate’s chief accountant, a man who had served the Moretti family for twelve years. Julian’s face was deathly pale, his hands trembling violently inside his handcuffs.
Clara stood up from her desk, looking down at the man she had trusted with payroll and estate logistics. "Julian. Why?"
Julian refused to meet her eyes, staring instead at the rich Persian carpet. "The Eastern Syndicate... they had my son. In Milan. If I didn't siphon three percent of the offshore accounts every month, they said he wouldn't make it to his next birthday."
Matteo sat behind his desk, his expression a mask of absolute ice. He didn't raise his voice, which made the silence in the room infinitely more terrifying.
"Family is everything, Julian," Matteo whispered, his voice dangerously low. "I understand that better than most. But you didn't come to me. You didn't ask for my help, your boss's protection, or my resources. You chose to betray the house that fed you."
"Please, Mr. Moretti—Clara, please!" Julian fell to his knees, weeping openly. "I'll give back everything! Just let me talk to my son—"
"Leo," Matteo interrupted, cutting off the plea. "Put him on the morning flight to Milan. Give him a ticket, a clean suit, and a letter to our contacts there. He will finish his life raising his son in a quiet village outside the city—but he will never touch a ledger, a bank account, or a pen again."
Julian stared up in shock, expecting a bullet, only to realize Matteo’s mercy was a calculated exile. As the guards dragged him away, Clara let out a slow, steady breath.
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"You're getting soft in your old age, husband," Clara murmured, though a faint smile touched her lips.
"Not soft," Matteo replied, standing up and pulling her into his arms. "Just selective."
