Chapter 6 - The Spider’s WebThe silence in the grand hall was absolute. You could have heard a pin drop on the marble floor.
Marco stared at Lorenzo as if he were looking a ghost straight in the eyes. His mouth opened, but no words came out. His brain raced frantically, calculating angles, escape routes, and alibis—all of which instantly collapsed under the weight of the man standing before him.
“Looking for someone, Marco?” Lorenzo asked, his voice calm, steady, and terrifyingly polite.
“Boss... you’re... you’re alive?” Marco stammered, taking a slow step backward. “The tunnel... the explosion... how?”
“I decided I didn't care much for tunnels today,” Lorenzo said, walking slowly into the foyer. He snapped his pocket watch shut with a sharp clack. “Especially tunnels where the security cameras have been conveniently disabled by my most trusted brother.”
Marco’s eyes darted toward the exit, but two of Lorenzo’s heavy enforcers had quietly stepped through the side doors, blocking every avenue of escape.
“It was a setup,” Marco snarled, dropping all pretense of innocence as his face twisted into an ugly, snarling mask of rage. He whipped his pistol out and pointed it directly at Lorenzo’s chest. “You were ruining everything, Duca! You wanted to make peace with the syndicates in Chicago, turn our family into a legitimate real estate firm, and hand over our empire to a bunch of accountants! You went soft!”
Lorenzo didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He kept walking toward Marco, completely unfazed by the barrel of the gun.
“And who gave you the courage to try and take my throne, Marco?” Lorenzo asked quietly. “Was it your own ambition? Or was it the woman standing right behind you?”
Marco threw a sidelong glance at Elena.
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Elena didn't scream. She didn't cry. She slowly stepped away from Marco, smoothing down the front of her designer dress with an air of absolute coldness.
“She’s tired of waiting for you to die, Lorenzo,” Marco laughed hysterically, tightening his grip on the gun. “Elena and I made an agreement six months ago. Once you were gone, she takes thirty percent of the offshore accounts, and I take the territory. Simple business.”
