Chapter 4 - The Betrayal Unveiled
Adrian didn't flinch. He slowly raised his hands, his reflection visible in the dark monitor in front of him.
"Why, Julian?" Adrian asked, his voice deathly calm. "I gave you half the city. I gave you power, wealth, and my complete trust."
"You gave me scraps!" Julian spat, his hand steady on the trigger. "Claire was going to convince you to go legitimate! She was persuading you to sell off the dock operations, clean the money, and turn the Moretti syndicate into a respectable corporate dynasty! Do you have any idea how much money I would have lost if you went clean?"
"So you framed her."
"It was shockingly easy," Julian chuckled darkly. "You were so terrified of being betrayed, so consumed by your own ego, that all I had to do was give you a plausible lie. You were so eager to protect your pride that you threw away the only woman who ever actually loved you. You destroyed her, Adrian. I just handed you the pen."
"And where is she now?"
"With Marco Russo," Julian smirked. "Marco has wanted the North Side shipping lanes for a decade. We made a deal. I give him Claire, he uses her as bait to draw you out into an ambush, you die, and I take over the entire Chicago syndicate as your grieving successor. The kids were an unexpected variable, but they'll be dealt with soon enough."
"You think you're going to walk out of this room?" Adrian asked softly.
"I have six heavily armed mercenaries stationed outside this door, Adrian. Your loyal guards are currently being disarmed in the courtyard. You're alone."
"I am never alone in my own house," Adrian whispered.
Before Julian could pull the trigger, the server room’s automated fire-suppression system violently activated. High-pressure halon gas blasted from the ceiling nozzles, blinding Julian and creating an acoustic shockwave.
In a fraction of a second, Adrian spun around, grabbed Julian’s wrist, and twisted it until the bone snapped. The gun clattered to the floor. Adrian didn't shoot him. Instead, he slammed Julian’s head into the heavy steel server rack, shattering his nose and pinning him to the floor with a knee to his chest.
"You made one catastrophic mistake, Julian," Adrian growled, his eyes dark with murderous intent.
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"What's... what's that?" Julian gasped through blood.
"You thought I was a businessman who became a monster," Adrian whispered, drawing a combat knife from his belt. "You forgot that I was a monster who put on a suit for her. And now that she’s gone... the suit comes off."
