Chapter 14 - The Traitor UnmaskedWithin two hours, Marcus and Daniel had isolated the encrypted signal origin: the master communications relay on the roof of the east wing.
Adrian burst through the rooftop access door into the cold night wind.
Standing near the edge of the parapet, holding a satellite uplink device, was Matteo Rossi—Adrian’s senior security lieutenant, a man who had bled beside the Moretti family for fifteen years.
Matteo froze, slowly turning around with a bitter, cynical smile on his face.
"Matteo," Adrian said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he leveled his weapon. "Fifteen years. You sat at my father's table. You swore an oath."
"An oath to a dying empire, Adrian," Matteo spat, stepping closer to the edge of the roof. "The Moretti name means nothing anymore. The Veritas Syndicate is rebuilding the global grid, and they offered what your father never could: absolute, untouchable power."
"Power bought with betrayal is just a countdown to a grave," Adrian replied, stepping forward.
Matteo laughed, raising his hand toward a pocket detonator. "You're too late, Adrian. The estate’s perimeter sensors are already disarmed. The strike team is—"
BANG!
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Before Matteo could depress the trigger, a precise, silent round from Daniel’s sniper position across the courtyard struck Matteo’s shoulder, spinning him around and knocking the detonator from his hand.
Enforcers swarmed the roof instantly, pinning Matteo to the concrete.
