Chapter 6 - The Traitor's MaskJulian’s face turned bright red. "What?! That's impossible! Check the stuffed animals! Check under the mattress!"
"We checked everything, Mr. Moretti," the officer said firmly. "There is no weapon."
Commissioner Raymond glared at Julian, realizing he had been played or fed false intelligence. "You guaranteed me the weapon was there, Julian."
"He was lying," Alessandro interjected coldly. He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a sleek silver flash drive, tossing it to Commissioner Raymond. "What you should be looking for, Commissioner, is right on that drive."
"What is that?" Raymond asked, catching the drive.
"Security footage from three hours ago," Alessandro said, his voice dropping like an anvil. "It shows Julian’s personal bodyguard entering Marcus Vance’s apartment complex, leaving twenty minutes later with blood on his jacket, and then driving directly to the docks to dispose of a weapon."
Julian gasped, his eyes widening in pure horror. "That's a fabrication! That footage is fake!"
"My security systems are state-of-the-art, cousin," Alessandro sneered, taking a step toward Julian. "Did you really think you could frame my wife, murder a former associate, and plant evidence in my home without me noticing?"
"Wait! Raymond, don't listen to him!" Julian screamed as two federal marshals immediately stepped behind him, drawing their cuffs.
"Julian Moretti, you are under arrest for the murder of Marcus Vance and obstruction of justice," Raymond declared sternly.
"You set me up, Alessandro! You set me up!" Julian roared as the marshals slammed him against the marble wall and slapped the steel cuffs onto his wrists. "You think you won?! The Council knows about the ledger! They know Marcus gave it to her! You'll both be dead by the end of the week!"
Julian was dragged out of the mansion, screaming obscenities into the night as the news cameras flashed outside the grand gates.
When the front doors finally closed and the estate fell quiet once more, Sophia slumped against the wooden banister, weeping tears of pure relief.
"It's over," she whispered. "He's gone..."
"The police part is over," Alessandro corrected softly, standing beside her. "But Julian was telling the truth about one thing."
Sophia wiped her eyes, looking at him in confusion. "What?"
"The blood-stained knife was planted in Emma's closet," Alessandro revealed quietly.
Sophia gasped. "What? But the police said..."
"I had Vincent move it twenty minutes before they arrived," Alessandro admitted, pulling a sealed plastic bag from his pocket containing a bloody hunting knife. "If I had let the police find it, they would have arrested you regardless of Julian's guilt. I had to create the security footage narrative to force the Commissioner to arrest Julian instead."
Sophia stared at the weapon in shock. "Who planted it? Who put that horrible thing near my daughter?!"
May you like
Alessandro’s eyes shifted slowly toward the back of the hallway, where Vincent stood silently in the shadows, holding a silver tray.
"Vincent," Alessandro called out, his voice sharp enough to slice glass. "Step into the light."
