Chapter 5 - The Council of ShadowsAt ten o'clock sharp, the grand boardroom of the Romano mansion was filled with twelve of the most powerful men on the East Coast.

Cigar smoke curled beneath the painted ceiling. Men in tailored suits spoke in hushed, tense tones. At the center of the mahogany table sat Dominic Moretti—a distinguished man in his sixties with silver hair, sharp blue eyes, and a silk pocket square.

I sat at the head of the table.

"Marco, my boy," Dominic said smoothly, leaning forward with a warm smile. "Santino said you called us for a celebration! Where is the lovely Isabella? We must toast to the future of the Romano family!"

"Isabella is downstairs, Dominic," I said softly, resting my hands on the table. "In the cellar."

The room went dead silent.

Dominic’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "The cellar? Marco, what kind of joke is this?"

I gestured to Santino. He opened the heavy double doors, and two guards brought Isabella into the room. Her hands were zip-tied behind her back, her hair messy, her eyes wide with terror.

A gasp rippled through the room.

"What is the meaning of this treason?!" Dominic shouted, slamming his fist on the table, standing up. "Marco! Have you lost your mind? She is your fiancée!"

"She is an assassin," I said calmly.

I pulled out a small black recorder and set it on the table. I pressed play.

Isabella’s recorded voice filled the room, trembling under interrogation: "It was Dominic! He promised me thirty percent of the offshore accounts! He supplied the thallium! He told me Marco was weak and needed to be replaced!"

Dominic’s face turned from red to an ashen, ghostly gray. He looked around the table, but the eleven other captains had already drawn their weapons, aiming them directly at his chest.

"You tried to poison me in my own home, Godfather," I said, standing up slowly. "You used a child’s innocence to hide your greed. You violated the sacred law of this house."

"Marco... please," Dominic stammered, his voice breaking, all his aristocratic polish melting into pathetic desperation. "I raised you! After your father died, I protected you!"

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I looked at Santino. "Take them away."