Chapter 18 - THE NAMES OF THE TRAITORS
Alessandro pulled the long metal box from the wall, setting it down on a heavy oak inspection table in the center of the vault room. Marco stood near the elevator doors, his hand resting on his sidearm, scanning the dark corners of the hall.
Elena stood beside Alessandro, holding Mia close as he lifted the heavy lid of the metal box.
Inside lay three items: a encrypted digital hard drive, a stack of certified financial wire transfers, and a sealed manila envelope stamped with Lorenzo’s private wax seal.
Alessandro broke the wax seal, pulling out the folded documents within.
As he read the financial statements, his face went completely motionless. The wire transfers detailed monthly offshore payments totaling over twenty million dollars, originating from Don Carmine’s accounts in New York and deposited into a private shell company in the Cayman Islands.
The owner of the shell company was listed clearly at the bottom of the document.
It was Valerio Duca—Alessandro’s uncle and the chief financial advisor to the Chicago syndicate.
"Valerio..." Alessandro whispered, the name tasting like ash on his tongue.
Valerio had been the man who sat beside Alessandro at Lorenzo’s memorial service. He had been the man who urged Alessandro to sign the territory transfer agreement with New York. He had been the snake whispering in his ear for sixteen months, orchestrating the slow collapse of the Duca family from the inside.
"He sold Lorenzo out for twenty million dollars," Alessandro rasped, his hand trembling with profound rage as he crumpled the financial papers in his tattooed fist.
Elena gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Your own uncle...?"
"He didn't just sell Lorenzo," Alessandro declared, his dark eyes snapping up to meet Elena's. "He tried to erase any trace of him. He knew if Lorenzo survived, or if Lorenzo had an heir, Valerio’s claim to the family fortune would be destroyed."
He turned to Marco, his voice echoing through the steel vault like a thunderclap.
"Marco!"
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"Yes, Boss!" Marco barked, stepping forward instantly.
"Call Valerio," Alessandro commanded, his sharp masculine features locking into a mask of pure, unyielding destruction. "Tell him I am convening an emergency council meeting at the penthouse in one hour. Tell him he must attend personally."
