Chapter 4 - The Serpent's Nest
By dawn, the evidence retrieved from Marco Vitali's quarters was laid out across Dante’s massive oak desk. Lorenzo stood across from Dante, flipping through encrypted flash drives that had been decrypted by the family’s tech specialist.
"It’s worse than we thought, Don," Lorenzo said grimly. "Marco wasn't just giving Romano security layouts. He’s been funneling forty percent of our waterfront shipping revenue into an offshore account in the Caymans. Romano promised to back Marco as the new Don of the Marchetti family once they executed you at tomorrow night's annual charity gala."
Dante swirled the cold coffee in his cup, his face an unreadable mask of stone. "He planned to kill me in my own ballroom."
"Yes," Lorenzo confirmed. "And he used Sienna’s financial desperation as his leverage point to get the vault combinations."
"Where is Marco right now?"
"He’s in the lower tactical courtyard, running morning drills with the guards. He has no idea we searched his room. He thinks Sienna is cowering in the maid quarters."
"Good," Dante said, rising from his chair. "Let him stay confident. A traitor who feels secure makes mistakes."
Dante walked to the adjacent bedroom door and knocked gently before stepping inside. Sienna was awake, propped up against silk pillows. She looked pale, but the swelling around her eye had decreased slightly thanks to the cold compresses. She wore a soft velvet robe that Dante’s staff had brought up earlier.
"Good morning," Dante said, his voice instantly softening from the harsh tone he used with his lieutenant.
"Good morning, Mr. Marchetti," she replied nervously, pulling the robe tighter around her chest.
"Dante," he corrected her. "When we are in this room, my name is Dante."
Sienna looked at him, searching his intense dark eyes. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"We found everything," Dante said, sitting on the edge of her mattress. "Marco’s betrayal goes back almost two years. But more importantly, I found the documentation regarding your mother's debt."
Sienna’s breath hitched. "What about it?"
Dante reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a single sheet of paper, handing it to her. It was a wire transfer confirmation from the Marchetti central financial repository to the medical collection agency.
The remaining balance read: $0.00.
"You... you paid it?" Sienna stammered, tears instantly welling in her eyes. "All fifty-one thousand dollars?"
"It’s already cleared," Dante said calmly. "You owe no one anything, Sienna. You are entirely free."
"I can't accept this," she sobbed, holding the paper with trembling hands. "I can never pay you back. I make twelve dollars an hour cleaning your floors—"
"You aren't going to pay me back," Dante interrupted firmly, taking her hand into his own warm, heavy grasp. "Consider it partial compensation for the pain you suffered defending my home. But know this... Marco will realize today that his leverage over you is gone. He will become desperate."
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"What are you going to do?" she asked, fear gripping her chest once more.
"I’m going to let him step right into the trap he built for me," Dante replied, a dark, lethal smile touching his lips. "And you are going to help me spring it."
