Chapter 5 - THE TRAITOR’S BANQUET
The dining room of the DeLuca estate was a masterpiece of Renaissance imitation, dominated by a long mahogany table that could seat thirty. Tonight, it was set for twelve. The inner circle.
Alessandro sat at the head of the table. Lorenzo sat to his immediate right, smiling, charismatic, pouring wine and laughing at jokes. He wore a dark blue custom suit. On his right index finger, the silver and onyx ring caught the light of the crystal chandelier.
Matteo stood in the shadows near the double doors, his hand resting casually inside his jacket.
The meal progressed through three courses. The tension in Alessandro’s jaw was the only sign of the violence simmering just beneath his skin. He watched Lorenzo eat, drink, and lie with the ease of a sociopath.
As the dessert plates were cleared, Alessandro tapped his crystal wine glass with a silver spoon. The ringing silenced the room instantly.
“Family,” Alessandro began, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. “We have built an empire on loyalty. On trust. But this morning, someone tested that trust. Someone paid a cook to put aconite in my espresso.”
The color drained from the faces of several captains. Shouts of outrage erupted. Men stood up, demanding to know who the traitor was.
Only Lorenzo remained perfectly still. A fraction of a second of pure panic flashed in his eyes before he masked it with righteous anger. “Alessandro, this is an outrage! Who did this? Give me their name, and I’ll carve their heart out myself!”
Alessandro stared at him, letting the silence stretch until it became suffocating.
“The cook didn’t know a name,” Alessandro said softly, holding Lorenzo’s gaze. “But he remembered a detail. A silver ring with a black stone.”
The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes slowly turned to Lorenzo’s right hand.
Lorenzo pulled his hand off the table as if it had caught fire. He tried to laugh, a desperate, hollow sound. “Alessandro, you can’t be serious. You think I would do this? The cook is lying! He’s setting me up to divide the family!”
“The cook is dead,” Alessandro lied smoothly. “But the chemist who made the poison left a trail. I have the files, Lorenzo. I know you forced Alvarez to synthesize the aconite, and then you killed him to cover your tracks.”
Lorenzo realized the trap had closed. The charismatic facade melted away, replaced by the cornered, vicious animal he truly was.
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“Kill him!” Lorenzo screamed, flipping the heavy mahogany table upward to block the inevitable gunfire.
Three of the twelve captains pulled weapons, revealing their allegiance to the traitor. The banquet erupted into chaos.
