Chapter 3 - Blood on the Marble
A sharp collective gasp swept through the hall. Victoria stood up, her cheeks flushing with a mixture of rage and terror.
"You're replacing me with a servant?!" Victoria shrieked, her voice echoing off the high ceiling. "Are you insane, Damiano? The Romano family will not tolerate this insult!"
"You won't have to tolerate it for long, Victoria," Damiano replied coolly.
With a subtle flick of his wrist, Damiano's lieutenants stepped out from the shadows, dragging Marco—the head of security—into the room. Marco was bleeding, his hands bound behind his back, throwing himself to his knees before the long table.
"Tell them, Marco," Damiano commanded softly.
"She... she paid me!" Marco wept, pointing a trembling finger at Victoria. "Two million dollars! She had me plant a plastic explosive beneath the central desk! She was going to blow up the entire wing as soon as the doors locked!"
Chaos erupted. The four visiting dons slammed their hands on the table, their guards pulling weapons instantly and aiming them directly at Victoria and her father, Don Romano.
"Lies!" Don Romano bellowed, reaching for his coat, but before he could draw his weapon, Damiano drew his customized silver pistol and fired a single, precise shot.
The bullet struck the table directly in front of Don Romano, shattering a crystal wine glass into a thousand pieces.
"No one fires a weapon in my house without my permission," Damiano roared, his commanding authority instantly freezing every armed man in the room. "Victoria Romano tried to murder us all tonight. But my daughter, Emma, spotted the bomb before it could detonate."
Victoria’s eyes locked onto Emma with pure venom. "You little brat!" she spat, pulling a small pearl-handled pistol from her evening purse and aiming it directly at Emma.
Everything moved in slow motion.
I threw my body over Emma, preparing to take the bullet. But Damiano was faster. He stepped between us, firing two swift shots. Victoria gasped, dropping her weapon as the bullets struck her shoulder and arm, knocking her backward onto the marble floor.
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Within seconds, Damiano's guards swarmed the room, disarming Don Romano and the entire Chicago detail.
Damiano stood over the bleeding Victoria, his expression cold and unyielding. "Take them to the cells downstairs. The Chicago territory is forfeited. The war has begun."
