Chapter 5 - The Wounded Lion
Back in the master suite, the atmosphere had shifted from helpless despair to a cold, razor-sharp focus.
Dario stood tall beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, ignoring the weakness in his legs through sheer force of will. He had discarded the open silk shirt, replacing it with a heavy black tactical turtleneck that accentuated the scars across his neck and chest. He looked every bit the feared underworld king he had always been.
Elena stood near the door, wringing her hands in her apron, while Giulia sat quietly on the sofa, nibbling on a piece of toast Elena had hastily brought up from the kitchen.
"Listen to me carefully, Elena," Dario said without turning around, his eyes fixed on the distant lights of the harbor where Aldo's office glowed in the night. "If Aldo realizes I know, he will burn this entire estate to the ground to cover his tracks. You and your daughter cannot leave this mansion. My loyalists are still stationed at the outer gates—the men Aldo hasn't managed to bribe yet."
"Mr. Castellano... what are we going to do?" Elena asked, her voice shaking. "He controls the supply chains now. The capos answer to him."
Dario turned slowly, a chilling, humorless smile touching his lips.
"Aldo thinks the lion is dying," Dario said softly, stepping toward the ornate antique desk in the corner of the room. He unlocked a hidden floor panel beneath the rug, revealing a heavy steel lockbox. "He forgot that a wounded beast is ten times more dangerous than a healthy one."
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He popped the latches of the box, lifting out a heavy, matte-black Sig Sauer pistol and a thick leather ledger containing the financial records, offshore bank accounts, and signed confessions of every traitor in his organization—including Aldo's secret ties to federal prosecutors.
"He wants my empire?" Dario cocked the weapon with a sharp, echoing clack. "I'll give him a funeral instead."
