Chapter 5 - The Snake in the House
The heavy oak doors of the master office clicked shut.
Vincent sat behind his massive mahogany desk, flipping through the thick leather-bound payroll ledgers. Silvia stood nervously in front of him, her hands visibly shaking as she clutched her clipboard.
It only took Vincent three minutes to find the rot.
The books were completely fabricated. Silvia had been logging the full twelve-hundred-dollar salaries for the staff, but distributing less than half. She was pocketing the rest. She was entirely stealing their medical benefit funds as well, leaving women like Carmen to slowly die from untreated illnesses.
But as Vincent looked closer at the bank routing numbers, his eyes darkened. This wasn't just Silvia. She wasn't smart enough to launder this much cash alone. The stolen money was being funneled into an offshore account.
An account Vincent recognized.
It belonged to Marco. His trusted right-hand man.
The realization hit Vincent like a physical blow. Marco and Silvia weren't just stealing from the maids; they were bleeding Vincent’s estate dry to fund their own private side-business. And based on the wire transfers, they were selling information to the rival Moretti family.
A knock echoed on the door. Marco stepped into the office, looking entirely too relaxed.
"You asked for me, Boss?" Marco said, glancing at the sweating Silvia.
Vincent slowly closed the ledger. He didn't yell. He didn't pull his gun. He simply leaned back in his expensive leather chair, his face an emotionless mask of cold calculation.
"Just reviewing the estate expenses, Marco," Vincent lied smoothly, his eyes tracking his lieutenant's every micro-expression. "Everything seems... perfectly in order. You two can go."
Silvia let out a massive, silent breath of relief. Marco nodded and escorted her out.
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They thought they had fooled him. They thought they were safe.
👉 What deadly trap are Marco and Silvia about to set to cover their tracks?
