Chapter 11 - THE GHOST OF THE PAST
The penthouse fell into absolute, suffocating silence.
Donato stared at the envelope in my hand, his reptilian composure shattering completely.
“That's a bluff,” Donato spat out, though his voice wavered slightly. “Daniel died in the warehouse fire. He didn't record anything.”
I reached into the envelope and pulled out a small, battered silver microcassette recorder.
I pressed play.
The tinty, static-filled audio began to echo through the grand penthouse speakers.
*“Donato: If you sign off on this offshore transfer, the four million is yours, Daniel. Just look the other way during the port inspection tomorrow.”*
*“Daniel's voice: I swore an oath to Gabriel, Donato. I'm not a thief. And neither are you—at least, I thought you weren't.”*
*“Donato's voice (cold and menacing): Then consider yourself a casualty of war, boy. Kill him and burn the warehouse.”*
The recording clicked off.
Donato stood frozen behind his desk, trembling with rage.
His own voice had just condemned him before every single capo and guard in the room.
Gabriel looked at the armed guards standing behind Donato.
“You heard it,” Gabriel said, his voice ringing with absolute authority. “Donato ordered the murder of my best friend and stole from our family treasury. Are you really going to die for a traitor?”
The guards slowly lowered their rifles.
One by one, they stepped back, distancing themselves from Donato.
Donato’s face twisted in desperate fury.
“Cowards! Kill them all! Kill them now!” he shrieked.
Not a single guard moved.
Donato frantically reached into his breast pocket for his own hidden revolver.
Before he could draw the weapon, Gabriel fired.
*Bang.*
The bullet struck Donato’s wrist, sending his revolver clattering across the marble floor with a sharp metallic clatter.
Donato collapsed against his desk, clutching his bleeding hand, howling in pain.
Gabriel walked slowly across the room, stopping directly in front of his uncle.
“You betrayed the family,” Gabriel whispered. “You betrayed my best friend. And you terrorized an innocent woman and her child.”
Gabriel raised his pistol, pressing the cold barrel against Donato’s forehead.
“Please, Gabriel... I'm your uncle,” Donato whimpered, tears streaming down his face.
“Daniel didn't have a family left because of you,” Gabriel said coldly. “Now, neither do you.”
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*Bang.*
The shot echoed through the penthouse, signaling the end of Donato Moretti’s reign of terror once and for all.
