Chapter 7 - The Trial in the Shadows
By 3:00 a.m., the storm had passed, leaving behind a crisp, quiet dawn over the city of Chicago.
In the subterranean vault beneath Marcus’s main estate in Highland Park, two figures were tied to iron chairs under a harsh overhead bulb.
Victoria Blackwood and Daniel Reeves looked unrecognizable. Their expensive clothes were torn, their faces bruised, their spirit completely broken.
The heavy steel door swung open. Marcus walked into the vault, wearing a fresh tailored suit, holding two glasses of scotch on a silver tray. Behind him walked Elena, wearing a soft cream cashmere sweater, her hands wrapped around a mug of warm tea.
Victoria raised her swollen eyes, gasping when she saw Elena standing beside her brother.
“Elena…” Victoria whimpered, her voice hollow. “Marcus… please. We’re family. Blood!”
Marcus set the silver tray on a metal table and stood before them, his arms folded.
“Family?” Marcus repeated quietly. “You orchestrated the kidnapping of my wife. You bought off my lieutenant. You put a dead woman in a coffin and tried to make me mourn a lie. And for what, Victoria? Money? Power?”
“You gave everything to her!” Victoria spat, her hatred breaking through her fear. “I built this empire with father! I bled for the Blackwood name! And you treated me like a secondary officer while she sat in luxury!”
Elena stepped forward, looking down at Victoria with quiet pity.
“You never bled for this family, Victoria,” Elena said softly. “You bled it dry. I found the offshore accounts six months ago. You were stealing millions from the widows and orphans fund Marcus set up for our fallen men. You were selling our shipping routes to the Rossis.”
Daniel began to weep hysterically, bowing his head. “Mr. Blackwood! Please! Victoria threatened to kill my family if I didn't help her! I didn't want to hurt Mrs. Blackwood! I swear!”
Marcus looked at Daniel with absolute disgust. “You served me for ten years, Daniel. You ate at my table. You wore a snake on your wrist, and in the end, you acted like one.”
Marcus turned to Mateo, who stood by the door holding a thick stack of legal and financial documents.
“Execution is too easy for them,” Marcus declared coldly. “Victoria, every asset, every account, every piece of real estate bearing your name has been seized under syndicate law. You no longer exist in Chicago. You will spend the rest of your life in a high-security private facility in South America, working off the debt you stole from our men.”
Victoria’s eyes widened in horror. “No! You can’t do this to me! Kill me! Marcus, kill me!”
“Death is a mercy you don't deserve,” Marcus replied. “And Daniel… Daniel will be handed over to the federal authorities along with a complete dossier of the Rossi Syndicate's operations. He will spend forty years in maximum security federal prison as a marked man.”
As the guards dragged the screaming traitors away into the dark corridors, Marcus turned to Elena, taking her hand in his.
May you like
“It’s over,” Elena whispered, resting her head against his chest.
“Not quite,” Marcus said gently. “There’s one more debt we have to settle.”
