Chapter 4 - The Unseen Lens
Ten minutes later, Alejandro and Bruno stood in the basement vaults beneath the mansion. The room was cold, lined with concrete walls and heavy steel racks containing decades of encrypted digital drives.
Alejandro walked to the back corner of the vault, pushed aside a faux ventilation panel, and placed his palm against a hidden biometric scanner. A silent pneumatic hiss sounded, and a small drawer slid open, revealing a dedicated high-frequency receiver and a monitor.
"Three years ago, after Kiara died..." Alejandro’s voice cracked slightly at the mention of his late daughter, but he maintained his icy composure. "...I placed a tiny, pinhole camera inside the eye of the wooden grandfather clock in my study. It runs on an independent, hardwired power line routed directly down here. It doesn't connect to the house server. It cannot be hacked, disabled, or bypassed by the main security console."
Bruno watched in awe as Alejandro booted up the local drive and pulled up the video files from earlier that afternoon.
The screen flickered to life, showing the study in crisp, high-definition black and white.
On the screen, at 4:12 PM, the study door swung open.
A man stepped inside. He wore leather gloves. He looked around nervously before walking straight to the decanter of Barolo on Alejandro’s desk. He pulled a small glass vial from his jacket, uncapped it, and poured a clear liquid into the wine. He gently swirled the decanter, returned it to its silver tray, and checked his watch.
When the man turned toward the camera to leave, the dim light illuminated his face perfectly.
It was not Marco.
Bruno gasped aloud. "Dominic?!"
Alejandro stared at the screen, his dark eyes burning with ultimate betrayal.
Dominic was Alejandro’s personal Underboss and most trusted childhood friend. They had grown up together in the streets of Brooklyn, shared bread, bled in the same wars, and sworn loyalty on their family altars.
"Dominic..." Alejandro whispered, his fist clenching so hard his knuckles turned white.
"If Dominic poisoned the wine, why is Marco calling the Capos meeting?" Bruno asked, bewildered.
Alejandro analyzed the footage calmly. "Because Marco is the useful idiot. Dominic is using Marco to take the blame. Once Marco declares himself Don tonight, Dominic will 'discover' the poison, accuse Marco of murdering me, kill Marco in 'revenge,' and take total control of the Moretti empire as the hero who avenged his boss."
It was a brilliant, ruthless play. A double betrayal designed to wipe out both Alejandro and his immediate heir in a single night.
"What are your orders, Don Moretti?" Bruno asked, bowing his head respectfully.
Alejandro turned off the screen. "Gather our five most loyal men. Get the heavy armaments ready. We are going to attend my cousin's meeting."
Before leaving the basement, Alejandro paused and looked up toward the stairs leading to the staff quarters.
"And Bruno... transfer ten million dollars into a trust fund for Emma Carter immediately. If anything happens to me tonight, ensure she and her mother leave New York safely."
"Understood, Boss."
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Alejandro checked his firearm, loaded a round into the chamber, and snapped the magazine into place.
"Let's go pay our family a visit."
