Chapter 6 - Confrontation in the Grand Hall
An hour later, Marcus Falcone issued a single command across the entire mansion: Gather everyone in the Grand Hall immediately.
The cavernous hall, adorned with crystal chandeliers and oil paintings of past Falcone patriarchs, echoed with murmurs as guards, lawyers, domestic staff, and inner-circle associates filed in and took their places. At the front of the room stood Marcus, flanked by Victor Vance and a line of heavily armed loyal guards. To the side stood Isabella Cross and her brother Julian, both wearing expressions of calm, calculated indifference, though a flicker of tension danced in Isabella's eyes.
Marcus stepped forward, holding the crying infant swaddled safely in his arms, while little Lucia stood bravely beside Marisol in the front row.
"Silence," Marcus commanded. The whisper of fabric ceased instantly; the hall became a tomb.
"Tonight, an attempt was made on the future of the Falcone family," Marcus began, his voice echoing off the marble walls with chilling authority. "Someone inside these walls believed they could steal a newborn child, throw him into a kitchen trash bin like garbage, and seize control of everything I have built."
Isabella stepped forward smoothly, shaking her head with an expression of manufactured concern. "Marcus, this paranoia has gone too far. You are addressing loyal people based on the delusions of a maid's child. You are humiliating us all."
"Am I, Isabella?" Marcus asked coldly. He raised his hand, signaling to Victor.
Victor projected the enhanced security footage onto the large digital screen behind the podium. The video clearly showed the figure in the raincoat setting the baby down by the kitchen trash, followed by the flash of the distinctive bracelet.
Julian Cross stepped forward defensively. "That could be anyone! Raincoats look alike, and bracelets can be copied!"
"True, Julian," Marcus said smoothly, his eyes narrowing. "Which is why we also have this." Marcus held up the sapphire-encrusted gold cufflink. "Found at the exact spot by eight-year-old Lucia Reyes. Engraved with the Cross family crest."
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The color drained from Julian's face. He instinctively reached for his left wrist, only to realize his matching cufflink was missing.
Isabella realized the trap had snapped shut, but her composure didn't break entirely. Instead, a cold, dangerous smile spread across her face. "Fine, Marcus. You found us out. But do you really think you can kill us and take our financial networks down without destroying the entire Falcone empire? Without my brother's access codes, your offshore accounts freeze permanently by midnight. You need us alive."
