Chapter 7 - Turning the Tables
The atmosphere in the Grand Hall grew razor-sharp. Isabella stood tall, betting her life on the fact that Marcus valued his financial empire too much to execute his top administrators in cold blood.
Marcus stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. Then, a slow, dark chuckle escaped his lips.
"Isabella," Marcus said, stepping down from the podium until he stood mere feet away from her. "You spent ten years studying my business, but you forgot the cardinal rule of the Falcone family: I never rely on a single key."
Marcus nodded to Victor. Victor whipped out a secure tablet device and tapped the screen twice.
Across the room, Julian’s personal smartphone suddenly buzzed violently in his pocket. Julian pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and let out a choked gasp of pure horror.
"What... what is this?" Julian stammered, his hands shaking. "The codes... they're gone! All offshore accounts have been automatically transferred to a secure sovereign trust managed by... by..."
"By the Falcone Foundation for Orphaned Children," Victor finished smoothly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "We bypassed your administrative backdoor three hours ago, right after Lucia brought the baby in. Your financial leverage evaporated before you even walked into this room."
Isabella’s carefully constructed mask finally shattered completely. Her face contorted with rage and panic. "You bastard! You planned this trap!"
"I protect what is mine," Marcus replied coldly. He snapped his fingers. Four elite guards stepped forward, instantly subduing Julian and pinning Isabella's arms behind her back as she shrieked in fury.
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"Take them to the secure holding cells in the lower level," Marcus ordered without a trace of emotion. "Hand their files and the security footage over to federal authorities on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and corporate espionage. Let the legal system finish what we started here tonight."
As Isabella and Julian were dragged away, kicking and screaming curses into the quiet night, the Grand Hall fell into a respectful, awed silence. The betrayal within the Falcone household had been thoroughly purged.
