Chapter 3 - The Vault's Secret
The private study on the second floor of the Moretti estate was a sanctuary of dark leather, mahogany bookshelves, and bulletproof glass. In the corner sat a massive steel safe built directly into the reinforced wall.
Vincent stood behind his heavy desk, his black dress shirt unbuttoned slightly at the collar, revealing the dark tattoos stretching across his upper chest. Julian sat in a leather armchair across from him, flanked by two guards, while Vanessa sat on the sofa, clutching her diamond earrings in nervous panic.
Maria and Emma stood near the door, held there under Vincent's explicit instructions to verify what Emma had seen.
Vincent turned the mechanical dial of the wall safe, the heavy iron tumblers clicking into place until the door swung open. Inside were stacks of bearer bonds, legal deeds, and a small velvet-lined wooden box. Vincent pulled out the box and opened it on his desk.
Inside were six small compartments. Five contained sealed white vials with silver caps. The sixth compartment was empty.
Vincent picked up the wooden box and looked at Julian. "This compound was brought from our lab in Milan last year. It's an undetectable toxin that mimics cardiac failure. I kept it locked here for emergency syndicate operations."
He looked down at the tiny bottle Emma had provided. The scratched crest matched the remaining five vials perfectly.
"You took it yesterday when you came to deliver the quarterly reports, didn't you, Julian?" Vincent asked softly.
Julian set his jaw, his pale face turning hard and bitter. "You're ruining the family, Vincent! You've been softening up for three years! Pushing us into legal real estate, shutting down the docks... the council wanted you gone! Vanessa and I were going to fix what you broke!"
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Vanessa let out a small sob, covering her face with her hands. "He forced me, Vincent! He told me he would kill my family if I didn't put it in your food!"
"She's lying!" Julian snarled, turning on her. "It was her idea! She wanted the estate in her name!"
