Chapter Ten - The King’s Table
1173 Words
The room was silent when Luca DeMarco entered.
The kind of silence that only existed in places where power was absolute and fear was understood without being spoken.
The meeting room sat on the top floor of Luca’s corporate headquarters, hidden behind reinforced doors and soundproof walls. To the outside world, the building was nothing more than another glass tower in the financial district.
But inside this room, decisions were made that shaped the entire city.
Luca walked slowly toward the long black table in the center.
Five men were already seated.
Each one powerful in their own way and dangerous.
And one of them was a traitor.
Luca placed his hands on the back of the chair at the head of the table but did not sit.
He looked at each man carefully.
Marco Bianchi.
Old family ally. Loyal for fifteen years.
Calm, observant.
Then Matteo Caruso.
Aggressive. Ambitious. Always eager to prove himself.
Next was Daniel Varga.
The financier. Cold, intelligent, and careful with every word he spoke.
Beside him sat Lorenzo Ricci.
Older. Experienced. A man who had survived three mafia wars and knew when to stay quiet.
And finally—
Adrian Russo.
The youngest of them.
Sharp. Talented.
But lately… nervous.
Luca leaned slightly against the chair.
“You’re all wondering why I called this meeting,” he said calmly.
No one answered.
They had learned long ago not to interrupt him.
Luca slowly took his seat at the head of the table.
Only then did the others shift slightly in their chairs.
“I’ll make this simple,” he continued.
His voice was quiet.
But every man in the room leaned forward slightly.
“Someone inside this organization made a very serious mistake.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
Marco Bianchi spoke first.
“What kind of mistake?”
Luca’s eyes moved toward him slowly.
“The kind that almost resulted in the kidnapping of a woman under my protection.”
No one moved.
But Luca noticed everything.
The small tightening of Adrian Russo’s jaw.
The way Matteo’s fingers tapped once against the table before stopping.
Fear had entered the room.
Good.
“That attack,” Luca continued, “was carried out by two men connected to one of our shipping routes.”
Daniel Varga frowned slightly.
“That’s impossible. All shipments are monitored.”
“Exactly.”
Luca leaned back slightly in his chair.
“So someone gave permission.”
Silence followed.
No one dared speak.
Luca let the moment stretch.
The longer the silence lasted, the more pressure filled the room.
Finally Lorenzo Ricci cleared his throat.
“You’re suggesting betrayal.”
Luca’s eyes lifted toward him.
“I’m not suggesting it.”
Another pause.
“I’m confirming it.”
The words settled like ice.
Matteo Caruso leaned forward slightly.
“Who?”
“That’s what I’m here to determine.”
Marco folded his hands calmly.
“If someone inside our circle made that decision, it means they believe they can challenge your authority.”
Luca’s expression didn’t change.
“And that,” Marco added carefully, “would be extremely foolish.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Luca’s mouth.
“Very.”
He stood slowly from his chair.
The movement alone caused the room to tense.
Because Luca rarely stood during meetings unless something serious was about to happen.
He walked slowly along the side of the table.
His footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor.
“Let’s review the facts,” he said calmly.
He stopped behind Adrian Russo.
“The attackers knew where Alessia Romano would be.”
Adrian remained still.
“They knew the timing.”
Luca moved again.
“And they knew security patrols in that parking area were temporarily reduced.”
Now Matteo spoke.
“That information could only come from someone with access to our logistics schedules.”
“Yes.”
Luca stopped walking.
“And from someone who believed I wouldn’t notice.”
Daniel Varga adjusted his glasses slightly.
“Do you believe the attack was meant to eliminate the prosecutor?”
Luca’s eyes darkened slightly.
“No.”
The room waited.
“It was meant to provoke me.”
Lorenzo frowned.
“Provoke you?”
“Yes.”
Luca leaned his hands against the table.
“Someone inside this organization wants instability.”
Marco nodded slowly.
“That would create opportunity.”
“Exactly.”
Luca’s gaze moved across each face again.
“In other words… someone here wants my position.”
The room froze.
No one moved.
No one breathed too loudly.
Because challenging Luca DeMarco wasn’t just ambition.
It was suicide.
Matteo spoke cautiously.
“If someone is attempting a power move, they’re underestimating you.”
“That’s obvious,” Luca replied calmly.
“But arrogance often makes men careless.”
He looked toward Adrian again.
Adrian shifted slightly in his seat.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Luca tilted his head slightly.
“Should I not?”
Adrian forced a small laugh.
“I’ve been loyal to this family since you took control.”
“Yes.”
Luca stepped closer.
“And yet your shipping routes were the ones connected to the attackers.”
The tension exploded instantly.
Adrian’s face tightened.
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“No,” Luca agreed calmly.
“It doesn’t.”
The room waited.
“But it gives me a starting point.”
Adrian leaned forward angrily.
“You think I ordered that attack?”
“I think someone did.”
Luca’s voice remained perfectly calm.
“And I intend to find out who.”
Daniel spoke again carefully.
“What happens when you do?”
Luca looked at him.
For a moment, the calm mask disappeared.
What replaced it was something colder.
More dangerous.
“What always happens,” he said quietly.
No one asked him to clarify.
They already knew.
Betrayal inside Luca’s organization had only one outcome.
Marco finally spoke.
“If someone here is responsible, they won’t survive the week.”
Luca’s gaze shifted back toward him.
Then he looked at all of them again.
“So here’s how this works.”
The room held its breath.
“Over the next forty-eight hours, I will be reviewing every financial transfer, communication record, and movement connected to this organization.”
His eyes sharpened slightly.
“And if anyone here has something they’d like to confess…”
Silence.
“…this would be the moment.”
No one spoke.
Not even Adrian.
Luca nodded slowly.
“I expected that.”
He turned toward the door.
The meeting was over.
But before leaving, he paused.
One last statement.
Cold.
Clear.
“Whoever planned that attack made one critical mistake.”
The men looked at him.
Luca’s eyes darkened.
“They touched something that belongs under my protection.”
A small pause followed.
“And I take that personally.”
Then he walked out.
Leaving five men behind him—
All wondering if the next forty-eight hours would be their last.
- Writer
