Chapter 4 - The Viper Within
By nightfall, the Moretti estate was placed on absolute lockdown.
Dante summoned his chief security analyst, Dominic, into his subterranean tactical suite beneath the mansion.
"I want every record, every phone call, and every bank transfer made by Valerio Vance over the last four years," Dante commanded, his eyes cold as ice.
Dominic looked surprised. "Valerio, sir? He’s been your most loyal lieutenant since your father’s time."
"Valerio was the one who brought me the death certificate four years ago," Dante said, leaning over a digital map of New York. "He was the one who managed the security perimeter at Montauk the night the cottage burned. If Elena survived, Valerio either failed... or he lied."
Dominic nodded grimly and began executing deep-level forensic searches across encrypted servers.
Within two hours, the truth began to unravel.
"Boss... look at this," Dominic whispered, pointing at a series of offshore accounts registered in the Bahamas.
Four years ago, two million dollars had been transferred into Valerio’s secret account from a holding company tied to the Falcone crime family—the Moretti syndicate’s arch-rivals.
The transfer had occurred twelve hours before the fire at Montauk.
Dante’s expression didn't change, but the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
Valerio had sold out Elena to the Falcones. The Falcones wanted Dante distracted by grief so they could slowly expand their control over the city's docks and shipping lanes. Valerio had orchestrated the bombing, but when Elena miraculously survived and escaped, Valerio had faked the evidence to cover his tracks and claim his reward.
"He didn't just betray me," Dante said, his voice deadly calm. "He left my wife to burn and stole four years of my daughter's life."
"What are your orders, Mr. Moretti?" Dominic asked.
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Dante pulled an engraved silver pocket watch from his vest—a gift from his father.
"Tell Valerio to assemble the syndicate council at the Old Foundry tonight at midnight," Dante said softly. "Tell him we're executing a major strike against the Falcones. Let him think his plan has succeeded."
