Chapter 6 - The Council Meeting
The emergency council meeting was held at the Grand Venetian Hotel in downtown Philadelphia—a gilded, historic establishment controlled by the city's oldest syndicate leaders.
Luca hadn't wanted me to come, but I refused to stay behind at the estate while tension mounted. Leo was left under the heavy protection of Marco and six armed guards at the fortress, while I rode in the back of the armored limousine beside Luca, dressed in an elegant black velvet dress that Luca had gifted me.
As we stepped into the grand ballroom, the air was thick with smoke, expensive cigars, and low, menacing whispers. Dozens of powerful men in dark suits sat around a long, mahogany conference table.
Dominic Moretti sat near the head of the table, flanked by three senior capos.
Luca walked in like a king entering a hall of rebellious lords. He pulled out the leather chair at the center of the table and sat down, while I stood quietly behind his shoulder, holding a tablet containing his legitimate corporate filings.
“Let’s make this quick, Dominic,” Luca said, resting his hands on the table. “I have a business to run.”
Dominic stood up, spreading his hands dramatically. “A business? Or a daycare, Luca?”
A few quiet chuckles rippled through the room.
“For six months, our shipments through the Port of Philadelphia have experienced delays,” Dominic announced loudly, addressing the gathered bosses. “Our turf disputes in South Philly remain unresolved. And why? Because our Don spends his days playing house in Chestnut Hill with a former waitress!”
Dominic pointed an accusing finger directly at me.
The eyes of every mob leader in Philadelphia locked onto me. I kept my chin high, refusing to show fear, though my hands trembled against the edge of the tablet.
“She is an outsider,” Dominic sneered. “She has no blood connection to our families, no legacy, and no loyalty. Yet Luca brought her into his home, gave her access to family accounts, and lets her dictate his schedule. He’s weak. He’s compromised by a child and a peasant.”
Luca didn't shout. He didn't slam his hand on the table.
He slowly stood up, stepping around the table until he was standing directly in front of his uncle. The temperature in the room plummeted to freezing.
“Are you challenging my leadership, Uncle?” Luca asked softly.
“I am challenging your priorities!” Dominic shouted back. “The Moretti family needs a strong Don, not a grieving father who lets a girl run his house!”
Luca reached into his inner jacket, pulled out a thick leather folder, and slammed it onto the center of the mahogany table.
“These are the financial records from the South Philly freight terminals for the last three quarters,” Luca stated, his voice ringing clearly across the ballroom. “While you were complaining about my domestic life, Dominic, I uncovered three million dollars missing from the syndicate pension funds. Skimmed directly into an offshore account in the Cayman Islands under your name.”
Dominic’s face drained of all color. “That’s... that’s a lie! A frame job!”
“The paper trail was audited yesterday by Avery,” Luca added, casting a proud glance back at me. “She may have been a waitress, Dominic, but she has a degree in accounting that she paid for herself. She found what my high-priced bookkeepers were paid to ignore.”
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The older syndicate bosses leaned forward, examining the documents. Whispers of fury erupted across the table as they realized Dominic had been stealing from them all along.
Dominic backed away, his eyes wild with desperation, realizing he had just lost everything.
