Chapter 6 - The UnravelingThe private VIP room on the second floor was enclosed by heavy soundproof glass overlooking the grand ballroom below.
Inside sat seven board members of Casaro Logistics, three senior capos of the family, my father, Leo, Nico, Chloe, and myself. Standing near the back door were two men in dark suits—Investigator Vance, Chloe’s father, and his federal deputy.
Nico walked up to the long mahogany conference table, feeling the supreme confidence of a man who thought he had already won. He pulled a pen from his tuxedo pocket and looked at the family attorney, Mr. Sterling.
"Alright, Sterling," Nico said arrogantly, knocking his knuckles on the table. "Slide the transfer papers over. Let's get this done so I can take my seat as Chairman."
Attorney Sterling looked at Leo. Leo gave a single, imperious nod.
Sterling pulled a thick stack of legal documents from his leather briefcase and slid them across the table toward Nico.
Nico grabbed the pen, flipping eagerly to the signature page. But as his eyes scanned the text, his smile froze completely.
"What... what is this?" Nico stuttered, his voice rising in panic. "This... this isn't the dock transfer! This says... Notice of Absolute Irrevocable Asset Forfeiture?!"
Chloe stepped forward, her eyes wide with panic. "What?! Let me see that!"
"Page four, Nico," Leo said calmly from the head of the table, pulling a cigar from his jacket. "Read it aloud for your friends in law enforcement."
Nico’s hands began shaking violently. "I... I, Nico Casaro, hereby renounce all rights, titles, and claims to the Casaro Logistics Holding Company, the Brooklyn waterfront properties, and my mother’s private trust... due to proven acts of treason, fraud, and conspiracy against the family enterprise..."
"WHAT?!" Nico screamed, slamming the papers onto the table! "DAD! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU CAN'T STRIP MY INHERITANCE! I'M YOUR SON!"
"You were my son," Leo said softly, his gray eyes flashing with a terrifying, ancient rage. "Until you decided to sell my family to Investigator Vance in exchange for immunity."
Investigator Vance stepped forward from the back of the room, his hand reaching for his badge. "Casaro, this meeting is over! We have a wiretap order on—"
"A wiretap order based on illegal evidence provided by your daughter, Investigator?" Attorney Sterling interrupted smoothly, pulling a second file from his briefcase and sliding it to the federal agents. "Here are the bank records showing your daughter, Chloe Vance, receiving fifty thousand dollars in wire transfers from Nico Casaro’s offshore account to steal classified DA files. That makes your entire investigation fruit of the poisonous tree."
Investigator Vance turned to his daughter, his face turning purple with shock and horror. "Chloe... what did you do?!"
"Dad! No! I didn't!" Chloe sobbed, backing away in terror!
"And as for the ten thousand dollar bet, Nico," I spoke up, my voice cutting through the panic like a silver blade.
I reached into my navy silk clutch, pulled out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills, and slammed it onto the mahogany table directly in front of Nico.
"Ten thousand dollars," I said, leaning over the table, looking straight into his broken, pathetic eyes. "Consider it paid. But you didn't get me into bed before Christmas, Nico. You just bought yourself a ticket to the gutter."
The entire board erupted into whispers of absolute disgust! The mob capos stared at Nico as if he were a piece of trash scraped off their shoes.
"Myra... please..." Nico wept, falling to his knees beside my chair, grabbing the hem of my navy gown. "I love you! I was stupid! Chloe tricked me! She made me do it! Please, tell my dad to stop!"
I looked down at him. I felt no pity. Only the clean, soaring thrill of justice served cold.
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"Dominic," Leo commanded flatly, not even looking at his kneeling son. "Escort Mr. Vance and his daughter out of my house. And throw this boy into the street. He is no longer a Casaro."
Four massive security guards stepped forward, grabbing Nico and Chloe by their arms, hauling them screaming and crying out of the VIP room, as the entire underworld watched their disgrace!
