Chapter 5 - The Ledger of BetrayalDominic swallowed hard, desperately trying to regain his composure as he stood behind the head of the table. “Adrian, this is a private corporate restructuring meeting. You haven't been keeping up with the operational schedules, so the board and I decided—'”
“You decided to steal my empire,” Adrian finished smoothly, stopping right at the edge of the table, just two feet away from his younger brother.
Dominic forced a tight, nervous laugh. “Steal? Don't be dramatic, brother. You’ve been sick! You’ve been sleeping twelve hours a day, forgetting meetings, losing your temper over nothing! I’ve been carrying this entire organization on my back!”
“Because you poisoned me,” Adrian said.
The words dropped into the room like a live grenade.
Silence descended so absolute you could hear the hum of the air conditioning units through the vents.
Dominic’s eyes widened in sheer panic, though he tried to mask it with fake outrage. “Poisoned you?! Have you lost your mind? What kind of insane paranoid delusion is—'”
Adrian reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a small, sealed evidence bag containing the linen-wrapped teacup from his bedside table, and tossed it carelessly onto the center of the mahogany table, right in front of Dominic’s stack of transfer documents.
“Salvatore had the residue analyzed this morning,” Adrian said coldly. “A slow-acting alkaloid derivative. Scentless. Tasteless in chamomile tea. Designed to induce chronic fatigue, memory loss, and neurological tremors over a three-year period. Exactly the symptoms I’ve been suffering from.”
Marcus, the New Jersey capo, slowly shifted his chair backward, staring at Dominic in horror. “Dominic… you poisoned the boss?”
“He’s lying!” Dominic shrieked, his voice cracking with panic as he slammed his hands on the table. “He’s losing his mind! Look at him! He’s hallucinating!”
“I haven't slept this well in three years, Dominic,” Adrian said, leaning forward, resting his knuckles on the table, bringing his face inches from his brother’s terrified expression. “And do you want to know the best part? It wasn't a doctor who figured it out. It wasn't a blood test. It was a three-year-old child who noticed what you put in my cup.”
Dominic staggered back, hitting the edge of the leather chair behind him. “You’re insane… you’re completely—'”
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Before Dominic could finish his sentence, the side doors of the boardroom slid open, and four armed enforcers led by Salvatore stepped into the room, blocking all exits.
“Take him down to the basement vault,” Adrian commanded quietly, not breaking eye contact with his brother. “And make sure he’s very comfortable. After all… family takes care of family.”
