Chapter 5 - The UnravelingMarcus Vance tried to maintain his composure, though his fingers were digging so hard into the leather armrest of his chair that his knuckles were stark white.
“This is an absurdity,” Marcus scoffed, forcing a cold laugh. “A disgruntled secretary drafts a few pieces of unverified fiction on her home computer, and we’re supposed to halt a multi-million-dollar municipal project? Security, remove these two from the room immediately.”
Not a single security guard at the doors moved an inch. They knew better than to touch me inside city limits when I had the upper hand.
“Unverified fiction?” Khloe asked, raising an eyebrow with an icy poise that genuinely impressed even me. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a small flash drive, placing it gently on the table. “That flash drive contains recorded phone conversations between Paulie and your chief financial officer, Mr. Vance, discussing the exact timeline for framing Mr. Costa and taking over Costa Logistics.”
She pushed the drive slightly forward.
“Would you like us to play the audio for the committee right now, or would you prefer to save your perjury defense for the federal prosecutor currently waiting in the hallway?”
The color drained entirely from Marcus’s face. The untouchable North Side kingpin looked like he had been struck by lightning.
Paulie looked wildly between Marcus and me, realizing with absolute, gut-wrenching horror that he had been completely abandoned by his new employers.
“It was him!” Paulie screamed, pointing a shaking finger at Marcus. “Vance forced me to do it! He said if I didn't help him sink Costa, my debts would be called in!”
Marcus shot Paulie a look of pure, murderous hatred. “You pathetic, incompetent fool—”
The double doors of the conference room swung open wide with a heavy bang.
Three federal marshals, accompanied by Detective Vance from the downtown precinct, marched directly into the room.
“Marcus Vance and Paulie Rossi,” Detective Vance announced, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. “You’re under arrest for corporate conspiracy, wire fraud, and extortion.”
As the cold steel clicked onto Paulie’s wrists first, followed by Marcus’s furious protests as he was hauled backward out of the chamber, the heavy, suffocating tension that had hung over my organization for months finally shattered into dust.
May you like
The room fell completely silent.
I turned my head slightly, looking down at Khloe. She was slowly exhaling a long, shaky breath, her shoulders finally relaxing as the unbearable weight she had carried for weeks lifted from her frame.
