Apart from Federico, whose office and home have been formerly and thoroughly checked, no one else stands to their feet. My cruel smile widens. They are just making this more fun for me. I was planning on forgiving those who came out, but seeing as they've become reluctant to do so...

"Boss," a soldier calls my attention. I nod, and he whispers something in my ear before submitting a document on the table in front of me and leaving.

Interesting.

I look up at the middle-aged men in the room with me. Although their faces are stern, one could smell their fear and uncertainty.

"I see you've all chosen death."

Marcus's younger brother, Marlo, stands up from his seat with so much force it sends the chair flying. His face is red with anger, and one could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. "How dare you treat us this way?! Whatever you see is what you deserve because we refuse to serve under a person like you!" he seethes, spitting like a mad snake.

Everyone stares at him like he's the bad one. He looks around in surprise, wondering why no one else is backing him up.

"What I deserve? Person like me?" I scoff, pulling myself forward to rest my elbows on the table. "This is your home, your fucking city. We are family! Have I ever done anything that makes you feel less of what you are?"

They all begin to look uncomfortable, eyes darting everywhere except for where I sit. "Every decision I make is run by all of you! I allow you to do with your cities however you want, and you're telling me I deserve this." My folded hands are shaking right now.

My head is hurting from the anger that's beginning to resurface. "I deserve to be betrayed? You believe a man you've never seen. What did that faceless man promise you: control over more cities, money, immortality?! For your fucking information! That man is not Italian! You think he will give you what you want after you rid of me! Fools." I don't know when I stand up from my chair. I can't even think; my blood boils within me. I feel the need to scratch my flesh with something harder than my nails.

I calm myself down by taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly. "Let me tell you what he would do. He would make you guys suspect one another, then he will make you kill one another until the job left for him is minimal. Then he would have control over what is meant to be ours! My father's freaking work, efforts. Bloody sweat and tears! You all are a bunch of fools. Pride will make you lose everything you've worked for: your properties, titles, family, money. You'd be left with nothing, not even with life."

Everywhere becomes dead silent. The atmosphere is thick with tension, fear, and embarrassment. Marcus stays in his wheelchair, eyes still open and frantic.

"Marcus's son, Aurelius, was going to follow Butcher to get the ammo, but Butcher insisted he stay back. If he had gone with Butcher, he would have been among the dead or the badly injured soldiers. Dear Marcus would blame me for the death of his child, wouldn't he?" A dry laugh leaves my lips before slowly turning into a dark chuckle that makes my shoulders quake. "Fools, all of you are fools."

Marlon's face turns white like paper. His eyes widen as he slowly turns his head back to look at his unmoving brother.

"Marlon, do you think I'm stupid? Do you all think I'm stupid? All this while, I've had trackers on you, your family, and bars, clubs, and offices. I know all you do. The moment I felt there was a rat in the house, I knew I had to fix the cracks and holes." Everyone shifts in their seats, panicking to one another, some staring at me with disbelief. I simply smile.

"Oh, shut it. Luckily, I have a solution for you." I motion for the guards to bring them in. Nurses and soldiers march into the room and immediately begin to hold every one of my capos down. They shout in protest, struggling in the hold of my men. My eyes meet with Rolan. He squints his eyes at me, a glint of wonder in them. He, just like my uncle, is wondering what it is I'm planning to do.

I walk away from my seat, strutting past every one of them. "I've found the perfect solution for you, your greed and pride. On each of these trays is a shot of a new medicine my scientist made. Well, you can as well call it poison, but I don't care. What these pretty nurses are going to do is inject it into your system. Now here's the fun part: it solidifies in your system and feels at home there. If I should smell a whiff of betrayal, I will then press the button. Your body will decay from the inside out, and trust me, it will feel worse than anything you've ever felt in your miserable lives."

My secretary gives me the remote for the screen behind me, with glee, I turn to play a video for them. On the screen, a video of a rabbit plays. It gets injected, and beside it is a big red button.

We see a gloved finger press down on the button. For a while, nothing happens, and then suddenly, the rabbit begins to spasm, shake violently while screeching in absolute pain. Its eyes turn red, and blood trails out of its eyes, nostrils, and ear. It continues to shake and screech loudly until we begin to see bits of its body decaying, little by little, slowly, leaving the rabbit in agonizing pain. The once-white fur turns into black, brown, and green. The body continues to decay until there is nothing left but rot and dust.