Chapter 8 - Whispers of Mutiny
While peace reigned inside the apartment, a storm was brewing within the ranks of the Vance syndicate.
Not all of Matteo's lieutenants were pleased with his sudden shift in focus. Joseph Vance, Matteo’s younger cousin and a ruthless lieutenant who oversaw the family's distribution networks, viewed Emma and Nora as a dangerous distraction that weakened the family's standing among rival factions.
In a dimly lit warehouse near the docks, Joseph met with two senior captains.
"He's soft," Joseph spat, striking his fist against a wooden crate. "He canceled three major distribution meetings last month just to attend a child's birthday party! The Morettis are laughing at us behind closed doors!"
"Matteo is still the boss, Joseph," one of the old captains cautioned. "And he's as lethal as he ever was. You saw what he did to Moretti's intelligence network."
"He's lethal when he's focused!" Joseph snapped. "Right now, his focus is split. If we don't fix this, another family will take advantage and tear our territory apart from the outside. We need to remind him what's important."
"What are you suggesting?" the captain asked, narrowing his eyes.
"The girl and the mother need to go," Joseph said coldly. "Not killed—that would drive Matteo into a blind rage that would destroy us all. But if they disappear, if they are forced to leave the state under threat, Matteo will have no choice but to return his full attention to the family business."
"And if Matteo finds out you touched them?"
Joseph smiled, a cruel, ambitious expression. "He won't. We'll make it look like her abusive ex-boyfriend came back to finish the job. A tragic, messy civilian incident. Matteo will handle the ex, grieve, and move on."
Unbeknownst to Joseph, Victor had placed discreet monitoring devices inside several key operational hubs after the Moretti incident. Deep within the central security office of the Vance headquarters, an automated alert flagged the conversation, sending a high-priority audio file directly to Victor’s secure terminal.
Victor listened to the recording twice, his expression hardening into stone. He immediately picked up his phone and dialed Matteo’s private line.
"Boss," Victor said, his voice flat. "We have a problem within the inner circle. It's Joseph."
On the other end of the line, sitting at his office desk, Matteo listened as Victor played the recorded conversation. As his cousin's voice laid out the plan to target Emma and Nora, Matteo's face transformed into an expression of absolute, terrifying stillness.
"Where is Joseph now?" Matteo asked softly.
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"He's heading to the warehouse on Pier 4 to finalize a shipment," Victor reported.
"Gather the loyal guard," Matteo ordered, his voice dropping to a icy whisper. "We are going to teach my cousin the price of treason."
