Chapter 5 - The Sit-Down
The room went dead silent.
Dominic’s hand shifted subtly beneath his jacket. The guards along the wall tensed, ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice.
Carmine didn't react. He casually poured himself a glass of dark red wine, his face a chilling mask of total indifference.
"Sit down, Sal," Carmine said softly. The low tone was far more threatening than a shout.
Sal sneered, pulling out the heavy leather chair across from Carmine and sitting down heavily. His two bodyguards stood menacingly behind him.
"You killed my blood, Carmine," Sal grunted, slamming a heavy fist onto the white tablecloth. "Rocco was family! He made a mistake! He drank too much, he got rough with a servant girl! You could have broken his hands! You could have exiled him to Chicago! But you put a bullet in his head and burned his car!"
Ivy kept her chin held high, her hands resting calmly beneath the table, just as Carmine had instructed. But beneath the silk dress, her heart was hammering wildly against her ribs.
Carmine picked up his wine glass, taking a slow, leisurely sip.
"Rocco didn't make a mistake, Sal," Carmine said, setting the glass down with a quiet clink. "He committed treason."
Sal’s eyebrows shot up. "Treason? He grabbed a maid!"
"He grabbed my personal attache inside my home," Carmine corrected him, his eyes turning cold as ice. "And more importantly, he was passing internal security schedules of my shipping docks to your boys in Brooklyn for the last six months."
Sal’s face faltered for a fraction of a second. A momentary flicker of panic crossed his eyes before he recovered his scowl.
"That’s a lie!" Sal barked.
"Is it?" Carmine gestured to Ivy.
Ivy opened a black leather folder resting on the table before her. She pulled out a stack of financial printouts and phone log transcripts, sliding them smoothly across the table toward Sal.
"These are encrypted bank transfers from an offshore account registered to your syndicate in New Jersey, Mr. Moretti," Ivy said, her voice shockingly steady and clear, echoing through the silent room. "Deposited directly into Rocco’s private account every third Tuesday of the month. Matched precisely with the dates my master ledgers recorded security breaches at Dock 14."
Sal stared at the papers. His face turned a dangerous shade of crimson.
"Rocco was a traitor to my house, and he was stealing from yours," Carmine stated coldly, leaning forward over the table. "I eliminated a cancer in my organization. You should be thanking me for cleaning up your family's dirty laundry."
Sal looked up from the papers, his eyes burning with embarrassment and fury. He realized he had been completely outmaneuvered. He had come to demand blood and territory, but instead, he had been presented with proof of his own nephew's incompetence and betrayal.
"You think you're clever, don't you, Carmine?" Sal spat, pushing the papers away. "You put a pretty dress on a basement servant and think she makes you untouchable?"
Sal stood up abruptly, his chair scraping violently against the floorboards.
"This isn't over," Sal growled, pointing an angry finger at Carmine. "You violated the council agreements by executing a made man without a trial. My associates in New York won't let this stand. You have three days to hand over the control of Dock 14, or we go to war."
Sal turned on his heel and marched toward the exit, his bodyguards trailing right behind him.
The heavy double doors slammed shut behind them.
The room remained silent for several long seconds.
Ivy let out a long, ragged breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her shoulders sagging with relief.
Carmine turned to her. The cold, lethal expression vanished from his face, replaced by genuine admiration.
"You were incredible, Ivy," he said softly.
Ivy looked at him, a nervous smile touching her lips. "I was terrified."
"You didn't show it for a single second," Carmine said, reaching out to cover her trembling hand with his warm palm. "You handled Sal Moretti better than half my capos."
Dominic stepped forward from the wall, his expression grave. "Boss... Moretti isn't bluffing about New York. If he gets the Commission involved, we could have a multi-family war on our hands."
"Moretti won't make it to New York," Carmine replied flatly, his thumb stroking the back of Ivy's hand. "He made his choice tonight. Set up a perimeter around the estate, Dominic. Double the guard shifts. Nobody enters or leaves without my personal clearance."
"Yes, Boss," Dominic bowed and quickly departed to execute the orders.
Carmine turned back to Ivy, his dark eyes searching hers. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she whispered. "Just... tired."
May you like
Carmine stood up, extending his hand to her. "Come. Let’s get you upstairs."
As they walked back toward the grand staircase, Ivy felt a profound sense of safety wrapped around her like a shield. But deep down, she knew that Sal Moretti was a cornered animal—and a cornered animal was capable of anything.
