Chapter 4 - Blood on the White Roses
Chaos erupted in the dining room as the weight of Nikolai's accusation crushed the air out of the room.
Julian stood up so fast his heavy wooden chair crashed backward onto the marble floor.
"That is a lie, Nikolai!" Julian shouted, his voice cracking with undeniable guilt.
Nikolai did not raise his voice, but the sudden, deadly silence of the room commanded absolute attention.
He gestured to one of Julian's personal bodyguards standing near the doorway.
"Drink it," Nikolai ordered, pointing a long finger at the spilled puddle of red wine on the table.
The bodyguard looked at Julian for help, but Julian refused to meet his eyes.
Knowing the penalty for disobeying the head of the family, the guard dipped his fingers in the wine and licked them.
Within fifteen seconds, the large man collapsed to the floor, foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently.
Serena shrieked in pure horror and scrambled backward into the corner of the room.
I sat perfectly still, realizing the glamorous mafia life was actually paved with brutal, unforgiving death.
Nikolai's loyal men swarmed the room, grabbing Julian by his arms and dragging him toward the basement door.
"Please, brother, I was just trying to protect my inheritance!" Julian begged, sobbing hysterically.
The heavy basement doors slammed shut, cutting off his pathetic screams.
I looked at Nikolai, expecting to see a monster, but I only saw a man enforcing necessary justice.
Suddenly, the front doors of the estate burst open, and my father ran into the room, gasping for air.
He fell to his knees in front of Nikolai, ignoring the dead bodyguard on the floor.
"Please, Don Moretti, I beg you to spare him," my father pleaded, tears streaming down his wrinkled face.
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He didn't look at me, and he didn't look at Serena crying in the corner.
"Spare Julian, and I will forgive the three million dollars in illegal gambling debts he owes the Hart family," my father cried out.
