Chapter 1 - The Broken Men
The silence in the grand dining room was so heavy it felt like a physical weight.
Gabriel Orsini stared at the young woman’s ruined hands with raw horror.
Silas Rener sat perfectly still at Camilo’s right side.
He did not look at Joanna.
He looked at his untouched coffee cup instead.
Camilo watched his oldest friend’s steady breathing and felt a cold realization settle in his chest.
Camilo spoke softly.
The quiet tone made several men in the room flinch immediately.
He stated that Silas was the one who brought her into this house.
Silas finally looked up with an expression that was entirely blank.
Silas calmly replied that he employed many people for the properties.
Joanna trembled and took a step backward toward the heavy oak doors.
Camilo reached into his coat and pulled out the folded pay stub.
He dropped it onto the mahogany table.
He announced that the paper represented seventy-one thousand dollars in debt.
He pushed the paper directly toward Silas.
Camilo explained that it was a loan draining directly through their own payroll system.
Silas did not reach for the paper.
He simply stated that it was a legally registered lending corporation.
Camilo told him that he knew Silas owned it.
It was not a question.
The men around the table exchanged nervous glances.
Silas leaned back in his expensive leather chair.
He claimed he managed external investments to ensure the family's financial stability.
He then looked directly at Joanna with cold eyes.
Silas pointed out that she had signed a binding legal contract.
Joanna wrapped her splinted arms around herself to stop the shaking.
She whispered that Silas had told her it was the only way to pay for her mother's emergency surgery.
Gabriel stood up so fast his heavy wooden chair crashed to the floor.
Gabriel demanded to know if Silas was extorting their own staff.
Silas ignored Gabriel completely and kept his eyes on Camilo.
Silas warned that if Camilo interfered with that contract, the state would seize her mother's assets by noon.
Camilo’s jaw tightened into a rigid line.
Silas added that Eileen Callahan would be evicted from the Evanston facility before they finished their morning coffee.
Camilo slowly pulled a gun from his waistband and placed it on the table.
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In a fraction of a second, the room erupted into chaos.
Half the men at the table suddenly drew their weapons and pointed them directly at Camilo.
