LOGINChapter 4: Truth Room.
“You are hurting me, Caesar”, his wrist was hurting from being held tightly by Caesar's strong hands. Caesar dragged him through the penthouse underground ring before descending down a long metal staircase. Caesar still has his hands on his wrist the whole time. His grib strong like he wanted break his fragile wrist. “I got something for you”, he said, smiling oddly. He opened a steel door. “This is what I call, Truth Room. You are gonna love it.” As Julian looked around. This room had blood on the walls, old, even the wall looked so old. He could tell terrible things have happened here. Inside contained a surveillance screen for cameras all over the house, a one way mirror. “I do watch you sometimes from here, sweetheart. I see you everything you do”. Julian swallowed. He wondered if he would ever see outside of the penthouse or be free anymore. “Have this, look into it.”, he shoved a black folder into Julian. The folder contained three profiles. “Each one of them was tied to your brother's death.” Julian looked confused and scared. F“These were the men in your brother's orbit. One of them must be his murderer. Choose the one we go first for and I would bring him here before tomorrow morning.” First profile: Luca Navarro - A slick club promoter, disappeared days after Patrick's death. “This is my ex boyfriend, there's no way he would harm my brother”, he pointed to Luca. “You are so naive. His last text to Patrick was: Don't drag me into this, you hear me?”, he read from a phone. Second profile: Detective Ryan Graves - Family friend, officer who helped push Patrick death as suicide. “You recognize him, don't you?. A close friend of Patrick, I hated him so much then. He's so corrupt and takes bribes to cover up cases. Third profile: Mikhail Reznik - An eastern European, human trafficker rumoured to be walking under the mafia underdogs of the city. “This one right here, worked for my father. I would get him for you if you want” Julian doesn't know who to trust. Looking at the file carefully. He picked his ex, Luca. Caesar smirked. “Good choice, he would be here by tomorrow. God knows, he might be innocent but I would punch his face in for being with you before me.” “Makes me feel like I have shared my pet.” “Goodnight, run to your room as fast as you before I lock you down here.” He grabbed Julian's butt. “Owhhh”, he ran holding his butt. He was now upstairs, locking himself in the room. “Imagine seeing Caesar torture my ex, I have to find a way to get out of here tonight”, he mumbled to himself. Julian took a nap, woke up to look at the clock which says 11:20 pm. Also midnight. He knew it was difficult to get out of here but he had to try. Sneaking quietly, he was already in the hallway. Trying to remember what way he and Caesar came through coming back from the banquet. He heard footsteps. It was just the guards. He hurriedly ran into a nearby room that was open. After waiting a few seconds. “That was close”, steading his breath. The light in the room came on. Caesar sat in an expensive leather chair. “I was waiting for you, thinking about sneaking out.” “I…wa….was..ju…st trying to get water”, he stood with his back against the door. “I would be going, guess I can't find the kitchen” “Don't you dare move, unless what I might do to you”, he said calmly in the way that made him shake. He stood up walking towards him casually. Julian was beginning to shake. Julian tries opening the door with his hands behind him. But he was too slow. Caesar already grabbed him tightly by his neck almost choking him “If you run away tonight. You would miss the show by morning.” Julian was running out of breath. He let go, while Julian dropped to the ground coughing, tears in his eyes. He walked out. Locking the door. Julian knew what that meant. His punishment was sleeping in this room. ____ The door of the room was opened. Julian couldn't see who walked in properly. His eyes ached badly. Not having enough sleep and being choked last night. He was dragged out by two bodyguards. The was taken back underground, to the Truth Room. Caesar was there, casually smoking a cigarette. “You look awful. Call my personal doctor to come check him”,he said to one of the guards. Julian looks towards the one way glass, see's Luca tied to a chair. Bruised, beaten, bleeding but still alive. He gasped, shocked that he was tracked down and brought here so fast. “Please just let me go”, he heard Luca from the other side. “Come with me, pet.”, he laughed. Luca looked up and saw Julian walk in. “Julian, what are you doing here?” “Tell them to let go of me, I didn't mean to leave you baby.” Caesar punched him in the face. “You don't get to speak to him” “Julian, ask you questions. Boys, put him on the lie detector.” “He lies, and a finger comes off. Every one of them”, grabbing a knife off the table. “Caesar, I can't do this. Please”, he felt sick to his stomach. He grabbed Julian by the chin, tightly making him look at him. “You don't do what I say and this boy leaves here in a body bag. Now, get to it”, he let go of Julian's chin forcefully.Chapter Sixty Six: The Serpent Kiss Peter pushed the door open slowly, the soft creak slicing through the heavy silence of the office. Ryan stood by the windows, his broad back turned to Peter, rigid like a statue carved from anger. “Close the door, Peter.” Ryan’s voice was low, quiet…but every syllable carried a weight of command that brooked no argument. Peter obeyed, the click of the door closing sounding unnervingly loud. “You saw the news, I assume? The laughing stock of the city. My task force… humiliated by novelty fish,” Ryan said, voice tight, clipped. Peter kept his tone even, careful to stay neutral. “It was a strategic blow, sir. But we’ll recover. We’ll find whoever did this.” Ryan spun around like a coiled serpent, slamming his hand down on the desk with a thunderous crack. Peter flinched, caught off guard by the raw fury blazing in Ryan’s eyes. “Recover?!” Ryan’s roar shattered the room, his face twisted with something savage, feral. “They didn’t j
Chapter Sixty Five: Meeting With The FoesThe air in the VIP room was thick with the smell of old money and new lies. Peter felt his uniform tighten around his throat like a noose. Every step behind Ryan Graves felt like walking the plank.Arthur Bryan sat enthroned in a leather armchair, a glass of brandy in hand. His smile was a polished weapon. "Peter Davis," he said, the name rolling off his tongue like a verdict. He stood, his grip crushing Peter's hand. "I knew your father. A man of… inflexible principles." His eyes, cold and assessing, scanned Peter's face. "It's a relief to see his son understands how the real world operates."Peter’s stomach churned. He could feel the ghost of his father in the room, a silent, disapproving presence. I’m sorry, Dad. He forced a smile that felt like a crack in his soul. "I believe in getting things done, Senator. My father admired efficiency. I suppose I do, too." The lie tasted like bile.Ryan clapped a heavy hand on Peter’s shoulder, a p
Chapter Sixty Four: The Devil’s Bargain The lounge was too quiet, the kind of silence that felt expensive and dangerous. Peter’s skin prickled under his uniform. It felt like a costume here, a pathetic disguise. “There you are. I was beginning to think you got cold feet.” Ryan Graves didn’t smile. His eyes did all the talking, scanning Peter like he was a piece of evidence. “Sit.” Peter sat, the leather chair groaning under him. He felt like a kid in the principal’s office, if the principal was a shark in a tailored suit. “You look tense. Drink.” It wasn’t a suggestion. Ryan pushed a glass of amber liquid across the polished wood. “It’s good to have ambition, kid. Serve me well, and you’ll rise fast. Faster than you can imagine.” Peter’s fingers curled around the cool glass. He forced a smile, but it felt brittle on his face. “It’s not about the position for me, sir. It’s about serving the country. Upholding the law.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth. Just like Dad. Ry
Chapter Sixty Three: Blood and Thrones“Are you really afraid a major strike could hit us, Father?” Caesar’s voice was calm but sharp, like a blade slicing through the tense silence.Julian, Peter, and Enzo sat close by, the weight of Don Alessandro’s presence hanging heavy after Ryan’s press conference. The room was thick with unspoken threats.“Oh, son,” Don Alessandro sighed, voice low but laced with something like tiredness. “You know me. Fear is a stranger to me.”“But the police crackdown,” Caesar pressed, “it’s not just smoke. It’s a real threat…one that hits the family where it hurts the most.”Don Alessandro’s eyes narrowed, dark and unreadable. “If you want to be part of this fight, you step back.”“No more using Julian like a pawn, no more half-trusts. I lead. You don’t interfere. Otherwise, walk away and let us rot.”Caesar cut him off, ice in his glare. “Don’t push me, Father. My life isn’t the Mafia’s. You’re the one who stands to lose everything if this empire crashes
Chapter Sixty-Two: Rings of Fire“You think that bastard just offered to mentor you because he likes your face?” Enzo’s voice cracked like a whip, sharp with fury. “He’s already sizing you up.”Peter stood still, arms folded, jaw clenched. Enzo wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t exactly right either.“His walking in on you at the recruitment office wasn’t some random coincidence,” Enzo continued, pacing now, like a storm building. “You’re walking into a den of wolves. They’ll eat you alive.”“I’ll make them think I’m a sheep,” Peter said, calm and cold. “Let them circle. I want justice for my father. And this is the closest I’ve ever been.”“Peter, in as much as this is a good idea,” Julian cut in, his eyes soft but voice strained, “this is dangerous.”“Peter is the best shot we’ve got to plant someone near Ryan,” Caesar added, arms folded. He sounded more like a strategist than a friend. “He just has to make Ryan believe he’s on his side…make him think he’s taken the bait. Meanwhile, we g
Chapter Sixty-One: The Villain in Uniform“I don’t think you should stay at the hospital anymore. We don’t know who’s going to walk through that door next…someone who won’t hesitate to silence you for good.”“You worry too much about me, Doc,” Sebastian chuckled, trying to lighten the tension.“I’m serious.” Aiden’s voice was firm as he adjusted his glasses. “You don’t have anyone to take care of you if I send you home. You should stay at my apartment.”Sebastian sighed, heavy with reluctance. “I don’t want to be a burden or put you in danger. You’d understand if I refused.”“I’m a doctor, Sebastian. My job is to keep you alive. And right now, the hospital isn’t safe for you.”“At least in my apartment, I can watch over you every second.”Aiden’s calm and unwavering tone did what it always did…he convinced Sebastian.*****Snap! Snap!Hundreds of camera flashes exploded in the hall.A neatly dressed, well-decorated officer climbed the stage to speak.“No one is above the law. Not the







