Chapter 4

Santo's face changed.

The four district bosses are supposed to be equals.

But the East controls the best territory, brings in the most money, and has the most soldiers and associates.

So its voice carries more weight.

Santo's expression turned grim, and he muttered, "What do I do now?"

Elio slammed a hand on the desk.

"Send out an internal notice right now. Santo stole Vincent's work, and Vincent gets the credit for the new route."

I expected Santo to take the easy way out.

Instead, he frowned and glanced around. Then he seemed to make up his mind.

He knew someone had pulled strings to place me there. He just didn't know who it was.

He could admit that he'd stolen the plan, but I still had the docks' books.

Those books contained things no one could be allowed to see. He couldn't leave them with me.

He had to get me out of there!

All at once, the office door was kicked open.

Ten soldiers marched in and formed two rows.

A middle-aged man in a black suit walked in behind them.

It was Santo's brother-in-law, Lucio Amato, the South District boss.

Santo regained his nerve the moment he saw Lucio.

Thomas was on his feet with a fawning smile.

"Mr. Amato, a phone call would have been enough. You shouldn't have had to come down here yourself."

Lucio said nothing, but his presence filled the room.

The woman behind him took off her sunglasses. It was Santo's sister, Rosa. She scoffed, "If I hadn't come, who knows what you would've done to my baby brother!"

Santo pointed at me with a scowl.

"Rosa. Lucio. That's the one who framed me."

Lucio didn't even look at me. His cold, piercing gaze went straight to Elio.

"Santo told me what happened. This has seriously damaged his reputation. These docks owe him an answer."

He paused.

"Vincent, you accused Santo of theft in public. You'll hand over every ledger you have, then pack up and leave.

"There won't be a place for you on any Ferraro dock."

Elio burst out, "Santo is the one who stole the plan, and Vincent is the victim! What gives you the right to treat an innocent man like this?"

Rosa sat down on the couch and said casually, "My husband is the South District boss, and these docks and this company belong to us. That's what gives us the right."

Elio clenched his fists and stepped in front of me.

"We have conclusive evidence that Vincent designed the routing plan!

"As its creator, he knows every route better than anyone else and can help the entire company make more money!

"And don't forget that the East District boss stands behind us!"

Lucio's expression didn't change. He only scoffed, showing no respect for the East District name.

I stood there, and it all became clear.

I already knew a good deal about the South District boss. He was a smooth operator who always weighed the pros and cons and never pushed things to the point of open conflict.

Yet today, he was unusually aggressive, willing to go head-to-head with the East.

From the beginning, they hadn't just wanted to force me to admit I was at fault and suffer the humiliation. They wanted to take the ledgers from me and drive me off these docks for good.

Because...

There was something much bigger they needed to bury.

Santo tugged on Lucio's arm and whined, "Lucio, this punk has been sabotaging me behind my back at every turn. I don't want to see him again."

Lucio's eyes turned cold, and he stopped trying to negotiate.

"If he won't confess and leave on his own, there's nothing more to discuss."

He raised a hand and barked, "Take him. Throw him into the sea and feed him to the fish. Tell everyone he lost his footing and fell overboard."

At his command, the soldiers closed in on me from all sides.

Elio did everything he could to protect me, but the soldiers quickly shoved him aside.

A hand reached for my shoulder.

The office doors flew open.

Dozens of men in black coats filed in, each with a hand on the grip of the gun at his waist. The room filled with the threat of violence.

A deep, steady voice cut through the chaos. "Who gave you the authority? You're only a district boss. How dare you order the Don's son killed?"