All Chapters of FASHION AND CRIME: Chapter 41 - Chapter 48

Victor was alone again, staring down at the sealed black box on his desk. His fingers tapped slowly on the wood as he whispered to himself, “Your move, Nicholas.”The room was quiet except for the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. His eyes stared hard at the box in front of him; at the dagger, the bullet, and the ace of spades.He leaned back in his chair, one hand rubbing his chin, deep in thought. The fire wasn’t enough. Not for a man like Nicholas Amaro. That would only get his attention. Victor wanted more. He wanted Amaro to feel it.He grabbed a notepad from the drawer and started writing fast and messy.“Hit him where it hurts.”He tapped the pen against the page. “Not just his business,” he muttered. “His pride and his people.”His eyes narrowed.“Find out who his suppliers are,” he said to himself. “Block the ports. Cut off his shipments before they even land.”Then he paused, thinking deeper.“What about his man, Matteo?” he muttered, snapping his fingers. “That bodygua

Once Marco was gone, and the office door clicked shut, Titus leaned back in his chair. His smile faded, and his face grew serious. He turned his chair slightly, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number without looking, as he already knew it by heart.The phone rang once… twice… then Victor answered.“Titus?” Victor’s deep voice came through.“It’s done,” Titus said calmly. “The financial assistant, Marco Thompson, arrived early. He signed everything. He’s already started working.”There was a pause on the other end. Then Victor spoke, his voice was low but pleased. “That’s good. That’s very good.”Titus could almost hear the smile in his voice.Victor continued, “Listen carefully. There’s no time to waste. I want Marco to begin work on the Cayman channel. Make sure he’s handling only what we allow him to see; just the outer layer. He must start organizing transfers by today. Get him to sort and schedule dummy accounts for the first batch.”Titus nodde

The black van rolled quietly into the dark street, just before midnight. The sky was cloudy, and the air was too suffocating, like something big was about to happen.Leo sat in the front seat, looking out the window. His eyes were focused; he knew exactly what he was looking for. “There,” he said, pointing to a narrow street across the road from the club. “Park there, there’re no cameras.”Dallas nodded and slowly turned the wheel, guiding the van into the narrow path. It was dark and quiet, the perfect hiding spot.Across the street stood The Iron Flask, Victor’s club. The lights were still on. A few people were hanging around outside, talking or smoking. Music played softly from inside; and there were people there, who were having a good time.Inside the van, it was quiet. Everyone was getting ready.Leo opened the bag in his lap. Inside were the tools: bottles with gasoline, rags, gloves, and masks. Dallas checked his lighter. Jonah loaded a small fire starter. They all knew their

Victor stood by the window, his fists clenched behind his back. The morning sun lit only half of his face; the rest was hidden in shadow. There was fire burning in his eyes, and he looked serious.He turned slowly to Titan and said, “First thing…we capture Matteo. That snake’s been watching Marco for too long. We end that today.”Titan nodded without hesitation. “Consider it done, boss. I’ll have my men on him in an hour.”Victor’s eyes narrowed a little. “Make sure it’s quiet. We don’t have to raise any eyes, and there shouldn’t be any mistakes.”“I’ll handle it myself if I have to,” Titan said without hesitation.Victor walked back to his chair and sat down, tapping his fingers on the table. “After Matteo is handled,” he continued, “we move to the next step. I’m going to send a few... messages.”Titan tilted his head. “Messages?”Victor looked up. “We leak a tip to the city council. A little information about where Nicholas Amaro’s money really goes; his shell companies, foreign acc