Chapter 7
The old council had no official name.
Of course not.
My father hated informal power.
That was probably why they built it around him.
Matteo.
Damian.
Two retired captains: Samuel Frost and Henry Vale.
Thomas Vale’s father.
Four men who believed Castellano should never rest entirely in one boss’s hands.
On paper, that sounds reasonable.
In practice, they wanted veto power without accountability.
My father discovered them late.
Evelyn found his warning.
Then became the problem.
“Why not kill her?” I asked Damian.
He looked at me as though the answer should be obvious.
“The recorder.”
“You thought she had it.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“She said if anything happened to her, it would reach you.”
Smart.
Maybe bluff.
Enough.
So they kept her alive.
Interrogated.
Moved.
Waited.
Then Matteo died.
The council fractured.
Thomas disappeared.
Samuel retired.
Henry withdrew.
Damian and Bianca were left with a living secret they no longer knew how to solve.
“Why keep her after Matteo died?”
Damian said nothing.
I understood.
Because releasing her exposed them.
Killing her exposed them if the recorder surfaced.
So they did nothing.
Cowardice became policy.
Years passed.
Evelyn survived because nobody could decide what risk was safer.
I stared at Damian.
“You left her under my house because indecision was convenient.”
His face hardened.
“You don’t understand what would have happened.”
“No.”
I stood.
“I understand exactly.”
He flinched.
“You were afraid of consequences.”
Silence.
“And she paid for your fear.”
That was the truth.
Not grand ideology.
Not family balance.
Fear.
The old council feared losing influence.
Bianca feared losing position.
Damian feared choosing sides.
Thomas feared disobeying Matteo.
May you like
Everyone protected themselves.
Evelyn remained beneath the floor.
