Marco shouted, his voice echoing off the marble walls, “Excuses again! You let him slip away! You let Ethan mock us!”Hugo’s cane struck the floor once, hard. The sharp crack cut through the room like a gunshot, and silence fell instantly.He fixed Parker with an icy stare. “We gave you three days,” he said slowly, each word dripping with disappointment. “Three days to clean up your mess. It’s been two weeks. Two weeks, Parker—and things have only gotten worse. We’re losing money by the day. Huge sums. And you just keep failing this family.”Parker swallowed hard, his knees almost giving way. Sweat rolled down his neck. “Please, Elder… give me another chance. I’ll fix this. I swear it.”Marco slammed his hand on the table. “You said that before! Do you think our patience is infinite? Who even is this Ethan, huh? Who’s the man that’s made a fool out of us again and again?”Parker hesitated. “He’s nothing—a worthless piece of trash.”“A worthless piece of trash?” Hugo’s voice cut like a

Hugo leaned forward slightly, his voice careful. “And… what is that, Mr. Watson?”Gary turned, pacing slowly around the table. “From now on,” he said, tapping his cane with every word, “the Bellano family will pay an additional five hundred million dollars every year.”The room went dead silent.Marco’s jaw dropped. “F-Five hundred million?” he stammered. “Sir, that’s— that’s impossible! We’re barely keeping the business alive as it is—”Gary’s eyes snapped toward him, cold and sharp. “Impossible?” His tone was quiet, but it cut deep. “That word doesn’t exist in my world, Marco.”Marco went still, his face pale.Gary took another step forward, his presence pressing down like a storm. “You think I care about your problems? You failed me. You failed yourselves. You let a single man—one man—tear your empire apart. Now you’ll pay the price.”The patriarch clenched his fists. “Five hundred million more…” His voice shook. “That’s too much, sir. We—”Gary’s cane struck the marble floor with