All Chapters of BLACK DRAGON CONTRACT: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
113 chapters
Chapter 41: The Traitor Within
BLACK DRAGON HEADQUARTERS - 10:00 AMMarco sat in his chair, wearing a thick fur-lined parka, even though the room's thermostat showed a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. Isabella was sweating in the corner of the room, fanning herself with a report paper, but Marco was still shivering.To Marco, this room was as cold as a morgue."You sure you don't have a fever, Boss?" asked Julian, who was sitting on the desk while stacking playing cards into a tower."I'm not sick," Marco replied. His breath didn't actually mist (since the room was actually hot), but he felt as if he were breathing at the North Pole. "Focus on the problem."Isabella threw a charred flash drive onto the table."The problem is right here," Isabella said seriously. "I’ve re-audited our security system after Parker's cyber attack last night. I found something strange.""Strange how?""Parker didn't penetrate our firewall from the outside, Marco. The back door was opened from the inside," Isabella explained. "Someone
Chapter 42: The Driver's Execution
BLACK DRAGON HEADQUARTERS BASEMENT - 4:30 PMThe basement smelled of rusty iron and pungent bleach—the signature scent of a place where sins were literally scrubbed away.The concrete floor was cold and damp. The only light came from a single hanging bulb swinging slowly in the center of the room, casting long shadows that danced on the walls.Carl Jenkins, the traitorous driver, was tied to a wooden chair bolted to the floor. His face was swollen, one eye bruised shut, and his lip split. He trembled uncontrollably, not just from the cold, but because he knew exactly where he was.This was Julian’s "Playroom.""Have a drink, buddy," Julian said, pressing a bottle of mineral water to Carl’s lips.Carl drank greedily, choking, as water spilled onto his shirt, already stained with blood and sweat."Thank you... thank you..." Carl whimpered. "Please, let me go. I have a kid in an orphanage. I did this for him.""Shhh," Julian placed his index finger against Carl’s lips. "Don't ruin the sa
Chapter 43: Cold Confrontation
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SUITE - 7:00 PMThe door to suite number 402 opened with a subtle electronic beep.Marco Rossi stepped inside.He had cleaned himself up at the headquarters, trading his sweat-soaked shirt for a crisp black one. But to him, the metallic scent of Carl’s blood still clung to his skin, seeping into his pores.The suite's living room was dimly lit. Only a corner desk lamp was turned on.Maria sat on the velvet sofa, holding a wine glass. She was wearing silk pajamas, her hair flowing beautifully. She looked like an aesthetic portrait of grief.As Marco entered, Maria didn't turn around. She continued to stare out the window at the rain outside."You killed him, didn't you?"Maria’s voice broke the silence. Flat. Emotionless.Marco stopped as he was putting down his keys."Who?" Marco asked, playing dumb."Don't play games, Arcy," Maria turned her head. Her eyes were swollen, but her gaze was sharp and accusatory. "Carl. My driver. He didn't come to pick me up this after
Chapter 44: Thorne's Plan Revealed
BLACK DRAGON HEADQUARTERS - 08:00 AMThe morning sunlight streaming through the high warehouse windows brought no warmth. For Marco Rossi, today was merely a continuation of last night’s nightmare.He woke up on the leather sofa in his office with a stiff back. There was no breakfast made by his wife, no good morning kiss from his child. There was only an empty whiskey bottle rolling on the floor and a throbbing headache from suppressing his emotions too deeply.SLAM!The office door was thrown open.Isabella Moretti rushed in. She carried her open laptop, her hair tied messily with a pencil, and her eyes red from lack of sleep. But there was a fire of victory in them."I got it, Marco," Isabella said without preamble. "I got the bastard."Marco sat up slowly, rubbing his face, which was rough with unshaven stubble."Got what? A pancake recipe?""Senator Thorne's private email," Isabella placed the laptop on Marco's desk, turning the screen toward him. "Not the government account he u
Chapter 39: Maria's Doubts
FOUR SEASONS MANHATTAN HOTEL SUITE AT 14:00 (SAME DAY AS THE RAID) Maria Rossi sat curled up in the corner of the velvet sofa of the five-star hotel suite. She hugged her knees, biting her thumbnail which no longer had polish until it bled. In the next room, Sofia was sleeping—or pretending to sleep—after crying all day asking to go home. But "home" to where? To the house whose walls were broken into by the FBI? To a house where the furniture was slashed with knives? To the house that was now marked with yellow police tape? "Federal prison..." Maria muttered softly, her eyes staring blankly at the dead TV screen. Agent Parker's voice still rang in her ears like a broken record. Ten years in a concrete cell. Orange shirt. Stale porridge. No skincare. Without friends. Maria trembled. He's
Chapter 45: Turning Point
CHURCH OF SAN GENNARO LITTLE ITALY - 5:00 PMThe old church smelled of beeswax, rotting wood, and unfulfilled hopes. The afternoon sun filtered through the colorful stained glass, painting the stone floor in faded patterns of red and blue.Marco Rossi stepped in.He was alone. There is no Bruno to be the shield, there is no Julian to be the sword, there is no Isabella to be the brain. Only Marco, a man with a soul that had been half eaten by a digital entity.Marco's footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway. Not. Not. Not.He stopped in the third row of seats from the front.This is where he stood ten years ago. At the altar, he held Mary's trembling hand, making sacred vows before God and Father Antonio. At that time, Marco only had an oversized rental suit and a cheap wedding ring, but he felt like the richest man in the world.Now? He had a rental suit worth thousands of dollars, but he felt poor.Marco sat on a hard wooden bench. He looked at the statue of the Virgin Mary who looked
SERIES 4: FEDERAL STORMS AND UNSATISFIED NEEDS Chapter 46: Parker's Silent Operation
BLACK DRAGON HEADQUARTERS 09:00 MORNINGThe monitor screen in Isabella's server room no longer displays the rising stock graph. This time, the screen only displayed one color: Red.Blood red."Blocked. Blocked. Freezed. Confiscated."Isabella Moretti massaged her forehead, slumped in her expensive ergonomic chair. In front of him, Marco stood straight as a gallows, staring at the screen with blank eyes."How much do you have left?" Marco asked flatly."Zero," Isabella answered, hysterical laughter slipping through her voice. "Literally zero, Marco. Parker isn't messing around. He's using Patriot Act."Isabella turned her chair to face Marco."He didn't just freeze the 'Rossi Logistics' account. He froze the Ferro Construction account. He froze the salary account for legal employees. He even froze the electricity token account for this warehouse! In 10 minutes, our electricity will go out if we don't turn on the diesel generator!"Marco didn't blink. The system in his retina processed
Chapter 47: Bloody Vacation in Atlantic City
PRESIDENTIAL SUITE - THE CRYSTAL PALACE HOTEL8:00 PMThe crystal chandeliers on the suite's ceiling glittered, reflecting the light off Maria's silk dress that she had just pulled from her Louis Vuitton suitcase. Outside the window, the neon signs of Atlantic City flickered, promising sin and instant wealth."Now this is more like it, Arcy," Maria said as she admired herself in a large gold-plated mirror. She spun her body, admiring her appearance. "A vacation. Just the two of us. Far from the police, far from that smelly warehouse."Marco stood near the door, wearing a sharp black tuxedo. Beneath the jacket, two Beretta pistols with silencers were tucked away, along with three throwing knives and a coil of fiber wire."Do you like the room?" Marco asked flatly."I love it!" Maria exclaimed. She walked over and straightened Marco’s bowtie. "But... about my credit card this afternoon. You took care of it, right? It was so embarrassing, you know, being rejected in front of the cashier.
Chapter 48: Night of Manipulation
PRESIDENTIAL SUITE - THE CRYSTAL PALACE HOTEL11:30 PMThe air inside the luxury suite felt heavy, thick with the scent of sweat, expensive perfume, and the lingering traces of adrenaline.On the king-sized bed with its disheveled sheets, Marco lay flat on his back. His breathing began to steady as he stared at the ceiling adorned with paintings of cherubs. His body, covered in scars—a map of every battle he had won—stood in stark contrast to the silk luxury surrounding him.Beside him, Maria rested her head on Marco’s chest. Her slender fingers traced the gunshot wound on her husband’s shoulder."That took forever," Maria murmured, her voice husky and playful. "You said it was just a quick game of poker. You were gone for two hours.""The cards were good, Maria. It would’ve been a waste to walk away," Marco lied.In reality, two hours ago, he had just slaughtered guard dogs and blown a vault beneath this very building. The smell of gunpowder on his skin was masked by Maria’s scent, b
Chapter 49: The Three - Way Meeting
PER SE RESTAURANT - COLUMBUS CIRCLE8:00 PMThe restaurant was silent. Not the silence of emptiness, but the silence of money.On the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, overlooking the dark expanse of Central Park, Per Se was a temple of gastronomy where people paid $500 just to swallow a teaspoon of fish eggs. The thick carpets muffled every footstep, the waiters moved like polite ghosts, and the air smelled of filtered arrogance.Marco Rossi sat in a velvet chair that was far too soft. He wore a Tom Ford suit he’d bought just that afternoon—because Maria said his old one "smelled like gunpowder."Opposite him, Maria sat upright, anxious yet beautiful. She constantly adjusted the napkin on her lap, her eyes darting toward the entrance every five seconds."He’s coming, right?" Maria whispered anxiously. "It’s already two minutes past eight.""Politicians are never late, Maria." Marco replied flatly, swirling his water glass. "They just wait for the right timing to make a dramatic