CHAPTER 20:THE BETRAYAL UNFOLD

The office was still, the air thick with tension. Vincenzo sat at his desk, his fingers tightly gripping the edge of the mahogany surface, his eyes steely and cold. Marco entered, dragging a man behind him, a disheveled figure who stumbled as he was pulled across the floor. The man's face was pale, his clothes torn, and his eyes wide with fear.

Vincenzo didn't need to ask who it was. He already knew.

Rowan.

The betrayer.

Marco threw the man to the ground in front of Vincenzo. He lay there, shaking, the scent of blood already filling the room from the bruises and cuts on his face. Rowan looked up at Vincenzo, his eyes pleading, but the pain and anger in Vincenzo's gaze made his heart stop.

"You really?" Vincenzo's voice was calm, but there was a fury simmering beneath it, like a storm ready to break. He stood up, his tall frame towering over Rowan, his breath heavy, filled with betrayal.

Rowan trembled. "Please, boss… forgive me," he stammered, his voice full of desperation. He didn't look like the confident, ambitious man he once was. He was broken, already feeling the weight of his decision pressing down on him.

"You really thought you could get away with this?" Vincenzo's voice was low but lethal as he stared at Rowan. "Who sent you?"

Rowan's eyes widened. "Nobody… I did it on my own, please…" He scrambled to get to his knees, hands raised in a futile attempt to beg for mercy. "It was my decision, no one told me to—"

Vincenzo didn't let him finish. Without warning, he launched himself forward, a fist slamming into Rowan's face. The sickening crack of bone against skin echoed through the room as blood splattered across the floor. Rowan's head jerked back, a groan escaping his lips as blood oozed from his nose and mouth.

Vincenzo stood over him, breathing heavily, the anger evident in every muscle. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Rowan barely had time to recover before Marco moved forward, his hands grabbing a knife from the table. He held it with precision, as if he had done this a hundred times before.

"I'll make him speak, boss," Marco said grimly.

Vincenzo nodded without a word, his eyes never leaving Rowan. "Do what you have to do."

Without hesitation, Marco grabbed Rowan's hand, pulling his fingers out one by one, slicing through the flesh with a cold efficiency. Rowan screamed, his cries echoing in the room as his hands trembled. His body shook violently, but Marco didn't stop. He continued until the blood flowed freely, and Rowan was writhing on the floor in agony.

"Tell me who sent you!" Vincenzo's voice rang out, harsh and commanding. But Rowan could only gasp in pain, unable to form words.

Marco looked at Vincenzo, a cruel smile crossing his face. "No one talks until they've felt real pain. Let's take it further."

With a nod from Vincenzo, Marco grabbed Rowan by the throat and dragged him toward a table. "Feed him to the tigers," Vincenzo ordered coldly, his face expressionless. He looked at Rowan once more, watching as the man's fear intensified.

Marco grinned, lifting Rowan's body and preparing to carry out the gruesome task. As he struggled against Marco's grip, Rowan whimpered, "Please, I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!"

"Not until you've earned it," Marco responded, his voice flat as he threw Rowan into the cage with the tigers.

Vincenzo didn't flinch. He had seen much worse, and this man had betrayed him in a way that couldn't be forgiven.

The door slammed shut behind them as Vincenzo turned to face the room, the sounds of the tigers echoing from the other side of the wall. The air smelled of blood, thick and metallic, and the weight of betrayal hung heavily on his shoulders.

"I won't let this slide," Vincenzo muttered to himself.