Chapter 10 Judgement
Everyone in the room jerked in shock at the revelation. It was like the entire table vibrated from the sudden collective jolt of disbelief. Silence permeated the boardroom. Even Rudy, whose palm had moments ago held a threatening ball of fire, looked so shocked and disappointed that the flame instantly extinguished. His fingers curled slowly inward, trembling slightly. His eyes were wide, unfocused, almost hollow.
“Why?” he muttered. “Why… why would you do that?”
Hearing Rudy who is normally calm, usually annoyingly composed sound that broken made the moment feel even heavier.
Uncle Glenn crumbled. The sturdy posture he always tried to maintain completely collapsed as he fell back into his chair, tears streaming down his face. His shoulders trembled violently.
“I—I didn’t want to steal the money!” he choked out. “I never wanted to! Diana… Diana convinced me! She told me to do it! She said you would never find out!”
And indeed, as I stared at him, I could tell he was sincerely afraid. Terrified. This wasn’t an act. His voice cracked in places I’d never heard before. His fingers clutched at the table like he was holding on for dear life. He couldn’t guess what I would do next, and honestly, no one could. I’d been acting unpredictably ever since I came back from the hospital, and they felt it.
All eyes immediately locked onto Diana.
She didn’t move.
But the tension gathering around her seat was like a tightening rope.
Then one of the elder members, Kyle, a senior figure from the Blade family and one of the clan’s most prominent leaders, leaned forward. His voice was hard, heavy, and commanding.
“Diana,” he said, “why did you do that? Why did you tell him to steal? Explain yourself.”
His voice echoed across the room.
Diana didn’t flinch.
She exploded.
She shot up with a violent burst of anger, slamming her hand so hard on the table that several people jumped.
“That is a lie!” she shouted. “I have no idea what he’s talking about! None! He’s lying!”
Her eyes blazed as she glared at Uncle Glenn like she wanted to burn a hole through him.
Uncle Glenn, still shaking, fired back immediately, his voice cracking with desperation.
“You approached me!” he shouted. “You’re the one who told me to do it! You gave me the advice! You said we would… w-we would share it—!”
“And where is your evidence?” Diana snapped back, cutting him off. “Where is your proof that I approached you?”
The words froze in his throat. He opened his mouth but nothing came out—just helpless stuttering.
“I—I… I don’t…”
“Exactly,” she hissed. “You have nothing to back up your accusation.”
The room erupted into whispered murmurs and exchanged glances.
Elder Kyle straightened up again, his eyes narrowing at Uncle Glenn.
“Glenn,” he said sharply, “if you claim Diana approached you, then where is the evidence? There must be something. Some form of transaction. Financial records. Money movement. Anything. You claimed you shared the money, so where are those records?”
Glenn’s face twisted. Tears dripped off his chin.
Diana clicked her fingers lightly, a smug little gesture that grated on my nerves.
“Exactly,” she said coldly, “he has no evidence. Because he’s lying.”
Glenn’s sobs intensified. He shook his head rapidly, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
“N-no! She—she told me her share should be paid to her in gold and drugs!” he cried. “Tha—that’s why there aren’t any monetary transactions! She said money could be traced! B-but gold and drugs… that way there wouldn’t be a record!”
A heavy silence fell again.
This time, it wasn’t shock.
It was doubt.
Annoyance.
Suspicion.
And it was all directed at Glenn.
People began to murmur again, this time openly complaining, openly doubting him.
“No evidence at all?”
“How can we trust that?”
“If he has nothing to show, then he might be making it up.”
“He’s desperate… maybe he’s trying to drag her down with him.”
The voices overlapped, building pressure on the already-broken man.
I sighed quietly.
Because inwardly… annoyingly… frustratingly…
I knew Uncle Glenn was telling the truth.
I knew he really paid Diana in gold and drugs. She always made sure to handle everything in a way that left no trail. No paper. No digital log. No traceable transaction. This was her talent, her poisonous gift. She was always ahead in her schemes. Always one step beyond the reach of evidence. Always the bone stuck deep in my throat.
And in the Mafia order, no matter what my instincts said, accusations without evidence meant nothing.
Elder Kyle tapped his fingers on the table before speaking again, his tone formal and heavy.
“Leader,” he said, turning to me, “I urge you to think carefully. As things stand, there is nothing pointing toward Diana’s involvement. It appears Glenn is simply trying to lie against her to lessen his punishment.”
Diana folded her arms slowly, her head held high, acting righteous. Glenn just curled deeper into himself, crying and shaking, knowing the tide had turned completely against him.
It irritated me.
But rules were rules.
And this was not the moment to break them.
Seeing the situation shift this way, I exhaled deeply, letting my shoulders relax slightly. Then I straightened.
It was time to pass judgment.
I looked around the table, letting my gaze settle on Glenn, on the man who once held authority, now reduced to a trembling wreck.
“My decision is final,” I said, my voice cold and steady. “I hereby strip Glenn of all his roles.”
The room fell silent again.
“From this moment forward,” I continued, “he is demoted to the rank of a mere rookie.”
Glenn looked up, his eyes wide, mouth trembling. The punishment was worse than execution in our world. It was humiliation. Total erasure of status.
I didn’t stop there.
“Furthermore,” I said, “every asset he possesses, every dollar, every property, every account, worth a combined total of thirty million dollars… will be seized.”
Several people nodded approvingly.
“…to cover the full amount of the embezzlement.”
Glenn slumped, completely defeated, tears dripping onto his lap.
Diana inhaled quietly, looking relieved.
Rudy looked away, disappointed but resigned.
And the room reflected with the weight of finality. My judgment had been passed. There was no going back.