The next morning after Vlad's disappearance and Veron's death, Pablo gathered all his followers at the factory.
Lorenzo, Tom, Ido, Kavor, and Daniel.
The five sat around the eting table in the old director's office. The office where Vlad used to sit days ago. Now Pablo was behind the desk.
He looked at them one by one. Then he said:
"Director Vlad has disappeared. Owner Veron is dead."
No one moved. They knew.
"From now on, I am in charge of this factory. Director and owner together."
He paused for a mont. Then he continued:
"Things will continue as they are. Each of you will stay in your position. Sa tasks, sa authorities, sa financial arrangent."
He looked at Ido.
"Ido. From today, you are permanently in charge of the juice section. I don't need to explain why."
Ido nodded. His face did not change. But in his eyes there was sothing. Gratitude. Or perhaps completion.
"Everything is as it was. Only the one above you has changed."
No one objected. No one dared.
Tom was the first to speak. He said in a low voice:
"What about the owner's family? They might send soone—"
"I will deal with them." Pablo interrupted him. "You just continue working."
He stood up from behind the desk.
"The eting is over."
Everyone left one by one.
Pablo remained alone in the old director's office.
He looked out the window. The factory yard was operating as usual. Workers were moving. Carts were coming and going.
No one knew that everything had changed.
---
In the afternoon, Pablo summoned Reynold.
The silent, large man stood before him in his new office.
"You have a task. You will go to the fancy restaurant in the center of Naraka. At eight o'clock in the evening. You will sit at a table in the corner. A man will co to you. His na is Doctor Klin. You will give him this."
Pablo took out a cloth bag. It was heavy. One million Beli.
"You will not talk much. Just give him the bag and leave. Nothing more."
Reynold took the bag. He put it in his inner pocket.
"And if he asks sothing?"
"He will not ask."
Reynold nodded and left.
---
In the evening, Reynold was sitting in the restaurant. The corner table. His face was cold.
Doctor Klin entered. He looked around. He was looking for Pablo. He did not find him.
He saw Reynold. He hesitated. Then he sat down across from him.
"Where is Pablo?"
Reynold did not reply. He just took out the bag and placed it on the table.
Klin looked at the bag. His eyes glinted. He took it quickly.
"Is there any ssage?"
"No."
Reynold stood up and left the restaurant. He did not look back.
Klin remained sitting. Looking at the bag in his hand. He was trembling slightly. But he got what he wanted.
---
At the headquarters, after midnight, Pablo sat with Marco in his room on the upper floor.
Marco entered and sat on the chair opposite as he always did. He was a little tired from training the n, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.
Pablo put his pen aside and closed his notebook.
"Marco, I have sothing important. And I want your opinion on it."
Marco raised an eyebrow. This was different. Pablo rarely asked for opinions. But when he did, it ant the matter was big.
"I'm listening."
"The Veron family. The owner who died. He has a wife, three sons, their wives, grandchildren, and a few guards at his house."
Pablo paused for a mont.
"If any of them remain alive, one day soone might co to claim the factory. They might co tomorrow, or next month, or next year, or five years from now. But they will co. And I don't want to look over my shoulder."
Marco looked at Pablo. He understood what he was saying.
"You want us to remove them."
"I want us to close this file completely. No witnesses. No heirs. Nothing left that can co back to haunt us."
Marco was silent for a mont. Then he said:
"How many are there approximately?"
"The family is about ten or twelve. The guards are three or four. A large house in the eastern district. Easy to enter at night."
"How do you want us to do it?"
"Quietly. Quickly. And leave no trace."
Marco thought for a second.
"I will take ten n. The strongest and most trained. We will enter after midnight. Finish the matter and leave."
"Do you need anything from ?"
"No. Just make sure no one interferes."
Pablo nodded.
"I trust you, Marco."
Marco stood up. He placed his hand on Pablo's shoulder for a mont. A small gesture between two companions.
"I will prepare them. We will leave in an hour."
Pablo did not say anything. He just nodded.
Marco left.
---
An hour later, Marco gathered ten n out of the sixteen.
Arthur, Reynold, and eight others. The strongest. The most trained.
He stood before them. He did not shout. He did not threaten.
He said in a quiet voice:
"Tonight, we will close the Veron family file. A large house. A whole family. A few guards. We enter quietly. We kill everyone in the house. No witnesses. Then we leave."
He looked at their faces one by one.
"I know so of you are afraid. That is normal. But trust . If you follow the instructions, you will all return."
The n looked at each other. No one objected. They feared Marco. But they also trusted him.
"Check your weapons. We will leave in a few minutes."
---
The house was in the eastern district, close to the shore of Naraka. A large house, with an iron gate and a wide garden.
It was two o'clock after midnight. All the lights were off.
Marco and his n breached the gate quietly. They cut the wires. They entered the garden.
One of the guards was smoking a cigarette on the back porch. He saw them. He scread.
Reynold's shot silenced him before he could finish.
But the scream woke the house.
An exchange of gunfire began.
The other three guards fired from the upper floor. Bullets flew in the darkness.
Two of Marco's n fell to the ground. They did not move. A third was hit in the arm but continued.
Marco did not retreat. He ran toward the main door. He kicked it hard. The wood broke.
He entered with his n behind him.
Inside, the family mbers were screaming. So ran upstairs. So tried to escape through the windows.
But there was no escape.
Marco led his n. Room after room.
The wife. The sons. The daughters-in-law. The children. The servants.
They scread. Begged. Cried.
Marco did not stop. He did not look at their faces. He just executed.
In less than ten minutes, it was all over.
Silence prevailed.
The n stood in the middle of the house filled with bodies. The sll of gunpowder and blood filled the place.
They lost three n. They fell in the exchange of gunfire.
They worked quickly. They gathered the family's bodies in one room. Then they set it on fire.
The house blazed. The fire was high. It would attract attention soon. But they would be far away.
They left before the flas reached the street.
---
At the headquarters, less than an hour later, Marco returned.
He entered Pablo's room. Pablo was still awake. Sitting behind his desk.
Marco looked at Pablo. He said quietly:
"It is done."
"Casualties?"
"Three n died. The house burned. No witnesses."
Pablo looked at Marco. There was no coldness in his eyes. There was appreciation.
"I am sorry for their loss."
Marco shook his head. "That is the nature of the work. And they knew that."
He was silent for a mont.
Then Pablo said in a different tone, slightly warr:
"Marco, the gang is still small. Sixteen n. After tonight's losses, thirteen. That is not enough for what we are planning."
"What do you suggest?"
"I want to add ten new mbers. Thugs from the streets of Naraka. Desperate young n, physically strong, willing to do anything for money. No one from other gangs. No one who can betray us."
Marco looked at him. "I will search for them myself."
"I will leave the whole task to you. Choose whoever you see fit. Train them yourself. Make them know they are part of sothing bigger."
Marco nodded.
"I will start tomorrow."
---
Pablo remained alone.
He looked out the window. The first threads of dawn began to appear in the sky.
He opened his small notebook.
He wrote:
"The Veron family: finished."
He crossed out the na permanently.
Then he wrote a new line:
"The gang: 10 new mbers."
He closed the notebook.
The factory was his. The only family that could claim it was dead.
And now, it was ti to build a small army.
The road was still long. But he was no longer walking alone.
Marco was with him. And that was enough.
He turned off the light.
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