The office was low-lit, floor-to-ceiling windows stretching behind the main desk with the city glittering outside, dark wood paneling lining the walls and absorbing sound, while a long polished table cut across the center of the room where Alessandro and the others sat in silence.
At the head of the space, Victor occupied the largest chair, still the Don in title and presence, his hands resting calmly on the desk as if the empire beyond the glass moved only because he allowed it, and to his right, Dante sat with one arm resting on the chair, his posture seeming relaxed yet watchful with those sharp eyes.
No one shifted without purpose, the carpet swallowing footsteps, and even the ticking clock seemed careful while the whiskey on the table remained untouched in front of the men whose expressions were stern and unwavering.
When the door opened, the guards stepped aside without a word and Sebastian entered carrying a slim black briefcase, the latch gleaming under the amber light, inclining his head first to Victor and then to Dante, his action subtle, while every eye followed him as he crossed the room. Victor brought the whiskey to his lips just as Sebastian neared him.
The case was placed on the table, the metallic click as it opened sounding louder than it should have, revealing a black folder and in the center, a bottle containing a blue chemical that glowered like midnight and immediately caught Victor's attention.
Sebastian took his seat as Victor reached for the chemical, holding it out for everyone to see while the rest of the men watched, their faces still unmoved but quietly awed, while Victor inspected it with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His eyes narrowed at the contents, before he shifted the briefcase to Dante who reached for the folder and opened it to reveal the exclusive chemical formula, the precise formulation method, and the stabilization process, scrutinizing the pages to ensure everything was legitimate.
"The chemist resisted," Sebastian began, his gaze sliding briefly toward Victor and then Dante, "that has been addressed, the formula has been secured, the chemist has finalized the synthesis protocol, and the full formulation process is now exclusively in our possession, there will be no replication outside our control, and production can begin at your discretion," he explained.
"Hmm," Victor groaned in delight as he placed the chemical back into the briefcase. He then glanced at Dante who gave him a brief nod, and then Victor chuckled, "Isn't Sebastian more capable than we all thought?" he inquired, looking around the room while the men shifted their gazes away without a word, for Victor had specifically instructed everyone, including Alessandro, the Don of the Moretti household, to secure this chemical, yet it was Alessandro's personal advisor who had done it instead, and the powerful men seated around the table were bested by Sebastian.
Dante, seated and relaxed, shifted his gaze from Sebastian, who wore a triumphant smirk, to his father who was pleased, and his expression remained unreadable. Victor called out, "Dante?"
"Indeed," Dante mused despite himself, and Victor laughed again, the sound unsettling the men at the table whose brows had already knitted together.
Alessandro leaned toward Sebastian's ear, "How did you get it?" he inquired, surprised that he had not even heard from his friend who had secured the chemical Victor had asked everyone to bring, and what baffled him further was that Sebastian had managed it before the rest of them.
Sebastian simply shrugged while Alessandro narrowed his eyes, knowing he would have to ask later. Sebastian returned his gaze to the desk, eyes settling on the whiskey as memories of how he had secured the chemical came back.
He recalled that the chemist had initially refused to hand over his creation, insisting he was the only person capable of making it and refusing to sell it even for a price. "You can kill me if you want, but I'll never hand it over to someone like you, how are you going to get it anyway if I'm already dead?" The chemist asked.
"There's always a way, isn't there?" Sebastian's lips stretched into a cunning smile as he shifted his gaze to one of his bodyguards who stepped forward and turned on the screen of his tablet, showing it to the chemist.
The chemist, who had initially worn an adamant expression as if nothing could make him yield to Sebastian of all people, froze when he saw his wife and child tied up and gagged while Sebastian's men positioned their guns on them.
The little boy, seated on the chair, had the cloth removed from his mouth and began to cry, "Daddy!"
While his mother's gag was also removed, and she whimpered, "Honey, I'm so scared,"
"No" the chemist shook his head in disbelief, panic clawing at him, and then the screen was turned off as the bodyguard returned to his post.
"Please… don't hurt them," the chemist begged, his gaze fixed on Sebastian, whose smirk never faded.
"Would you hand it over now?" Sebastian inquired calmly.
"Please… don't kill them…" the chemist stammered, eyes watering at the sight of his wife and child in danger.
"I won't, as long as you give me what I want," Sebastian responded evenly.
"I'll do what you want… I'll do it," the chemist blurted frantically, unable to bear the thought of losing them, and Sebastian jerked his head at the man holding the chemist down, signaling him to release him.
The chemist was allowed to sit, and he began writing down exactly what Sebastian demanded, hands trembling as he tried to focus. When he finished, he handed the paper to Sebastian, who jerked it off his hands with a skeptical glare, scanning it quickly.
"Is this real?" Sebastian questioned, and the chemist nodded, body trembling, tears streaking down his cheeks.
"Prove it," Sebastian ordered, and the chemist was led to the lab. With unsteady hands, he mixed the chemical components, carefully following the formula until the solution turned the deep blue of midnight, before turning to Sebastian with pleading eyes. "I've proven it… now would you please let my wife and child go?" he asked, voice shaking, mind racing at what they must be enduring.
Sebastian raised a brow, and a shiver ran down the chemist's spine, "That's not how it works," he said coldly.
"W-what? You said you won't hurt them!" the chemist stuttered, body and voice trembling, and he fell to his knees, clutching Sebastian's legs.
"How do I know you wouldn't give this formula to anyone else?" Sebastian asked, voice flat and menacing, "My boss wants this exclusively, and that cannot happen with you alive. I'll have to silence you... understand?"
"No… Please spare my life, I've done what you asked" the chemist pleaded, and Sebastian straightened, jerking his leg free as the chemist crawled after him, lab coat dragging, glasses already blurred.
Before leaving the lab, Sebastian turned to his bodyguard, "Do away with him," he declared, and a single gunshot rang out, silencing the chemist once and for all.
"I've said that whoever secured this for me will have whatever they want… Sebastian… what is it that you want as a reward?" Victor's voice cut through the tension, pulling Sebastian from his thoughts, and he shifted his attention to Victor, letting out a small, almost casual chuckle as if reward had not been on his mind at all.
Dante's eyes narrowed across the chair at Sebastian, and Victor pressed, "What is it? I've promised to give you anything," as he sipped his whiskey, the only man touching his glass while the others remained still, eyes trained on Sebastian.
With the silence lingering in the air, Victor added, "Name your price… it could be anything… or anyone… you've done a brilliant job, you deserve it," and Alessandro sat rigidly, observing both men, while the others mirrored his stillness, the room silent and waiting.
Finally, Sebastian broke the silence, "I want Alessandro's daughter, Isabelle," and the room went quiet, the silence as heavy as a graveyard.