Chapter 8
Frank went pale.
Rocco noticed before the older man spoke.
The shift was tiny.
A pause in his breathing.
A tightening beneath one eye.
Twenty-seven years beside Rocco had taught Frank how to hide fear.
Not perfectly.
Rocco turned.
“Did you sign this?”
Frank stared at the bank notice.
“Yes.”
Dominic leaned back.
Power changed sides again.
Rocco’s voice remained controlled.
“Why?”
Frank swallowed.
“Three years ago the club had a liquidity crisis.”
“I would've known.”
“You were recovering from surgery.”
“That lasted two months.”
“The problem lasted longer.”
Rocco’s fingers closed around his signet ring.
Frank continued.
Revenue had fallen.
Two investments failed.
A renovation went massively over budget.
Dominic was new to management.
Frank feared telling Rocco during recovery would cause him to return before doctors allowed it.
So Frank arranged temporary financing.
Then temporary financing became permanent debt.
Then the rate reset.
Rocco stared at the man he trusted more than almost anyone.
“You hid fourteen million dollars from me.”
Frank’s voice cracked.
“I was trying to keep the club alive.”
Dominic laughed softly.
Rocco looked at him.
Dominic’s eyes were hard.
“That’s the sentence everyone uses around you.”
Rocco said nothing.
Dominic continued.
“Frank hid debt to protect the club. I built the district to protect the club. And somehow you're the only man allowed to pretend protection has clean hands.”
Frank turned toward Dominic.
“You used children and merchants.”
“I solved your problem.”
“You created ten others.”
Dominic’s jaw flexed.
Rocco raised one hand.
Silence returned.
He looked at Frank.
“You're suspended from every financial role.”
Frank closed his eyes.
“Rocco—”
“Leave.”
Frank stood.
His shoulders looked smaller than they had that morning.
At the door he stopped.
“I never took a dollar.”
Rocco’s voice remained quiet.
“I know.”
That was what hurt.
After Frank left, Rocco looked at Dominic.
“You knew about the loan.”
“Since last year.”
“And you never told me.”
“You would've shut everything down, sold assets and blamed everyone.”
“Maybe.”
Dominic leaned forward.
“I was going to make the debt irrelevant.”
“With stolen property.”
“With a district worth forty million.”
Rocco studied him.
Dominic truly believed he was the one adult in the room willing to do what survival required.
Then Samuel entered carrying the ownership documents for Castellano Legacy District.
His face looked wrong.
“Boss.”
Rocco turned.
Samuel placed the trust agreement down.
The land was not ultimately owned by Dominic.
Not by Frank.
Not by North Crest.
May you like
The beneficial owner of the entire redevelopment district was listed as:
Rocco Anthony Castellano.
