The loud knocks on his office door startled the Don. So absorbed in reading the latest news, it took him a minute to respond to whoever was on the other side. "Come in," he said grimly, setting the newspapers down on his desk.
The wooden door creaked as a man in a black tuxedo entered. Everyone in the brotherhood called him Sebastian, though his real name was Carlos Cadavos. He'd been the Don's right hand for two decades, earning the reputation of the Don's shadow.
Sebastian walked confidently toward the desk, placing a sealed envelope in front of the Don. Don Alejandro ripped open the top of the envelope and scanned its contents. His face soured almost instantly, and his eyes flared with anger. In his hand was terrible news.
"The Dragons have interfered—"
The Don raised a finger, silencing him. "Tell me, and be direct about it, Sebastian. What exactly happened?"
"The Dragons managed to snatch the partnership with the Rodriguez family."
"I already know that, damn it!" he bellowed, clenching his fist as he glared at Sebastian, fury burning in his eyes. "I want to know how and why it happened."
"There was an encounter, Don Alejandro. Turns out, someone has been feeding information to the rival group."
"Fuck!!!" The Don screamed, slamming his hands on the glass table and sweeping the stacks of papers off it. "Tell me you've identified the mole, or else—"
"We already have, Don. He's in the torture room."
"Voy a matar a esa mierda!" (I will kill that shit!) the Don muttered under his breath as he stormed toward the door, with Sebastian following closely behind.
"But you can't kill him yet, Don Alejandro. He says he has information about the golden key."
The Don stopped in his tracks, his temper flaring. "Are you telling me that after decades of searching for that key, it was now recovered? And that it was just in the hands of the Dragon Brotherhood?"
"Yes, Don Alejandro. Once we get that, the wealth your ancestors left behind—both for your family and the Brotherhood—will finally be returned to you, the rightful owner."
"We need to extract that information from the traitor," the Don said, his voice cold, "and then kill him afterward."
Sebastian and the Don entered the small room where the mole sat tied to an electric chair, wearing only his Calvin Klein underwear. The man was in his fifties, bruised and bloodied, but the Don knew exactly who he was.
"Mr. Renato Salcedo," the Don spat, disgust thick in his voice. "A business tycoon. A renowned surgeon, not just in this country, but all over the world. You were accepted into the Alpha Brotherhood like a true family member. And now here you are—tied like a dog, sitting in the infamous electric chair of the Alphas."
Renato groaned in pain as the Don landed a solid punch to his stomach. His face was nearly unrecognizable, but that didn't stop the Don from landing another blow, making the traitor spit blood onto the floor. "Tell me," the Don grunted, his voice low and dangerous. "Why did you betray your family?"
Instead of answering, Renato let out a manic laugh, a hollow sound. "Y-you're crazy, Don Alejandro, that's why!"
Sebastian stepped forward, pressing the button on the electric chair. Renato's body spasmed as the current coursed through him, his eyes bulging from the shock. The Don raised his hand, signaling for Sebastian to stop.
Renato slumped in the chair, his head hanging low. But even in his weakened state, a weak laugh escaped from his bloodstained mouth.
"Tell me, Mr. Salcedo," the Don asked again, his voice strained, a mix of anger and frustration, "What did the Dragons offer you that made you betray your family?"
"S-something you'll never give me, y-you son of a bitch!" Renato slurred, his voice ragged. "Greater power!"
"You ungrateful motherfucker," the Don snarled, pressing a lit cigarette onto the traitor's skin, making him scream in pain again. "I gave you money, influence, and immunity. What else do you want?"
"It's simple, Don Alejandro," Sebastian interjected, his voice cold. "He wants to replace you in the Brotherhood."
"Yes!" Renato spat, his voice laced with venom. "You want your whore daughter to inherit your position, when both of us know she's not—"
Another loud scream filled the room as the Don, furious beyond reason, pressed the button on the electric chair again. The chair rattled, sending more electric shocks through Renato's body, the sound of his agonized screams filling the air.
"Say it again, I dare you!" yelled Don Alejandro. By now, the smell of burning flesh began to fill the room, and Renato's breathing grew erratic, his body twitching involuntarily.
The Don stepped back from the chair.
"You've betrayed your Alpha brothers. Do you know what happens next after we toast you in the chair?"
"N-no! Spare my wife and daughter, Don Alejandro."
The Don's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "It seems your arrogance is gone now," he said with a harsh laugh. "What you did was a grave offense to the Alphas. Now your sweet teenage daughter and your beautiful wife will suffer the same fate as the traitors who came before you."
"No—Don Alejandro, please… not my wife and daughter…"
"You should have thought of them before you betrayed me, Renato Salcedo!" the Don said coldly as he turned to leave. "Put an end to his misery," he commanded the goons.
"W-wait! I-I have information about your missing key!" the man said, desperation and weariness evident in his voice. But, the Don didn't even pause. His anger was too great to entertain the man's last words. He was confident he could find the missing heirloom without the help of a traitor.
Hence, the last sound he heard as he walked down the dark hallway was Renato's terrified scream.
A few days later, the body of the famous surgeon was found floating in the filthy waters of Manila Bay. Soon after, law enforcement discovered the decaying bodies of his wife and teenage daughter in their mansion in the Green Valley subdivision. Autopsies revealed that the brutal deaths were the result of rape and flogging.
"This is what happens when they mess with the Alphas, Sebastian," the Don said, as he inserted a flash drive recovered from Renato's belongings into his computer. At last, he knew where to find the long-lost family heirloom.
"The Alphas don't give mercy," Sebastian said, raising his wineglass in a silent toast to the Don.