Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 33: The Meeting of the Century.

Day before Augustus Lucian funeral.

The scene was like straight out of a movie, a big, straight table with people sitting in those black, low-quality leather chairs, looking at each other with serious eyes, like they were enemies.

And this meeting was unlike any other, because seated at the table were some of the most powerful figures in the nation.

The Director of the International Security Bureau, Stephen Larky

The Director of the National Security Bureau of Investigation, Odin Ress

And the Director of the Intelligence Force, Thomas Servaj

Their presence alone was enough to make the air feel heavier, each of them representing an agency that would rather see the others burn than work together.

"I don't understand why we have a meeting at 7 in the morning. " Odin said with a shrug. "And more importantly, why the hell is the IF here?"

"Two dumbass agencies, one corrupt as hell, the other selling drugs to its own citizens. What a great way to start the morning." Thomas snapped back, casually sipping his coffee.

"Dumbass? You're supposed to run the most intelligent force in the country, and yet I can smell the whiskey in that coffee, you drunk motherfucker." Odin answered, his eyes locked on him.

"My vacation started yesterday, and because of you two who always fuck everything up, we're here. So I'll do whatever the hell I want."

He chuckled, unfazed, but Stephen spoke.

"Your agency was the one that thought putting cameras on pigeons was a good idea. How dumb can you be? Do you not know what drones are?" He scoffed, shaking his head. "Oh wait, let me guess. It was a budget fraud scheme, wasn't it? You two corrupt fuckers will do anything to line your pockets."

Thomas leaned forward, scoffing. "Budget fraud? So the last one that can judge me, you drug smuggling nobody."

But before anyone could comment, the door swung open again.

This time, it wasn't just anyone.

It was the Justice Minister herself.

As the Justice Minister stepped in, the entire atmosphere of the room shifted.

"I could hear you three dumbasses arguing." She said, her voice cold and cutting. "For once, just for an hour, try to be professional."

She tossed a thick folder onto the table.

"Today's early meeting is because James Bellini burned one ton of drugs." She continued. "And if that wasn't enough, we found twelve bodies at the site."

Their faces darkened as they reached for the documents.

Odin clenched his jaw, rubbing his head. "Jesus Christ..."

Thomas closed the folder, his fingers pressing into the table. "One ton." His voice was low, almost disbelieving. "That's not just a statement. That's a war declaration."

"And if that wasn't enough for us to deal with, Augustus Lucian's funeral is tomorrow." She paused, looking at them for a second. "And do any of you idiots know who Lucian's daughter's adoptive father is?"

No one spoke.

She slammed a hand on the table. "James Bellini, which means he had far more connection to Lucian than we ever thought." She folded her arms. "So I'm going to ask this once." Her eyes burned into each of them.

"If any of you had a hand in Lucian's death or the murder of his underbosses, tell me now."

Silence. Heavy. They looked at each other waiting to see who was so dumb do it.

"No." Thomas said casually.

"I may be a lot of things, but I'm not suicidal." Said Odin, looking at the pictures.

Stephen leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "If I wanted Lucian dead, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."

She studied them, looking for any sign of a lie.

After a long pause, she spoke again. "Then we have a much bigger problem."

Her expression hardened as she flipped to another page in the file. "We conducted a top-secret mission...we sent an agent to talk with Lucian. "We disguised her as an NSBI agent." She let the words sink in. "But the moment she stepped out of that meeting... she fled the country."

That caught their attention.

"The main topic of their conversation?" She glanced around the table before dropping the final piece of the puzzle.

"James Bellini."

More silence followed.

"We all know Bellini is dangerous. That's not the point." She tapped the folder again. "The point is that whatever Lucian told her, whatever she heard, was enough to make her disappear before we could even question her."

"So what, we're supposed to believe Lucian just handed her some grand secret about Bellini?" Stephen asked, reading the files.

"Lucian wasn't a fool. If he was talking about Bellini, it meant something." His gaze darkened. "And now he's dead." Odin ran a hand down his face. "Twelve dead dealers. One ton of product burned. A missing agent. And now, Lucian and his underbosses are wiped off the map." He shook his head. "All of it connects to Bellini."

"So what's the plan here? Do we actually try to do something about him?" Thomas asked.

"Try what? We make a move, and he'll know before we even finish our damn paperwork." Thomas let out a laugh.

The Minister gaze hardened. "Then maybe it's time we stop playing by the rules."

Stephen let out a dry laugh. "Oh, should we drone strike him? Or maybe send a hitman?" His voice dripped with sarcasm as he leaned forward. "Because that would totally end well for us."

Thomas took a slow sip of his coffee. "You do realize if Bellini goes down, a war will break out and the government structure will crumble with him, right?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or are we pretending we don't know that?"

The Minister clenched her jaw. "I'm aware. But letting him roam free isn't an option either."

Odin smirked. "Oh? And what is the option, Minister? Because last time I checked, the last person who went after Bellini got sent back to us in pieces."

"What?"

Odin sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Oh, you didn't know?" He shook his head with a smirk. "Yeah, not officially, of course. A little off-the-books operation. You know, just to see if he was as untouchable as people say."

Stephen crossed his arms. "And?"

Odin's smirk faded. "And three days later, we found what was left of our guy. Packaged up nice and neat, delivered to our office, piece by piece." He exhaled sharply. "No fingerprints, no evidence, no witnesses. Just a very clear message."

The room fell silent.

The Minister's grip tightened on the table. "Who authorized that operation?"

"Does it matter? Point is, if you want to take down Bellini, you'd better be ready for the consequences." He leaned in, his voice lowering. "Because the last time we tried? He sent the consequences back to us in a box."

The room tensed as the Minister stood up and stepped forward, her eyes piercing straight through Odin. Her voice was cold, firm.

"I'll ask you one more time...who authorized that operation?"

Odin held her gaze for a moment.

"Look." He said, dragging a hand down his face, "it wasn't me, if that's what you're thinking."

Stephen scoffed. "Then who was it? Because if someone had the balls to go after Bellini without telling us, we all deserve to know."

Odin sighed. "It was one of my deputy directors. Thought he could make a name for himself. Thought Bellini was just another crime boss who could be taken out like the rest." He shook his head.

The Minister didn't blink. "And you let this happen under your watch?"

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Odin clenched his jaw. "I handled it. That deputy director paid for his mistake, trust me."

"And remember the time your idiot agents almost beat him to death?" Stephen scoffed. "They fucking bombed your agency's building in response."

"Don't remind me, but that too wasn't ordered by me."

There was silence for a moment.

"But the problem isn't just Bellini." Thomas started, rubbing his head. "It's that idiot running for mayor, going around saying he's going to 'vanish all gangsters.'"

"Oh yeah, real smart move. Announce to the entire criminal underworld that you're coming for them before you even win the election. What's next? Promising to personally arrest Bellini during his campaign rallies?" Odin laughed.

The Minister shot him a glare as sat back down. "That idiot candidate is still a public figure, and if something does happen to him, it's going to be our mess to clean up."

Stephen sighed. "So, what? We protect him?"

Then Odin chuckled darkly. "From who? Bellini? The other gangs? Hell, half the city wants that guy gone already. Even his own campaign team is probably placing bets on when he'll drop."

She slammed her hand on the table. "I don't care. Whether we like him or not, he's a high-profile candidate. And if he dies, the media, the public, everyone will be screaming for someone to blame." She shot a glare around the room. "And that blame will land right at our feet."

"But what if he actually wins?" Thomas asked, leaning forward. "Isn't his campaign also saying that he'll personally talk with you," He pointed at her "and the President to bring in the army?"

She crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "Yes. He's been running his mouth about that too."

Odin let out a laugh. "Bringing in the army for crime control? What is this, a dictatorship speedrun?"

"Yeah, because that has worked out so well in other countries. The second you put soldiers in the streets, it stops being 'law enforcement' and starts looking like a war zone." Thomas chuckled.

She sighed. "I know that. And I already made it clear to the President that deploying the military for this is out of the question. But this candidate, he's a loudmouth, and people like loudmouths. He's selling them a fantasy. They don't care if it's realistic."

"But we all know why he wants it, right?" Stephen looked at them. "If he brings in the military and takes control, he can get billions worth of product, and you'd have to be dumb to think he's going to burn it. No, he's going to sell it, move it through his people, and make a fortune while pretending he's doing it for the greater good. And when the dust settles, guess who's going to be sitting on top, richer than ever?"

"Exactly, no way he's just gonna burn all that. That whole 'for the greater good' act is just a cover. He's playing the long game, making sure he's the one cashing in while everyone else thinks he's some kind of hero. Classic move." Odin agreed with him only this time.

"There is no going to be a military in this city." She said while slapping the table. "And we cant even sabotage his program."

"Why?" Stephen asked.

"Because he is dating the vice president's daughter..." She said with an annoyed expression.

"Ewww." Odin leaned back, grabbing his head.

"Arrest him, they have 20 years between them" Thomas laughed.

"The girl is 26, so that's legal" She leaned back the fist time in the chair.

"So we have a wannabe hero whose action would throw the city into more suffering, and a mafia boss, who basically declared war."

"That's why we're having this meeting." She looked at each of them, her gaze piercing. "We need to decide now before this spirals out of control."

"Decide exactly what?" Odin asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Justice Minister's next words made the entire room fall silent.

"To officially make peace with Bellini."