Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 34: Drug Trading Agency.

There was absolute silence in the room. Everyone just stared at the Justice Minister as if they were dreaming.

Stephen blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Well, damn. Never thought I'd live to see the day." Thomas let out a laugh.

Odin rubbed his chin. "So, what's the plan? We sit down with him like we're negotiating with a foreign power?"

The Justice Minister nodded. "If that's what it takes." She exhaled, glancing at the documents in front of her. "Like it or not, Bellini holds power in ways we don't. If this idiot candidate wins and actually tries to 'clean up the city' with brute force, we'll be dealing with a war on two fronts, against the criminals and against public unrest. And if that happens..."

Stephen sighed, shaking his head. "Then we're fucked."

"But this is high risk," Stephen said, his tone more serious than before. "We joke about him, but let's not forget, our agents have died because of him."

"Yeah, and if we don't do something, more of our agents are gonna die. Probably worse." Odin added.

"We're not making peace because we want to. We're doing it because the alternative is getting dragged into a war we can't win." She said.

"So we're just making the same mistake as Faunda? We all know what happened there, the government collapsed, and a fucking war broke out. Tens of thousands dead." Thomas asked, smiling at them.

"Faunda failed because they let every cartel have a seat at the table. We're talking about one man. One operation. Controlled and contained." She said.

Odin shook his head. "You think Bellini is controllable? The second he realizes he has more power than us, he won't need our permission for anything."

Thomas leaned back, swirling his coffee. "That's assuming he even agrees. You think a man like him will take orders from politicians? If he says no, then what?"

"Then we go to war." The Justice Minister said bluntly.

Silence.

"We can't win a war against him." Odin sighed.

"That's why we're here. We either bring Bellini into the system, or we prepare for a war we will lose. There is no third option."

Stephen sighed "And what? We set up a meeting with him? Sit across from a man who's buried more bodies than all of us combined?"

The Justice Minister met his gaze. "Yes."

Odin let out a dry laugh. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

"But how do we do it? Send him an email invitation or what?" Odin asked.

"No, I have somebody. Come in, Leila."

As Leila stepped into the room, she felt tense and uncomfortable under the gaze of the country's most powerful figures.

"Please don't tell me she's a—"

"Yes, she's an office worker." Minster interrupted

"We're sending an untrained office worker to meet with him?" Stephen scoffed.

"No, just to deliver a message."

Leila shifted uncomfortably under the weight of their stares. She already regretted agreeing to this.

Odin leaned back with a smirk. "Great. We're sending someone who probably can't even hold eye contact with him, let alone deliver a message without pissing herself."

The Minister shot Odin a sharp look. "She's not here to negotiate. She hands him the letter, and she leaves. That's it."

Thomas sipped his coffee. "Assuming he lets her leave."

"Bellini never puts his hands on women, so don't worry, Leila. If you have anything to ask, ask it." The Minister reassured her.

Leila hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I just don't understand... why do we fear him this much? There are bigger drug lords in the country."

The room went silent. She had asked the dumbest question imaginable

"Because in just two years, he's managed to put half the government in his pocket, controls the wealthiest elites in the country... and he's not even thirty." Odin said.

Stephen looked directly at her. "There are bigger figures, sure, but he's different. He doesn't just run drugs...he controls information."

"And unlike the other drug lords, he doesn't deal with lowlifes. No street gangs, no messy turf wars. He sells only to the rich and powerful. He's their supplier." Thomas let out a bitter laugh. "And the worst part? They protect him. He's not just some thug with an empire he's connected." Thomas finished.

The room fell silent for a moment before the Justice Minister finally spoke. "So tell me are you still wondering why we fear him this much?"

"I got it..." She said with a shaky voice.

The Minister held their gaze, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. "Then we meet."

"Meet where? A coffee shop? A five-star restaurant? You think Bellini is just gonna show up like a normal citizen?" Odin scoffed.

Stephen shook his head. "That's a death trap. He could set us up, have us all wiped out the second we step in."

"We don't have a choice. Whether we like it or not, Bellini has become too powerful to ignore. If we refuse to meet, we admit weakness. If we attack, we start a war we cannot win."

Odin sighed, locking eyes with her.. "So let me get this straight. we're just hoping he wants to talk and not put a bullet in our heads?"

"No. We're betting on it."

Silence filled the room.

Stephen exhaled. "And if we lose that bet?"

"Then we won't live long enough to regret it."

"Okay, but what happens after that, what exactly do we want from him?" Odin asked.

"We want him to lead the DTA."

"DTA? What is that?"

"Drug Trading Agency. It will be a shadow agency, no public records. Only we and the president will know about it. If Bellini agrees, he will slowly take control of the entire country's drug trade."

"This is a dream... You said we were making peace, not putting him in a position in the government." Odin said with disbelief.

Stephen leaned back, rubbing his jaw. "You want to hand over the entire country's drug trade to Bellini? Give him full control?"

She nodded. "Yes. If we can't destroy the drug trade, we regulate it. And if we regulate it, we need someone who already has control."

Odin shook his head in disbelief. "This is insane... You're saying we're going to let Bellini run the underground economy?"

Thomas chuckled darkly. "Oh, this isn't just letting him. This is putting a crown on his head and calling him the Drug King officially."

Leila remained quiet, watching their reactions.

"Alright, let's pretend for a second that we go through with this. What happens when Bellini decides he doesn't need us anymore? When he gets too powerful to control?"

The Justice Minister folded her hands together. "That's why this agency DTA will operate in the shadows. We control the flow, and Bellini becomes a piece in our game."

Odin let out a laugh. "No. No, you're wrong. We become a piece in his game. You think Bellini will just play nice and follow our rules?"

"That's a risk we take. Because the alternative is worse, war, chaos, and an economy that will collapse."

"We're really considering this..." Stephen leaned forward putting his hand together.

"He's selective, disciplined. He doesn't work with cartels, he doesn't sell to street-level gangs. If anyone else controlled the trade, the streets would be flooded with tainted, deadly products. Bellini only sells pure, uncut supply, to the wealthy. If he's in charge, overdose rates drop, violent gang wars slow down, and—"

"And the money comes in." Stephen finished bitterly.

She gave a slow nod. "Exactly. The revenue will be massive. No more wasted resources on pointless drug busts, no more bloody power struggles in the streets. And most importantly, we get to keep the balance."

Odin leaned back, running a hand down his face. "This is either the smartest move we've ever made... or the dumbest."

Thomas smirked, sipping his coffee. "Well, gentlemen... are we really about to make James Bellini untouchable?"

"So, let's summarize it," Stephen said, leaning back in his chair. "We put James Bellini in a position where he oversees and controls all drug trade in the country. In return, we make a profit, stabilize the market, and, most importantly, keep him from exposing the government."

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"Exactly. Bellini is already running half the system from the shadows. This way, we ensure that we control him instead of the other way around."

"This is another level of corruption..." Stephen muttered, shaking his head.

"It is," the Justice Minister admitted, her voice calm. "But the money that would come in could help us. Our healthcare system is in ruins, people are dying from hunger in the countryside, and I don't even want to talk about the rising overdose rates."

"And what about our agents?" Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes.

"All operations against Bellini will be stopped immediately."

Odin scoffed. "You mean to tell me that after years of chasing him, we're just gonna act like he doesn't exist?"

"Not exactly," she said, placing her hands on the table. "We're going to act like he's one of us."

The room remained silent, the weight of her words settling over them like a storm cloud.

"You mean... officially recognize him?" Thomas asked his eye wide opened,.

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking. On paper, he won't exist. No records, no trails. To the public, he's just another ghost. But behind closed doors, he'll be working with us, not against us."

Odin laughed up "This is insanity. Bellini isn't some politician we can manipulate. He's a damn kingpin. If we do this, we're giving him absolute power."

There was silince as she slowly stood up.

"Look at me, all of you!" She shouted suddenly. "Our country is already teetering on the edge of dictatorship, wrapped in the thin illusion of democracy. We all have secrets. Our agencies are compromised, half our agents are either scared or bribed, leaking classified documents to the highest bidder. And I don't even want to mention the government officials."

She let her words sink in before continuing.

"We are told to serve the people. To protect this country. But let's not fool ourselves, we've stolen, we've lied, we've done things we can never take back. Does that make us bad people?" She exhaled. "Maybe. But we're still here. And if we want to keep this country from collapsing into absolute chaos, we need to make choices no one else can."

Her gaze hardened. "This isn't about morality anymore. It's about survival."

"So let's vote." She raised her hand, her expression unreadable as she looked at each of them, waiting.

They exchanged glances, their faces tense. Some hesitated, fingers twitching as if the weight of their decision pressed down on them.

One by one, hands rose into the air.

No hesitation. No second thoughts.

All of them voted yes.

The Justice Minister let out a slow breath, glancing around the room. Even those who had been the most resistant, the most vocal about their doubts, had their hands raised.

"It's decided," she said, her voice steady. "We bring Bellini in."

A heavy silence followed. There was no applause, no satisfaction, only the weight of what they had just agreed to.

Odin ran a hand down his face. "God help us all."