Accepting a Loving Heart

Chapter 17: Betrayal

Luc's POV

I stared at the faces of all the branch leaders as they joined the virtual meeting I presided over. I saw all my phantoms join in as well. Surprisingly no one was absent today for the first time. Perhaps they all knew already about what happened in Greece. Or at the risk of sounding pompous, they decided to join the meeting because I called for it for the first time in years. Nobody spoke as they came into view. I was still not sure that calling a full meeting was the wisest choice. If my phantoms were driving this rebellion and there were branch members unaware of it, seeing that rebellion from the top could make the others who were undecided about the situation join in too. Perhaps the best way would have been to confront the phantoms separately. But my gut instinct was to call for a big meeting so that I confront the weasels in my gang together.

I stared at everyone's faces and frowned. I recognized none of them as the branch leaders I appointed. Instead, 90% of the branch leaders were people I knew were from the Pietro gang previously. I felt my blood pressure rise at that. Where were all my appointed gang leaders?

"I called this meeting for only the branch leaders. If there is someone here who isn't the leader, then get out now." I told them and waited to see their reaction. None of them left. It meant that all of them were indeed their branch leaders.

I stared at them for the longest time and what I should do next became immediately clearer to me. I muted all of my phantoms, allowing them no chance to speak or interfere in my meeting.

"It's been a pretty long time since I saw all of your ugly mugs together." I told them. Some smirked at that. Some shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"I am sure, you must all be wondering why I called a meeting out of the blue for the whole gang." I said and paused to watch their reactions.

"You see..I paid a visit to the Greece branch and found something that didn't sit well with me. I am sure that most of you must know about what happened there..unless you are slow." I said watchfully. Not a single person reacted like it was a surprise. I smiled at that. At least, our internal grapevine moved fast and that wasn't a bad thing.

"I've been told that I didn't give them a proper budget. So I'll ask all of you here now. Is there anyone here who didn't get the budget I assigned to them?" I asked them.

There was no reply.

"Let me ask another question. Is there anyone who feels the budget I assigned to them is not sufficient?" I asked again and again was met with no answer.

"Should I take no answer to mean you have no problem with your budget? Speak up now or the next time I hear anyone bitch about their budget, I will simply cut them off from the gang. If they think that's too cruel, I would have no problem wiping them out of existence. So, your chance to bitch about it is now. Go on..say what you want." I told them.

Everyone looked nervous at that. I saw Hugo wanted to speak but of course I had muted him and he couldn't unmute it from his app.

After a while of silence I sighed.

"Your chance is over now." I said dourly.

"Alright, next, I would like to ask whether you were ever refused help when you requested for it." I asked them.

People looked a little restless but there was no answer. Why were they not answering? Was this their way of rebelling? I had no way to know until I could make them speak.

"Alright. If there's nothing, I want you to send me your fight report and last budget use report right now for the last three years. Make it fast." I told them and watched as some disappeared from their respective camera views to attend to the task I assigned to them. I have noticed that Hugo had not collected the fight and budget use reports for the last three years. Since those two reports are mandated by me to be done every month, I knew that all branches would have those ready to supply to me anytime I wanted. If they didn't do it, they could be immediately dismissed from the branch leader position. I watched as the data started coming in when the branches started uploading the reports to the portal I opened for it. The data was immediately analyzed by Inci. Within ten minutes all the requested info was sent and I was able to sort out the anomalies. Quite intriguingly, the gang leaders with Pietro associations, reported no fights internally and no one dead or injured within the last three years.