Chapter 9 - The Man Who Stole The Gambino Heirs
The silence inside the penthouse was unbearable.
Not the peaceful kind.
Not the quiet of a sleeping home.
This was the silence of panic.
The kind that came before everything changed.
Simon Gambino stood frozen in the nursery doorway.
The room that had become his only place of peace was now empty.
The cribs were still there.
The blankets were still there.
The small toys were still scattered across the floor.
But his sons were gone.
For a man who had spent his entire life controlling situations, Simon suddenly had nothing to control.
And that terrified him more than any enemy ever had.
“Lock down the building.”
His voice came out low.
Everyone moved instantly.
Guards rushed through the penthouse.
Security alarms activated.
Elevators stopped.
Every exit was sealed.
But Simon barely noticed.
His eyes remained fixed on the empty crib.
Natasha stood behind him.
She had seen powerful people lose control before.
But never like this.
Simon Gambino was not thinking about his empire.
Not about revenge.
Not about money.
Only two babies.
“Simon.”
He didn’t answer.
“Simon, look at me.”
Slowly, he turned.
And Natasha saw something she had never seen before.
Fear.
Real fear.
“He took them.”
His voice was almost a whisper.
“Victor took them.”
Natasha stepped closer.
“We’re going to find them.”
Simon looked at her.
“How?”
The question was not angry.
It was broken.
For the first time, he sounded like someone who didn’t know what to do.
Natasha placed a hand on the table.
“We think.”
Simon stared at her.
“What?”
“You always react first.”
A pause.
“But Victor planned this.”
She looked around the room.
“He wanted you angry. He wanted you to make a mistake.”
Simon’s jaw tightened.
Because she was right.
Again.
Victor knew him.
Victor knew exactly how he would respond.
Natasha continued.
“We need to think like him.”
Simon took a deep breath.
Then he turned toward his security team.
“Find every camera. Every vehicle. Every communication record from the last twelve hours.”
The guards nodded.
“And bring Isabella back.”
A pause.
“Alive.”
Natasha noticed the choice of words.
Even after everything…
Even after betrayal…
Simon still did not want his sister harmed.
That told her more about him than anything else.
Minutes later, the first information arrived.
A security officer entered.
“Mr. Gambino.”
Simon looked up.
“We found Victor’s vehicle.”
“Where?”
“Abandoned three blocks away.”
Simon’s expression changed.
“Of course.”
Natasha looked at him.
“What?”
“He wanted us to find it.”
The guard nodded.
“There’s more.”
He placed a small device on the table.
“It was inside the vehicle.”
Simon picked it up.
A recording device.
Another message.
He pressed play.
Victor’s voice filled the room.
“Simon.”
Everyone became silent.
“You always believed power was about controlling people.”
A short laugh.
“But Elena understood something you never did.”
Simon’s face hardened.
“She understood that people don’t follow fear forever.”
Victor continued.
“They follow the person who gives them hope.”
Natasha listened carefully.
Because Victor was not speaking like someone who wanted money.
He sounded like someone who believed he was right.
“You built everything on intimidation.”
The recording continued.
“I built something better.”
A pause.
“I built loyalty.”
Simon stopped the recording.
The room went silent.
Natasha looked at him.
“He thinks he’s saving the family.”
Simon’s expression was cold.
“No.”
A pause.
“He thinks he deserves it.”
The security team continued searching.
Then another message arrived.
This time from Isabella.
Simon immediately answered.
Her voice came through.
“Simon.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“Where are my sons?”
Silence.
Then:
“I’m sorry.”
Simon’s expression changed.
“Isabella.”
“I tried to stop him.”
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know.”
The anger returned.
“You knew about Victor.”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing.”
Her voice broke.
“Because I was trying to protect you.”
Simon laughed quietly.
A painful sound.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Simon—”
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“You all keep deciding what I can handle.”
Silence.
Then Isabella whispered:
“Elena knew.”
Simon froze.
“What?”
“Before she died, Elena found out about Victor.”
Natasha looked at him.
Isabella continued.
“She didn’t trust anyone.”
“Then why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because she knew you would go after him.”
Simon said nothing.
“She left evidence.”
Natasha immediately understood.
“The storage unit.”
“Yes.”
Isabella’s voice became urgent.
“There was another file.”
Simon looked at the security team.
“What file?”
“A backup plan.”
The room became still.
“What does that mean?”
Isabella answered:
“Elena prepared for the possibility that Victor would succeed.”
Simon’s eyes narrowed.
“She knew?”
“She suspected.”
A pause.
“She also knew someone would need to protect the twins.”
Natasha looked at Simon.
A terrible realization appeared.
Elena had been planning for this.
Even before she died.
“She left something for you,” Isabella said.
“What?”
“A location.”
Simon grabbed his jacket.
“Where?”
But before Isabella answered…
The call disconnected.
Simon stared at the phone.
No signal.
Natasha looked at him.
“He cut the call.”
Simon nodded.
“He’s watching us.”
The realization was immediate.
Victor wasn’t hiding.
He was leading them.
A game.
A message.
A challenge.
Then Natasha noticed something.
The baby monitor.
It was still connected.
A small light blinked.
“Simon.”
He turned.
“What?”
“The nursery camera.”
They rushed toward the screen.
Static.
Then suddenly…
An image appeared.
Victor.
Sitting in a dark room.
Holding one of the twins.
The other baby was beside him.
Both children were calm.
Safe.
For now.
Simon stepped closer.
“Victor.”
The screen flickered.
Victor smiled.
“Hello, Simon.”
His voice was calm.
Almost friendly.
“Where are my sons?”
Victor looked down at the babies.
“They’re with me.”
Simon’s expression became deadly.
“Bring them back.”
Victor shook his head.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That I’m not your enemy.”
Simon laughed.
A cold, dangerous sound.
“You kidnapped my children.”
“I protected them.”
The words shocked everyone.
Victor continued.
“Do you know what Elena discovered?”
Simon said nothing.
“She discovered that your enemies were preparing to destroy this family.”
Victor looked directly into the camera.
“She wanted to save the children.”
“By taking them?”
“No.”
Victor smiled sadly.
“By changing who raised them.”
The room became silent.
Natasha felt something was wrong.
Victor believed every word he said.
That made him more dangerous.
“You killed Elena.”
Simon’s voice was controlled.
Victor’s expression changed.
“No.”
A pause.
“But I couldn’t stop it.”
Simon froze.
“What?”
Victor looked away.
“Your sister was involved.”
Everyone became still.
Isabella.
The betrayal.
The lies.
Everything connected.
“I tried to warn Elena.”
Victor continued.
“But she wouldn’t listen.”
Simon’s eyes narrowed.
“Where are you?”
Victor smiled.
“Come find out.”
The screen went black.
The room returned to silence.
But now Simon knew something.
Victor was not just running.
He was waiting.
Natasha looked at him.
“What are you going to do?”
Simon picked up his coat.
“I’m going to bring my sons home.”
“And Victor?”
Simon paused.
For a moment, Natasha expected the old Simon.
The dangerous one.
The man everyone feared.
Instead, he looked toward the nursery.
Toward the empty cribs.
Then he said:
“First, I save my family.”
A pause.
“Then I find the truth.”
Outside, the city continued moving.
People walked.
Cars passed.
Life continued normally.
But somewhere in the darkness of New York, two babies were being held by a man who believed he was the hero.
And Simon Gambino was coming for them.
Not as a crime boss.
May you like
Not as a man seeking revenge.
But as a father.
