Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss

As James got out of the car, Frederick was already waiting for him, but he was stressing as fuck. Of course he did, as he just got robbed without even noticing.

"Mr. Bellini—"

"You fucked up." Hector said from the side. "Fucked up so much that I don't even know what's going to happen." He finished and James slowly walked past Frederick up the stairs.

First, he didn't move, just said a silent prayer and turned to go after James and the others.

In the bank, there was panic, they sent every customer home, and everyone was looking at documents, shouting at each other, looking back at the cameras, but as James walked in silence, everyone just stared at him, as his cane knocked on the floor as he went toward the offices.

They knew that might be their day to die, at least that's what they thought as they saw Richie getting dragged somewhere and didn't come back. And this fear just got more intense as after James, dozens of guards came into the bank. It looked more like a robbery than what actually happened to them.

And as James went up the stairs and stepped into the office, pain shot up in his legs. It was intense and painful, as he didn't take his meds, so he immediately sat down as Frederick arrived with the others.

"So?" James asked as Frederick sat down too.

First he looked at Hector, then back to James, already sweating like hell. "So…?"

James shook his head with a little laugh as he leaned back. "Where the fuck is my money?"

"Uhm, that's a very good questi—"

The click of the safety. James didn't point the gun at him, no, it was in his lap as he stared at him.

"Okay, okay." He put up his hands. "I... Somebody informed them from the inside, it could be anybody in here, but I can't give a right answer to who it would be." He said. "Richie said he only knew about the robbery of the truck, but what happened inside he didn't know, he didn't." He said and then saw the guard who took Richie away and pointed a finger at him. "Ask him, he was the one that dragged him somewhere!"

"He is dead." The guard said calmly, looking at Frederick. "And said nothing, only talked about…" He pulled out his phone. "A gang with names Oli, Fanni, and Gabi, some childhood gang or what the fuck, that made a deal with Nerozzi to rob the truck. But they fucked up. Richie thought only 4 million was in the truck and didn't know whose money it was nor who James Bellini is." He said, putting back the phone.

"You heard it." James said.

"But I still don't know!" He shouted, clearly stressed.

James closed his eyes and let out a breath as he leaned forward, putting the gun on the table. "I don't care about the money. But—" He now aimed at Frederick. "You are a bank fucking director, and don't know who the fuck has access to the money, or who can at least inform somebody about the money moving? Because they said it was a woman, who told them to switch the boxes, so who could that be? Who knew about the transfer or could hear it talking about it?"

Frederick thought about it as fast as he could as he was literally staring down a gun. Who would be someone who hears him talking with clients, talking about transfers, or anything else related to money, someone that is invisible but still there…

"Elizabeth…" He said as he looked down at the desk, his eyes widening.

"Who is that?"

"My assistant… but she wouldn't do something like—"

"Where is she?" Hector asked as he pulled out his pistol.

Frederick didn't want to answer. Elizabeth was someone he trusted, someone who'd never do such a dumb thing. He knew whose money it was. She knew what would happen.

His hands started shaking as he realized she was going to die…but if he didn't answer, he's the one that's going to die.

"In the office next to us."

As he said it, James clicked back the safety and Hector went out of the room with three guards toward the next office beside them. He leaned to the door and heard some kind of machine going like a printer sound… or a paper shredder.

He immediately tried to open it, but the door was locked, so he started banging on it, but the machine from inside started sounding like it was overloaded. Hector looked to the side and signaled one of the guards who busted the door down with his body.

Hector immediately, with his pistol up, went into the office and there she was.

Elizabeth, with an expression on her face that just shouted that she fucked up. A paper in her hand as she froze, looking at Hector. But she wasn't finished, so as fast as she could, she put the document into the shredder, but Hector quickly stepped to her, hit her head with the grip and pulled out the document of the shredder, or at least half of them that were still readable.

He immediately understood what was that rush from her, because the documents were transactions and cash deposits, but the numbers weren't matching, nor did they have official signatures or stamps.

She was stealing money, or she was stealing for someone else.

"Get that bitch up!" He shouted, pointing his pistol at her as he went through the documents lying on the desk.

As she was dragged into the office, Frederick's eyes widened seeing her eyebrow split open, blood flowing down on her head, but she was up and conscious.

"This bitch was stealing money and you didn't even notice it?!" Hector came into the office, throwing documents at Frederick.

"What… that's not possible…" He said as he quickly went through the documents, but it was real.

"Look at that!" Hector pointed at the document. "With salami slicing? With that fucking move, she stole millions!"

"Salami slicing?" James asked as he grabbed one of the papers.

"They use that method to steal small amounts from large transactions." Hector pointed at a part. "Look, more than 140 million dollars came into the bank in 43 transactions, and she cut out 5 percent of them." He looked back at Frederick. "Five fucking percent and you don't even notice it?!" He shouted once again.

James looked at the document, but to be true, he didn't know what the fuck was going on, as there were so many numbers on it and so many transactions.

"But it's not our money." He said.

"It's not, but with this she could easily switch the boxes too." Hector looked at her and slapped her face twice. "Who the fuck are you working with, huh?" He slapped her again. "Tell me, you genius bitch!"

But her reaction wasn't what they expected it to be, no, she wasn't scared at all, she smiled.

"That's why I hate rich people." She said, coughing. "So much money, don't even know how much in the bank, so much money, don't even care if some of it disappears." She coughed again. "I stole millions, and still not even one of them noticed it." She laughed, but Hector wasn't that happy about it and wanted to slap her once again, but James spoke.

"You are a genius, miss." He said as he looked at her. "But tell me, did you steal from me?"

"Ohh… James Bellini." She looked at him with a smile. "The man himself, the man who deposits hundreds of millions in cash… but no, I only stole from politicians." She said, spitting out some blood from her mouth.

"Politicians…?" Frederick asked, as he was ready to faint.

"When I tasted luxury…" She started again. "I started understanding corruption, and why they're doing it." She looked back at James. "Millions upon millions stolen from funds land in this bank… that could be spent on hospitals, on schools, on education, but no, it came here… so I stole from it, it's my money, it's my taxes. But from you, James Bellini, I never laid my hand on the money, because I know you never stole from the poor. No, you only steal lives, but not money." She smiled. "So steal my life too. I already spent the money, bought Birkins, jewelry, already made my family rich… so do it, steal my life, Bellini."

There was silence as she said it, only his ragged breath could be heard as everyone just waited for him to say something, anything, but what came was just a laugh.

James laughed at her, but the laugh was genuine, like it was actually funny.

"I like you, Elizabeth, I really do, but…" He leaned forward a bit. "Where is my 40 million, more importantly who are you working with?"

She looked up again, her vision slightly blurred as the blood looked into her eyes.

"I accidentally stole from a woman. I thought she was a politician… but that woman somehow found out and tracked me down. She said she would murder my family… so I did what she asked to protect them."

James and Hector looked at each other.

"Who was the woman?" Hector asked, slightly adjusting his stance toward Bella.

"Isabella Conti."