Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 473: Chapter 69 Political War Begins

Daniel’s POV

I’d spent the better part of a week trying to repair the damage with Lila. Her withdrawal cut deeper than any blade—quiet, distant, always claiming exhaustion or burying herself in law textbooks. The suspicion flickering in those amber eyes was impossible to miss. Desperate to bridge the chasm between us, I took her back to the Thorne family’s private estate upstate—the same secluded retreat where we’d celebrated her birthday. A weekend away from the suffocating politics of our families and the constant threat of exposure.

The getaway worked its magic slowly. Her genuine smiles returned, and we remained inseparable during those precious days. Still, beneath the surface intimacy, I could sense her lingering doubts about the Sasha situation. The questions she was too afraid to ask hung between us like shadows.

Monday arrived with the brutality of a sledgehammer. I strode into the precinct with one crystal-clear objective: eliminate the Sasha complication from my existence permanently. This marriage fraud had to be buried before it destroyed everything I’d built with Lila. I’d barely settled into my office when Adler intercepted me, his expression spelling catastrophe.

”Daniel, we’ve got a serious problem,” he began, studying my face as if calculating how violently I might detonate.

”What fresh hell is this, Adler?” I tossed my pen onto the desk and leaned back, already bracing for impact.

He didn’t sugarcoat the poison. ”Your old man’s convinced the governor to transfer you back to Greenleaf. The Commissioner’s fighting it tooth and nail, but he’s losing ground fast. Looks like he’ll have to cave within days.”

”Son of a bitch!” My fist connected with the armrest, the sound echoing through my office. ”My father’s got no boundaries when it comes to controlling my life. This reeks of Martinez family manipulation.”

”That’s exactly what this is,” Adler confirmed grimly. ”I’ve been pushing the Commissioner to keep resisting, but the pressure from Albany is enormous. Nobody wants to cross someone with your father’s reach into the political machine.”

”Keep applying pressure,” I commanded, my mind already calculating countermoves. ”I’ll activate some of my own connections. See what cards I can play from my end.”

Adler studied me with genuine concern. ”You planning to negotiate with your father directly?”

”That would be a waste of breath and ammunition. But I’ve got other allies in this city who owe me favors. Check what flexibility the Commissioner has left, and keep me informed of any angles where I can apply leverage.”

After Adler departed, I sat alone in the mounting tension, contemplating my next strategic move. When he returned hours later while I was briefing Dominic about the ongoing search for his missing father, the defeat written across Adler’s features told me he had no progress to report. The transfer threat remained very real.

Once Dominic and Adler left my office, I realized the time had come to cash in political debts. I despised mixing genuine friendship with personal advantage, but desperation left me no alternative routes. I grabbed my secure phone and arranged an emergency lunch with Xavier and Caleb.

When the appointed hour arrived, I was already positioned at our usual table in the back corner of Torrino’s, nursing a scotch and my escalating anxiety.

”Well, if it isn’t the mighty Inspector Daniel Martinez gracing us mere mortals with his presence!” Xavier announced as he approached, that trademark smirk lighting up his face.

”You’re still an insufferable comedian,” I shot back, while Xavier’s laughter filled the space around us. ”Caleb, how do you tolerate this clown?”

Caleb shrugged with practiced amusement. ”Honestly, I question that decision daily.”

”Come on now,” Xavier said, dropping into his chair with theatrical confidence. ”You both worship the ground I walk on.” His expression shifted to deadly serious. ”For you to call an emergency meeting saying you needed our help, this must be significant. What’s the situation?”

”I’m facing a major threat to everything I’ve built,” I admitted with a heavy exhale.

”Another crisis?” Caleb chuckled darkly. ”What could possibly top an ex-wife who’s legally not your ex and a tyrannical crime boss father?”

”Nothing surpasses that combination of nightmares,” I conceded. ”But my tyrannical crime boss father has decided to leverage the governor into transferring me back to Greenleaf, where he can monitor my every breath.”

Caleb cut me off with a raised hand. ”Say no more. I’ll contact the governor personally this afternoon. Xavier, your father needs to make that call too. He and the governor have deep ties from their Wall Street days. Two influential voices carrying more weight than one.”

”Absolutely,” Xavier nodded with fierce determination. ”Dad would be thrilled to help. He’s always despised your father’s heavy-handed control tactics. Too obvious, too messy for his taste.”

”I’m in your debt,” I said, feeling the first wave of relief wash over me in days.

”Don’t insult us with that talk,” Caleb said firmly. ”You owe us nothing. If anything, the debt flows the other direction—you’ve saved my son Max, my wife, and me from situations that could have destroyed our family. You’re our guardian angel in a badge; we need you staying right here in the city.”

”Thanks, both of you. You’re the finest friends a man could ask for,” I said, genuine gratitude warming my voice.

By lunch’s conclusion, they’d committed to handling the political warfare and keeping me updated on every development. I returned to the precinct feeling cautiously optimistic, though I understood the real battle with my father was just beginning.

The following days erupted into full-scale political warfare. My father pulled strings aggressively on one front, while Caleb, Xavier and his father, Dominic, and Zoe’s father formed a formidable counter-alliance. The power struggle intensified with each passing hour.

My father’s inevitable call came exactly as predicted—brimming with volcanic fury.

”You had the audacity to turn one of my oldest friends against me?” he snarled the instant I answered.

”I did nothing of the sort,” I replied with calculated calm, leaning back in my chair.

”Don’t play innocent with me! Black just stormed out of my office promising to help you by any means necessary. He’s been my friend for decades, even when he disagreed with my methods.”

”Well, Dad, his son happens to be my close friend too, and we share similar values about loyalty and respect.”

”You’re developing into quite the political strategist, Daniel. You should channel these connections toward benefiting the family business instead of clinging to that pathetic police station.”

”These aren’t connections, Dad. They’re genuine friendships built on mutual respect. Your underhanded manipulation tactics won’t work on me.”

The line went dead. I sat there, exhausted by the constant warfare—the endless battle with my father’s control, Sasha’s toxic presence poisoning my relationship, the delicate balancing act I maintained with Lila. Something had to break soon.