Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 86: The Shadow’s Throne.

Benjamin held out the ring toward James. His eyes held nothing but seriousness, the smile was gone.

This has gotta be a trap. How the fuck did he come up with an idea like this?

James’s thoughts swirled between the possible outcomes, accepting Benjamin’s loyalty and the problems that would come with it.

It wasn’t just a problem for him but for the others as well.

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He had loyal men, and how would they react if he accepted a federal agent so lightly into his family?

It would make him look like a snitch, or worse, that he had made a deal to save his own ass.

James’s hand twitched at his side. All the movies, all the documentaries he had watched, every single one of them ended the same way.

If they accepted a deal like this, they all died.

"How interesting." James grabbed the ring from Benjamin, who watched him carefully.

It was a gold signet ring, a beautifully crafted one.

In the middle, there was a capital B with leaves around it, but the most eye catching detail was the black stones embedded around the ring.

"Do you like it?" Benjamin asked, leaning forward slightly.

"What are these black stones?" James asked, his face still stiff. He didn’t smile, nor did he give any hint of what he felt.

"Oh, they’re natural black diamonds. Very rare and valuable. The whole ring is 24 karat gold. I designed it myself." Benjamin sounded genuinely proud, as if he had accomplished something great.

No way they’d go this far just to get me… A handcrafted ring with my initial on it? It screams that something big is about to happen if I accept it.

"What do you say, James? Or should I refer to you as Mr. Bellini?" Benjamin smiled again.

"No, James is enough for me." He spun the ring in his hands, inspecting it. "But why would I accept it, knowing full well that you’re the head director of our country’s national security? It’s kinda a crazy idea, don’t you think?" He looked at him before placing the ring down on the table.

Benjamin said nothing back. For a moment, he stayed still before slowly standing up and taking off his suit.

Hector and the others watched him carefully, but as he removed his jacket, there was no weapon on him.

Slowly, Benjamin unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his upper body.

James’s eyes wavered slightly as he took in Benjamin’s scar riddled body. Bullet wounds, stab wounds, and what appeared to be burn scars covered his upper torso.

Without saying anything, Benjamin buttoned his shirt back up and sat down.

"I’m sorry if I took away your appetite, but these wounds on my body… they are the reason I became who I am today."

James leaned back, tapping his fingers on the table. "Explain it."

"I am against the government and its entire structure. That’s why I pursued a career where I could cause change. But alone, I am nobody. That’s why I offer you my loyalty, to do something greater for the people." His eyes never left James.

"Against the government?" James narrowed his gaze. "That’s not something you usually hear from someone at your level. If you could enlighten me, I’d appreciate it."

"It’s a long story, but—"

"We have all the time in the world, you and me. So please, go ahead." James wasn’t asking. He was ordering him to continue.

"I’m 53 years old, but I’ve done my best, I have multiple degrees, served in the military, and was part of a special task force called ’Goblin.’ But my story begins when I was a kid.

Our country has more than 50 million people living in it, and every day, people die in the countryside from hunger. Men, women, children. But in the capital, we pretend everything is fine. Our government has no intention of doing what it should. Instead, they waste money on dumb shit.

When I was 15, a disease broke out in my village. Eight thousand people were affected by an illness that only needed one injection to cure." His eyes grew teary.

"What happened?" James asked.

"Instead of giving the injection, they slaughtered half the village and threw them into a mass grave, saying there was no possibility of survival. They didn’t knock, didn’t warn us, they just came through the door and shot everyone they saw. My family died. I was shot, too.

Halfway through, they realized there were too many bodies to throw into the grave, so they started burning them instead. I was shot twice, and they set our house on fire. That’s where I got my burn wounds."

"I’ve never heard or read about a story like this. And if you were 15… that means it was more than three decades ago, during a time when democracy had already been established."

Benjamin laughed at James’s words. "Democracy in our country is just a fancy way of saying dictatorship. Think about it. What are the chances that our current president’s classmates became high-ranking ministers? What are the chances that the richest man in the country is our president’s uncle? What are the chances that after the Country’s Union gave our government 15 billion dollars for healthcare and infrastructure, the president suddenly started building his own mansion and bought a private jet?"

Benjamin shook his head, letting his words settle in James’s mind.

"I know time has passed since I was 15, but what angers me the most…" His hand curled into a tight fist. "That same motherfucker who ordered the killings is still in a position of power within the government. He can barely walk or talk, yet he still sits there like nothing happened decades ago, like he didn’t kill my family and half my village.

He did it because the injection cost 43 thousands per dose. And instead of saving lives, he and his friends stuffed the money into their pockets. One hundred seventy-two million dollars meant more to him than four thousand lives…children’s lives."

James felt his anger rise as well. He had never heard this story before, or more importantly, the truth had never been revealed.

"There are 23 states. We have mountains, fertile land that could feed the people, yet we’re doing nothing with it in the 21st century. They only pour money into the big cities, where the rich live, where the industries are, the same industries that don’t even pay minimum wage. And don’t even get me started on the military. The amount of money they spend could save every life in this country. Isn’t that funny?

We border countries we call allies, yet we waste it on building a military for nothing."

"You want to fight corruption with corruption?" James asked.

Benjamin leaned back, taking a long breath. "Yeah. That’s exactly why I’ve suffered all these years to get to this position. But more than that, I only expect you to help the people. Give them hope that someone actually cares about them."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"The Minister of Justice is in your pocket. The ISB director, too. And now, I’m here as well. I analyzed your movements, and from what I see, you’re shifting your operations and production into the country. What I want from you is to build jobs in these villages and towns instead. The people are desperate, but it’s a better option than forcing them into the slums. These villages have anywhere from 1,000 to 9,000 people, but they’re suffering. I want you to move your production lines to the villages. I’ll provide you with information. I’ll fabricate reports. I’ll never investigate you. I’ll never move against you with bad intentions. Just help these people, James. Give them hope, because no one else will."

"We originally wanted the slums," James admitted. "But we don’t have the funds to do it. And there are too many issues, like loyalty. The people in the slums can’t be trusted. And, of course, the media. The same applies to these villages. If we suddenly start improving their lives, someone will sniff it out." James said.

"I understand your concerns. But I’ll do whatever needs to be done. I’ll kill if I have to. If necessary, I’ll even funnel government funds directly to you. The government allocated four billion in funding, which I can redirect to you in the same way they steal it for themselves."

This is too much. If I accept his offer, I’ll become a warlord ruling over territories.

"If I take over villages, I won’t just be a mafia boss anymore. I’ll be a terrorist." James exhaled sharply. "And I don’t like that word or its meaning."

"You’ve already crossed the line of morality, James. You run a drug trade that supplies both the government and the mafia. You manipulate the market, control prices, and decide who gets what. You already dictate the lives of thousands, you just don’t own them yet."

James scoffed. "And what? You want me to own them?"

"No. I want you to lead them. You fear the word ’terrorist’ because it implies chaos. But think about it, what if you became the order in this chaos?"

"What you’re asking me to do is nation-building in the shadows."

"Exactly." Benjamin said. "With my position, I can secure everything from legal loopholes to media silence. The slums are a lost cause. The government would rather burn them down than save them. But these villages, isolated, ignored, desperate, mthey would be yours. In return, I ask for one thing...keep them alive."

James tapped his hand against the table.

"I give you my loyalty, James," Benjamin continued. "I’ll ensure no government agency moves against you. The Justice Minister is already compromised, and with me in your corner, you’ll have real protection. All I ask is that you don’t let these people die like my village did."

James’ fingers twitched. Every time a deal like this was made, the outcome was the same, the man who accepted it eventually died.

"How interesting."

Still, he couldn’t deny the logic behind Benjamin’s words.

The real question was, could he afford to take this step?