" The Boss .. " - A Shark Tale Story ( Mr Sykes x Don Lino )

The Price of Betrayal

Sykes swallowed hard, his mind racing as Luca loomed over him. He had to think fast. "Luca, you're confused," he said, his voice shaky but forcing a smile. "I wasn't heading to Black Fin territory. I was just... doing a little recon for Lino. You know how it is—keeping an eye on the competition."

Luca narrowed his eyes, not buying a word of it. "Really?" he said, voice dripping with doubt. "Because from where I was watching, it sure looked like you were sneaking into their turf. You think I'm blind, Sykes?"

Sykes forced a laugh, his heart pounding. "Look, you've got it all wrong! Maybe it looked that way, but I wasn't anywhere near Black Fin. Trust me, I'm loyal to Lino." His hands shook slightly as he tried to sell the lie, desperately hoping Luca would buy it. "Come on, Luca. You know me. Why would I ever betray Lino after everything we've built together?"

Luca stared at him for what felt like an eternity, his eyes cold and unyielding. For a moment, Sykes was sure his lie hadn't worked. But then, slowly, Luca uncrossed his arms and nodded.

"Yeah... maybe you're right," Luca muttered, his tone softening ever so slightly. "Maybe I did misunderstand." He forced a smile, but there was a glint in his eyes that Sykes didn't trust.

"Exactly," Sykes said, relief washing over him. "I'd never betray Lino. We're in this together."

Luca nodded again, his smile tight and forced. "Yeah... sure. We're in this together."

Sykes blinked, momentarily thrown off guard by Luca's confidence. He quickly scrambled to regain control. "Luca, you're paranoid. If Lino finds out you've been harassing me like this—"

"Lino?" Luca chuckled darkly, the sound sending a chill down Sykes' spine. "Lino's loyal to you, sure. But he's blind. He won't be for long."

But Luca's expression remained cold and calculating. "You think I don't know how this game is played? You've been slipping, Sykes. And when the time comes, Lino's going to see it too."

Sykes could feel his pulse quicken. He was losing control. He had to act fast. "Luca, look, I can explain—"

Luca cut him off again, this time with a sly grin. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ruin your little game... yet."

Sykes' eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Luca leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm just waiting for you to hang yourself. I'll give you all the rope you need." With that, he slithered away, leaving Sykes standing in stunned silence. 

Without another word, Luca turned and slithered away, heading straight to Don Lino's office. The moment he was out of sight, the fake smile dropped from his face, replaced by a deep scowl.

  Sykes will get what's coming for him.

Inside Don Lino's lavish office, the great white shark was sitting at his desk, staring at a pile of documents regarding the missing shipments. Stress weighed heavily on him as he tried to make sense of the Black Fin attacks. His head snapped up as Luca slithered in, his expression serious.