🔥 SHE SERVED HIM FOR 5 YEARS LIKE A GHOST. BUT WHEN HE LEARNED WHO HER REAL FATHER WAS, THE ENTIRE MAFIA EMPIRE FELL TO ITS KNEES.

Adrienne felt a sensation he hadn't experienced since he was a child: absolute, suffocating terror.

He didn't call Marco. He didn't assemble a strike team. Driven by a primal, reckless fury, Adrienne loaded his customized tactical handguns, threw on a dark Kevlar vest, and sped through the rain-slicked streets toward the industrial district.

The old iron foundry at the edge of the East River stood like a rusted monster against the black sky. Rain poured through the collapsed roof as Adrienne kicked open the heavy iron doors, his weapon drawn.

In the center of the vast, cavernous room, bound to a steel chair under a harsh yellow spotlight, was Simone. Her face was bruised, her lip bleeding, but her eyes were wild with fear.

Standing beside her, holding a suppressed pistol to her temple, was Daniel Hayes.

And standing in the shadows behind them was Victor Vance—the ruthless head of the Vance Syndicate.

"Look who showed up," Victor sneered, stepping into the light. "The great Adrienne Romano, walking into a slaughterhouse for a secretary. I must admit, I thought you were smarter than this."

Adrienne’s gun stayed locked on Daniel’s forehead. "Let her go, Vance. Your fight is with me."

"Oh, it was never just about you, Adrienne," Daniel spoke up, his polite, charm-filled voice from the party completely gone, replaced by a cold, sadistic grin. "It was always about her. Do you know how hard I worked to track down Julian Carter's little girl? I spent three years searching, only to find she was sitting five feet away from New York's biggest mafia Don, completely ignored."

Simone looked at Adrienne, tears cutting through the grime on her face. "Adrienne... I'm sorry. He used me. He tracked my old college records... he pretended to be my friend again to get close to your network..."