Chapter 3 - The Traitor’s Banquet
FB Hook Title: 🛑 "THE POISON WAS IN HIS GLASS. HE KNEW IT. SHE KNEW IT. BUT HE DRANK IT ANYWAY!"
Friday arrived with the oppressive weight of an oncoming thunderstorm. The sky over Bellavita was bruised purple, and the air was thick with humidity.
Tonight was the monthly assembly of the Ferraro Syndicate. All the capos, lieutenants, and allied bosses would gather in the grand dining hall of the estate to pay tribute to Luca. It was a night of heavy drinking, lavish food, and underlying tension.
Elena stood in the kitchen, her hands sweating inside her white serving gloves. In her pocket, the silver vial felt as heavy as a lead weight.
“Poison his drink by Friday...” The threat echoed in her mind. She had seen the Moretti men lurking near the estate’s outer perimeter earlier that morning. They were watching. If she failed, they would storm the house, and Lily would be the first to die.
But if she killed Luca, the Ferraro family would fall into chaos. She and Lily would be left at the mercy of the ruthless Morettis, who would view Lily as a tool to consolidate power.
"Elena, the Don’s whiskey," the head chef called out, handing her a silver tray bearing a single crystal glass of twenty-year-old Scotch.
Elena took the tray. Her heart was beating so hard she was afraid the chef would hear it.
She walked down the long, dimly lit hallway toward the dining hall. The sound of deep male laughter, clinking glasses, and the clatter of silverware grew louder. She stopped in a shadowed alcove just outside the double doors.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled out the vial. She uncapped it.
Three drops. That’s all it would take to stop a man’s heart within minutes.
She looked at the golden liquid in the glass. Then, she thought of Lily, who was currently sleeping peacefully upstairs, holding a silver toy swallow that Luca had gifted her. Luca, the ruthless monster, had protected them. He had known her secret and chose to shield them from the Morettis.
I can't do it, she realized with sudden, terrifying clarity. I cannot kill him.
But as she went to put the vial back, a rough hand suddenly grabbed her wrist from behind.
Elena gasped, almost dropping the tray. She turned to see Capo Silvio, one of Luca’s oldest and most trusted lieutenants. But his eyes weren't loyal. They were gleaming with a venomous greed.
"Do it," Silvio whispered, his voice hissed in her ear. "Pour it in, girl. Or did you forget who paid for your forged passport? Who do you think tipped off the Morettis about where you were hiding?"
Elena’s eyes widened in horror. Silvio was the traitor. He was working with the Morettis to overthrow Luca.
"I... I can't," Elena whispered.
"You will," Silvio sneered, grabbing her hand and forcing her to tip the vial over the glass. Three clear drops fell into the amber whiskey. "Now, take it to him. If you say a word, I’ll personally slit your daughter’s throat before the night is over."
Silvio pushed her toward the double doors.
Elena stumbled into the grand dining hall. The room fell silent as she approached the head of the long table, where Luca sat like a king on his throne. His dark eyes locked onto her immediately. He saw the slight tremor in her hands. He saw the pale terror on her face.
He knew.
Elena placed the tray down. "Your drink, Don Ferraro," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the roaring in her ears.
Luca looked at the glass. He didn't hesitate. He reached out and picked it up.
"A toast," Luca announced, his voice commanding the room. Every capo stood up, raising their glasses. "To loyalty. A rare commodity in Bellavita. And to the fools who think they can steal a kingdom."
Luca’s eyes met Elena’s. There was no fear in his gaze. Only a cold, mocking challenge.
He raised the glass to his lips.
"No!" Elena screamed, knocking the glass out of his hand.
The crystal shattered against the stone floor, the poisoned whiskey splashing across the table.
Instantly, guns were drawn. A dozen bodyguards aimed their weapons at Elena. Silvio stepped forward, his face a mask of faux outrage. "She tried to poison the Don! Kill her!"
But before anyone could pull a trigger, Luca stood up. The sheer aura of his authority made the room hold its breath.
"Lower your weapons," Luca commanded.
"But Don Luca, she—" Silvio protested.
Luca turned his gaze slowly toward Silvio. "Did I tell you to speak, Silvio?"
In a movement so fast it defied his massive frame, Luca reached across the table, grabbed Silvio by the collar of his expensive suit, and slammed his head down onto the mahogany table. Bottles and plates shattered.
Luca pulled his Walther PPK and pressed the cold barrel directly into Silvio’s temple.
"You thought I didn't know about your meetings with the Moretti family?" Luca whispered, his voice sending a shiver of pure terror through the room. "You thought I would let you use a mother and her child to do your dirty work?"
"Luca... please..." Silvio gasped, blood pooling from his broken nose.
"You chose the wrong side," Luca said.
BANG.
The gunshot echoed in the enclosed hall. Silvio’s body went limp and slid to the floor.
Elena stood frozen, her apron splattered with blood. Luca wiped his hands with a white linen napkin, his expression entirely unchanged. He looked at her, and for the first time, there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes.
"You passed the test, Sofia," he murmured.
But before Elena could process his words, the heavy oak doors of the dining hall were blasted off their hinges. An explosion rocked the mansion, throwing everyone to the ground.
Through the smoke, a voice laughed—a cruel, familiar voice that made Elena’s blood run cold.
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"Where is my niece, Luca?"
Mateo Moretti's brother, Enzo, had breached the estate.
