Chapter 2 - The Mirror’s SecretAlessandro re-entered the ballroom through the arched French doors, every muscle in his body coiled like a steel spring. The three hundred guests—politicians, judges, rival capos, and high-society socialites—were laughing, drinking, and exchanging hollow compliments beneath the cascading crystal of the main chandelier.
He needed to find Rosa. If her daughter had witnessed the exchange, Rosa herself might have pieced together the horrifying puzzle.
Weaving through the sea of tuxedoes and silk evening gowns, Alessandro scanned the periphery of the room. He spotted Luca first. His closest friend was standing near the towering marble fireplace, nursing a glass of scotch, laughing easily at a joke told by a corrupt Manhattan developer. But as Alessandro drew closer, he noticed the micro-expressions: the slight twitch of Luca’s jaw, the darting movement of his eyes toward the grand staircase, and the faint, almost imperceptible sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Luca was nervous. A man who had survived a Queens ambush didn't sweat over party small talk unless something was going drastically wrong.
"Luca," Alessandro’s voice cut through the murmur of conversation like a razor blade.
Luca turned instantly, his smile snapping into place with professional precision. "Boss. You look like you've seen a ghost. Everything alright with the wine? Vivian picked that vintage out herself."
"Did she?" Alessandro’s gray-blue eyes locked onto Luca’s with an intensity that made the other man visibly swallow. "Sometimes a vintage looks exquisite on the label, Luca, but turns sour the moment it touches the air."
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Before Luca could formulate a response, Alessandro shifted his gaze across the room. Vivian was laughing with the district attorney's wife, her red silk gown shimmering under the lights. But the moment she felt Alessandro's gaze upon her, her smile faltered for a fraction of a second—just long enough for a master predator to spot the hesitation.
Alessandro turned on his heel and walked briskly toward the service corridors, leaving Luca frozen with his scotch glass hovering halfway to his mouth. It was time to find the cleaning staff, and more importantly, time to find out what else Rosa Delgado knew about the execution being planned under his own roof.
