Chapter 4 - The Puppet Master Unveiled

The realization hit Dante like a freight train. Marcus, his right-hand man, had been the one to authorize the breach. The betrayal was total.
“Why?” Dante asked, gripping his side as they moved through the secret tunnels of his estate.
“Because,” Elena said, leading the way with a tactical grace that made Dante feel like a novice, “everyone in this city is terrified of the return of the Valenti name. They think the bloodline is cursed. They want the power, but they want it hollowed out.”
They reached the basement—a command center Dante hadn't even fully utilized. Elena sat at the terminal. Her fingers danced across the keys. She wasn't just a survivor; she was the architect.
“I let them think I was a beggar,” she explained, not looking at him. “I needed to see who would turn when the pressure mounted. You protected me when you had nothing to gain. That makes you the only asset I trust.”
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She pulled up a file. It wasn't a crime ledger. It was a list of names—the judges, the senators, the bankers—all of them on the Valenti payroll, all of them waiting for her signal.
“The Mafia didn't destroy my family, Dante,” she whispered, looking at him with terrifying clarity. “The government did. And tonight, I’m going to burn the house down.”