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The rain outside the tinted windows of Aleandro Castellano's penthouse suite did little to wash away the heavy, suffocating silence that filled the room. For thirty-six hours, the image of a three-year-old girl named Annie had refused to leave his mind. In a world built on absolute control, calculated vengeance, and millions of dollars moving silently through offshore accounts, a single, tiny red plastic pharmacy bag had cracked open a door he had locked away a decade ago. / Chapter 2 / 10

Chapter 2 - The Enforcer’s UltimatumAcross town, in a dimly lit warehouse reeking of damp concrete and old oil, Salvatore Moretti slammed his fist onto a steel table, rattling a collection of heavy butcher knives.

"What do you mean you lost track of them?" Moretti roared, pointing a thick, scarred finger at one of his top lieutenants, a trembling man named Vince. "Castellano’s car was spotted dropping a kid off at that exact building two nights ago! If Aleandro finds out what Ruth Bennett has been hiding in that apartment for three years, our entire operation on the docks goes up in smoke!"

Vince swallowed hard, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Boss, we didn't know Castellano would personally get involved. He never leaves Manhattan for charity. The old lady is dying anyway; her lungs are collapsing. We figured we could wait a few more days until she passed, grab the kid quietly, and dispose of the documents."

"Wait? You want to wait while Castellano connects the dots?" Moretti hissed, drawing a silver-plated pistol from his holster and checking the magazine. "Aleandro smells blood better than a shark. If he finds out that Sophia's child—his own flesh and blood—has been living right under his nose in Brooklyn, he will tear this city apart brick by brick to get her."

Moretti paced the length of the warehouse floor, his mind racing through the terrifying implications. Ten years ago, Moretti had played a quiet, deadly role in the conspiracy that drove Sophia away from Aleandro, believing she had leaked syndicate secrets. But the truth had been far darker, a setup orchestrated by rival factions to fracture the Castellano empire. If Annie was Aleandro's daughter—or niece—and she survived, the hidden truth about Sophia’s disappearance would surface, exposing Moretti as the true architect of the betrayal.

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"Listen to me very carefully, Vince," Moretti said, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "Tonight, before Castellano's men can secure the building, you take a team to Walnut Street. Get the girl. If the grandmother tries to stop you, make it look like a natural medical emergency. But bring the child to me. Alive if possible... but the documents and the girl cannot fall into Aleandro's hands."

Vince nodded, his eyes wide with fear and dark anticipation. "Consider it done, Boss."

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