flash

The upper floor of the Valente estate did not feel like a home; it felt like a mausoleum constructed of wealth and silence. Adrienne walked down the corridor carrying Mia as if she were a fragile porcelain artifact that a single misstep could shatter / Chapter 6 / 13

Chapter 13 - Shadows in the City

While peace settled over the Valente estate, the underworld of southern Italy was restless.

In a private backroom of a members-only cigar club in downtown Naples, a rival syndicate boss named Don Vittoria slammed his glass down onto the mahogany table. The amber liquor splashed across the surface like blood.

"Valente has gone soft," Vittoria snarled, his scarred face twisting into an ugly sneer. "He spends his days walking through gardens with maids and dogs. The Valente family controls half the shipping ports from Genoa to Sicily, and Il Lupo is playing domestic house."

Across the table, a younger capo leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "If he's distracted, boss, the ports are vulnerable. We strike the Genoa docks next Tuesday. We take his supply lines while his attention is divided."

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"Do it quietly," Vittoria commanded. "And leave no trace. Let's see how much his precious gardens protect him when his empire starts to burn."

They believed Adrienne Valente was sleeping. They had no idea that a man who has already lost everything is the most dangerous predator on earth.

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