Chapter 1 - THE VENUE OF SECRETSThe venue address on the elegant, gold-embossed card wasn’t a luxury hotel or a private estate in downtown Chicago. It was the Grand Meridian Opera House—a crumbling, century-old architectural behemoth owned entirely by a shadowy shell company called Vanguard Logistics.
My heart hammered against my ribs, but my fingers remained entirely steady.
I traced the embossed lettering with the tip of my thumb, letting the cold weight of reality wash over me. Adrian thought he was hosting a celebration of power, an open declaration to the Chicago underworld that the Moretti dynasty was untouchable, expanding, and anchored by a new, fertile queen. Valentina Rossi, the pampered daughter of a rival syndicate boss, believed she had secured the crown jewel of organized crime.
They had no idea they were walking directly into a gilded execution chamber.
I looked down at the hospital bassinet. Little Elena stirred, letting out a soft, tiny sigh as she curled her fists near her pink cheeks. Just forty-eight hours out of the womb, and she already possessed a quiet resilience that terrified me and filled me with fierce pride.
"Your father thinks he's the master of this city, sweet girl," I whispered, gently stroking her peach-fuzz hair. "Let's go show him who really holds the strings."
I didn't call a nurse. I packed my overnight bag with mechanical precision, changed into a structured, midnight-blue cashmere coat that hid the subtle post-partum changes of my frame, and secured the encrypted flash drive containing the Moretti empire's death warrant in an inner zipper pocket.
May you like
The security guard downstairs at the private clinic gave me a concerned look as I checked out against medical advice, but a crisp, hundred-dollar bill slipped into his palm silenced any questions.
My flight to Chicago departed in three hours.
