Chapter 11 - The Silent Shadow
Within forty-eight hours, the city underground witnessed an unprecedented purge. Luca Moretti unleashed the full might of his network. Corsetti’s warehouses were raided, his bank accounts frozen, and Lorenzo Corsetti was forced into hiding, stripped of his power.
Vanessa Bellini, abandoned by her allies, had vanished into the shadows.
Back at the Moretti estate, heavy steel shutters had been installed over every ground-floor window. The estate was under complete lockdown, guarded by dozens of elite men patrolling the perimeter day and night.
It was two in the morning. Emily couldn't sleep.
Wearing a soft silk robe, she walked down the silent hallway toward the kitchen to pour a glass of water. The mansion was dark, illuminated only by the faint security lights along the baseboards.
As she passed Luca’s private study, she noticed the heavy oak door was slightly ajar. A faint sliver of candlelight flickered from within.
Emily smiled softly, thinking Luca was still up reviewing security logs. “Luca?” she called out softly, pushing the heavy door open. “You should try to rest. It’s late...”
The room was freezing cold. The French balcony doors in the study were wide open, swaying gently in the night wind.
At the center of the room, sitting behind Luca’s desk, was not Luca.
It was Vanessa.
Her hair was matted, her face hollow and pale, wearing dark tactical clothes stained with mud. In her trembling right hand, she held a snub-nosed revolver, aimed directly at Emily’s chest.
“Hello, little maid,” Vanessa whispered, a psychotic smile spreading across her lips. “Did you really think you could take my crown and walk away?”
Emily’s breath caught in her throat. She stepped back, but a cold, heavy hand clamped over her mouth from behind, pulling her backward into the dark corridor.
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A raspy, terrifying voice whispered into Emily’s ear:
*“Make a sound, and Luca finds Sofia at the bottom of the bay.”*
