Chapter 5 - The Trap is Set
Two weeks later, the underworld of New York believed Alessandro Moretti was vulnerable. Word had spread through quiet whispers in upscale lounges and private clubs: the mafia boss was distracted, nursing his recovering fiancée at an isolated upstate estate, and his inner circle was fracturing from paranoia.
It was exactly what Alessandro wanted them to think.
On a crisp Tuesday evening, a sleek black town car rolled through the gates of the upstate estate. Inside sat Marco Rossi, holding a secure encrypted phone and a thick manila folder.
He walked straight into the study where Alessandro and I were reviewing blueprints of a downtown shipping warehouse.
"It's set, Boss," Marco reported, setting the folder on the desk. "Vittoria has called an emergency meeting of the board for tomorrow night at the penthouse. She intends to invoke the emergency succession clause, claiming you are unfit to lead after the 'incident' at Il Cielo."
Alessandro opened the folder. Inside were transcripts of intercepted phone calls, financial wire transfers routed through offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, and high-resolution photographs of Vittoria meeting with a disgruntled former Moretti capo named Salvatore.
"She moves quickly," Alessandro remarked, a faint, humorless smile touching the corner of his lips.
"She thinks she has won," Marco said. "She believes no one is watching the back doors anymore."
I looked at Alessandro. "We need to be there."
"No," Alessandro said instantly. "It's too dangerous."
"Alessandro, she tried to kill me," I replied, my voice hard as glass. "She poisoned my dessert. I watched the footage seventeen times from a hospital bed. I am not hiding in this fortress while you settle my score."
May you like
He studied me for a long moment, recognizing the stubborn resolve in my eyes—the same resolve that had made him choose me as his partner years ago.
Slowly, he nodded. "Very well. But you stay by my side every second."
