Chapter 1 - The Black Wax Seal
Matteo Rossi did not look up from his espresso when Clara approached the grand dining table. The early morning light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows cast long, imposing shadows across his broad shoulders. He looked like a man sculpted from cold marble, entirely unbothered by the storm that had raged inside his penthouse just hours before. But Clara knew better. She had seen the terrifying stillness in his eyes when he had looked at Elena.
"Mr. Rossi," Clara said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands were trembling so violently that the black, wax-sealed envelope in her grip rustled against her apron.
Matteo slowly turned his head. His dark, piercing gaze dropped from her pale face to the object in her hands. He didn't ask what it was. He simply extended a hand, his large, calloused fingers steady and expectant.
Clara placed the envelope into his palm. "I was cleaning the library, sir. Under the drapes near the terrace doors. The... the man who was here last night must have dropped it."
Matteo inspected the cracked wax seal. The insignia was faint, but unmistakable to a man who ruled the city’s underworld. It was the crest of the Falcone family—his oldest, bloodiest rivals. A syndicate that had been trying to dismantle his empire since his father’s era.
He flipped the flap open and pulled out a stack of folded documents and a small, encrypted flash drive. As he scanned the first page, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Clara held her breath, entirely unsure if she was about to be rewarded or silenced permanently for seeing too much.
The documents were floor plans. Not of a warehouse or a rival front, but of the cathedral where Matteo and Elena were to be married in exactly fourteen days. Red ink marked the security blind spots, the sniper vantages, and the exact position where Matteo would be standing at the altar.
"Clara," Matteo said, his voice terrifyingly smooth.
May you like
"Yes, sir?" she squeaked.
"You have been nothing but loyal to this house. Pack a bag for yourself and Leo. You are no longer the housekeeper." He looked up, his eyes entirely devoid of mercy. "You are now under my direct protection."
