Chapter 10 - The Loyalist Uprising
Before Marchesi's men could fire a single shot, the heavy cathedral doors slammed open.
Dozens of men dressed in dark suits poured into the sanctuary.
They didn't wear the Castiglione colors, nor did they belong to Marchesi.
Pinned to their lapels were silver pins shaped like serpents coiled around crowns.
The Moretti loyalists had answered the call.
An older man with a scarred face stepped to the front, bowing deeply to Elena.
"We have waited a long time for you, Donna Moretti," he rasped.
The balance of power shifted in a matter of seconds.
Valeria backed away, panic finally breaking through her arrogant facade.
"This is madness!" she shrieked, looking at Marchesi for protection.
But Marchesi was busy recalculating his odds of survival.
Lorenzo drew his weapon and aimed it directly at Valeria's heart.
"You ordered a hit on a child under my roof," Lorenzo stated coldly.
"In our world, the penalty for targeting innocent children is death."
Valeria dropped to her knees, begging and sobbing.
She looked at Elena, pleading for the mercy she had never shown others.
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"Please, Elena, I was only doing what I was told," Valeria cried.
Elena looked down at her, her face a mask of stone.
