Chapter 1 - The Wreck and the Lie
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The cold October rain felt like shards of ice against Damian Russo’s face as he dragged himself from the shattered remains of his SUV. The metallic tang of blood mixed with the heavy scent of leaking gasoline and scorched rubber. His driver, a man who had been with his family for a decade, was slumped over the steering wheel, completely motionless. In the passenger seat, his security chief lay unconscious, breathing in ragged, shallow gasps.
Damian pressed his hand against the deep gash above his eyebrow, ignoring the sharp, stabbing pain in his fractured ribs. He didn't look at the concrete divider that had nearly ended his life. He looked down the dark, slick road toward White Plains.
A dark pickup truck had forced them off the road. It wasn't an accident. It was a targeted, calculated hit. And the most terrifying part wasn't the crash itself—it was the undeniable fact that only six people in the world knew his exact route that night.
Someone inside his inner circle had sold him out.
His father’s voice echoed in his ringing ears. "You want to know who loves the king? Watch what they do when they think the crown is empty."
Later that night, in the sterile, glaring white light of Cedar Hill Medical Center, Damian made a decision that would change the course of his empire. He looked up at Dr. Nathan Keller, a physician he had kept on retainer for years.
"I want the world to believe my spinal cord was damaged," Damian said, his voice hoarse but unwavering.
Nathan stared at him, his medical chart lowered. "You want me to lie to your family? To your entire organization?"
"I want six people to believe it," Damian corrected, his dark eyes cold and calculating. "Everyone else is collateral."
Nathan paced across the private room, the squeak of his rubber shoes loud in the quiet space. "You understand there are ethical lines here. I could lose my license. I could go to prison."
"So don't cross them," Damian replied smoothly. "Don't falsify a diagnosis into the hospital system. Just tell my attorney that my condition is highly confidential. Let my operations chief, Carlo, tell everyone else whatever rumor I need them to hear."
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Nathan stopped pacing, staring at the mafia boss. "If you’re going to do something insane, at least don’t make me commit a felony for you."
By sunrise, the trap was set. The king was paralyzed, and the throne was waiting for a traitor to make their move.
