The first sound Luca Ferraro heard inside his mansion was not the alarm system, the security team, or the polished voice of his estate director announcing his arrival.

Two weeks of absolute peace followed.

Luca spent his mornings in his office running his empire, and his afternoons teaching Nora how to feed the koi fish in the garden ponds. For the first time in his life, the massive, cold estate felt like a home.

But peace in the mafia is always an illusion.

On a rainy Tuesday, Matteo walked into Luca’s office, his face grim. He placed a heavy, black envelope sealed with red wax onto the mahogany desk.

“It arrived by courier this morning, Boss,” Matteo said quietly. “From the Commission.”

Luca stared at the envelope. The Commission was the ruling body of the Five Families. They rarely intervened in territorial disputes, but the complete annihilation of the Moretti syndicate had sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld.

Luca broke the wax seal and read the elegant, handwritten note.

“They have called a mandatory summit this weekend in Atlantic City,” Luca said, his jaw tightening. “They want me to answer for the destruction of the Moretti family. They think I broke the fragile truce to expand my territory unprovoked.”

“If they vote against you, Luca... it’s an open war with all Five Families,” Matteo warned. “It’s a suicide mission. We should lock down the estate and prepare for a siege.”

“No,” Luca said, standing up. “If I hide, I look weak. I go to the summit. I look them in the eye, and I prove that Moretti struck first by attacking a civilian home.”

Elena had been listening from the doorway. She stepped into the office, her face pale but determined.

“I’m going with you,” she said.

Luca and Matteo both snapped their heads toward her in shock.

“Absolutely not,” Luca commanded, crossing the room to stand in front of her. “It is a room full of murderers and cutthroats, Elena. If the negotiations fail, it will become a bloodbath.”

“Moretti attacked me, Luca. He put my daughter in danger,” Elena argued, standing her ground. “If you go alone, they will say you fabricated the attack as an excuse to kill him. If I stand beside you, they will see exactly who he targeted. I am your proof.”

“I will not put a target on your back,” Luca growled, gripping her arms.

“I already have a target on my back!” Elena fired back, her dark eyes blazing with a fierce, protective fire. “I am the woman you burned down an empire for. I am not going to hide in a safe room while you face the wolves alone. I am your partner, Luca. Let me stand with you.”