Chapter 3 - The Drawing of the Snake
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That evening, Alessandro sat in the grand dining room, nursing a glass of expensive bourbon. He looked exhausted, the weight of a rising gang war heavily pressing down on his broad shoulders.
Sophia moved silently around the table, clearing his dinner plates. Her hands were shaking. She had been agonizing for hours over whether to tell Alessandro what she had overheard. If she spoke up, she exposed herself to Vincent’s wrath. If she stayed silent, the man who had shown her daughter mercy would likely be murdered.
“You are unusually quiet tonight, Sophia,” Alessandro noted, his sharp gray eyes tracking her nervous movements. “And you dropped a silver fork earlier. What is bothering you?”
“Nothing, Mr. Moretti,” Sophia lied quickly. “Just tired.”
Before Alessandro could press the issue, small, rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Emma ran into the dining room, holding a piece of white printer paper covered in bright, chaotic crayon scribbles.
“Mr. Al-san-dro!” Emma cheered, completely ignoring the strict household rules about interrupting the boss.
Alessandro’s tired face instantly softened. He set his bourbon down and turned his chair.
“What do you have there, little artist?” he asked warmly.
Emma marched right up to him and slammed the paper onto his polished dining table.
“It’s a bad man,” Emma declared seriously.
Alessandro frowned, looking at the drawing. Sophia stepped closer, her heart leaping into her throat.
Drawn in thick green crayon was a man with a squiggly snake on his neck. Next to him was a man with silver hair, handing over a shiny silver rectangle.
“Emma,” Sophia gasped, reaching for the paper. “We don’t bother Mr. Moretti with your drawings.”
“Wait,” Alessandro commanded, his hand shooting out to stop Sophia. His voice was suddenly laced with a cold, terrifying edge.
He picked up the drawing, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the crude shapes.
“Emma,” Alessandro said, kneeling down to look the toddler in the eyes. “Where did you see this green snake?”
“In Mr. Vincent’s room,” Emma replied innocently. “I was hiding like a mouse under his desk. The snake man took a shiny silver box from Mr. Vincent. He said the snake is gonna take you out.”
The temperature in the dining room plummeted to freezing.
Alessandro stood up slowly. The realization hit him like a freight train. He had been losing shipments for months. His men had been ambushed at the southern ports. He had been tearing his organization apart looking for a mole, never suspecting the man who had practically raised him.
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“Sophia,” Alessandro said, his voice a low, lethal whisper. “Did you know about this?”
Sophia looked at the furious mafia king and burst into tears. “I heard them today. I was too terrified to tell you. The Vipers... my ex-husband is a Viper. I thought they had tracked me here.”
