Chapter 20 - The Unseen Board
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A week later, the criminal underworld of the city was in absolute chaos.
The Rinaldi family had struck back with unprecedented brutality, wiping out three Moretti strongholds in a single night. Matteo ran the war entirely from his study, moving his men like chess pieces on a bloody board. He was more effective from his chair than he had ever been on his feet.
Upstairs, Celeste remained locked in her luxurious prison, pacing the floors and screaming at the guards who ignored her.
It was close to midnight. Matteo was in his study, going over the latest casualty reports. Elena stood near the window, looking out over the dark estate.
The heavy mahogany door suddenly opened, and Luca, the head of security, stepped inside, looking deeply troubled.
“Boss,” Luca said hesitantly, holding a thick manila folder. “We raided the Moretti’s main office tonight. We found their private ledgers.”
“And?” Matteo asked, not looking up from his paperwork.
“We found the payout record for the sniper who shot you,” Luca said.
Matteo stopped writing. He slowly looked up, his dark eyes narrowing. “Let me see it.”
Luca walked over, placed the file on the desk, and quickly stepped back.
Matteo opened the folder. It was a handwritten ledger. He scanned down the page until he found the date of his ambush. There was a payment of two million dollars listed. But the name next to the payment didn't belong to the Moretti family. It didn't belong to Lorenzo, either.
The authorization signature at the bottom of the page belonged to Elena Marlowe’s father.
The father who had supposedly been dead for twelve years.
Matteo’s blood ran completely cold. He slowly closed the folder and looked up.
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Elena was still standing by the window. She was looking back at him, and for the first time, she was smiling—a slow, terrifying, victorious smile.
“Like I said, Mr. Rinaldi,” Elena whispered into the quiet room. “A trap only works if the rat believes the cheese is unguarded.”
