Back at Marco's villa, the personal guards' frustration with Yemin had reached a boiling point. They gathered in Salvatore's room, their voices low but their anger palpable."This is bullshit," Salvatore said, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "Three days of harassment and the bastard hasn't even raised his voice.""It's like he doesn't even care," Antonio added, his fists clenched. "What kind of man takes that kind of disrespect without fighting back?""A coward," Luca spat. "A pathetic coward who doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as real men."Francesco leaned against the window, his expression thoughtful. "Maybe he's not a coward. Maybe he's just smart enough to know he can't take all four of us.""Smart?" Salvatore laughed harshly. "There's nothing smart about being a doormat. Real men stand up for themselves.""Well, he's obviously not going to give us the satisfaction of fighting back," Antonio said with frustration. "So what do we do now?""We escalate," Francesc

Yemin turned to Maria with the same calm expression he'd maintained throughout the entire confrontation."Don't worry, Maria. You're not in any danger at all."Francesco's face contorted with rage at Yemin's casual dismissal of the threat."NOT IN DANGER?! Are you fucking insane? Look around you, ninth place! You're outnumbered three to one in a basement with no witnesses!""I can see that," Yemin replied matter-of-factly."Then how can you stand there and tell this bitch she's safe?" Francesco roared, his massive frame trembling with fury. "You're about to get your ass kicked by a real soldier!""You still have the nerve to underestimate me," Francesco continued, his voice rising to a crescendo."Despite the fact that you're inferior to me in every possible way! Rank, training, experience, size - I'm better than you at everything!"Giuseppe and Vincenzo flanked their leader, cracking their knuckles in anticipation of the violence to come."Look at him, Francesco," Giuseppe sneered."

Once alone in a storage room, Yemin carefully uncorked the wine and added a measured amount of colorless powder from a small vial.The sedative was tasteless and odorless, but potent enough to drop a grown man within minutes.More importantly, Yemin had built up an immunity to it through years of careful exposure.He recorked the bottle and made his way to the guards' station outside Marco's wing.The three men looked up suspiciously as he approached, their hands instinctively moving toward their weapons."What do you want, ninth place?" Salvatore demanded harshly."I brought you something," Yemin said humbly, holding up the wine bottle."A peace offering.""Peace offering?" Antonio laughed mockingly."What makes you think we want peace with you?""I know you think I had something to do with Francesco's accident," Yemin said, his voice carefully submissive. "I want to prove that I'm not your enemy.""You're right about one thing," Luca sneered."We do think you're responsible for what

"Justin Castellanos?" Yemin's eyes sharpened with interest."The Supreme Leader himself," Marco said with vicious satisfaction. "And when Domenico Vitale and Matteo Rossi get involved, you'll wish you were never born."Yemin's expression remained unchanged throughout Marco's threats. When the crime boss finished his tirade, Yemin delivered a resounding slap across his face that snapped his head to the side with explosive force.The blow was so powerful that Marco's vision went white for several seconds. When his sight returned, he found himself staring at Yemin in stunned silence, his cheek burning with pain."Let me introduce myself properly," Yemin said, his voice taking on a deadly edge. "My name is Alexander Ashford. You and your organization killed my mother fifteen years ago."Marco's eyes widened in recognition and terror. The name Alexander Ashford was legendary within the Sphinx - the heir who had disappeared, the one they'd been hunting for years."No," Marco whispered, his

Maria looked between Yemin and Marcus, her mind struggling to process the situation. "You're not just a guard, are you?""No," Yemin admitted. "I'm not.""Then who—""It's time to go," Marcus interrupted gently. "The plane is waiting."As Marcus's assistants led Maria toward the car, she turned back one last time."Will I ever see you again?" she asked."Maybe someday," Yemin replied. "When it's safe."Maria nodded, clutching the envelope containing her new life. "Thank you, Yemin. For everything."As the car disappeared into the distance, Marcus turned to Yemin with a concerned expression."Are you sure about this?" Marcus asked. "She could be a liability.""She's innocent," Yemin replied firmly. "And she deserves a chance at a normal life."Three days later, Yemin returned to his modest apartment in the city, resuming his carefully constructed mundane existence. He had just finished unpacking when his phone rang."Yemin!" Faye's excited voice filled the room. "You're back! I was so