"Am I?" Katherine pulled out her phone and showed him a news article. "James, you need to understand something. People who cross certain individuals don't just lose their businesses. They disappear."James read the headline and frowned. "What does this have to do with Yemin?""Just promise me," Katherine pleaded. "Stay away from him. Don't do anything that might provoke him further."Meanwhile, in a secure conference room in an undisclosed location, the remaining members of the Sphinx organization gathered for an emergency meeting. The atmosphere was tense, with each member looking over their shoulders and questioning whether they were truly safe.Vincenzo Torrino, known as M7, sat at the head of the table, his weathered face grim with concern. To his left sat Lorenzo Romano (M4), Salvatore Greco (M5), and Antonio Ricci (M6). The three empty chairs where Joseph Ultra, Marco Benedetti, and the other deceased members once sat served as stark reminders of their mortality."Gentlemen," Vi

"Leave?" Katherine's voice rose higher, drawing even more attention from surrounding tables. "But we're having such a lovely reunion! Faye, surely you understand that a wife's bond with her husband transcends temporary separation?""Ex-wife," Faye repeated through gritted teeth. "And you're making a scene.""Am I?" Katherine looked around theatrically, as if just noticing the stares and whispers. "I'm just being affectionate with the man I love."She leaned toward Yemin again, this time trying to kiss his cheek, but he stood up abruptly and moved to the other side of the table."Katherine, stop this," Yemin said quietly but firmly. "You're embarrassing yourself.""The only embarrassing thing here is watching you pretend you don't still have feelings for me," Katherine shot back, following him around the table. "We both know what we had was special.""What we had was a mistake," Yemin replied coldly."Don't say that," Katherine said, her voice taking on a pleading tone as she reached f

The ride back to Faye's apartment was filled with uncomfortable silence, the tension from the charity dinner still hanging heavy between them.Yemin had borrowed a towel from the hotel staff to clean the champagne from his face and hair, but his expensive suit remained damp and stained.Faye kept stealing glances at him as they sat in the back of the taxi, her mind racing with questions and concerns. Finally, as they pulled up to her building, she couldn't contain herself any longer."Yemin," she said quietly, "I have to ask you something.""What is it?" he replied, his voice still calm despite everything that had happened."What's really going on between you and Katherine? I mean, the way she was acting tonight... it was like she was trying to mark her territory or something."Yemin sighed and looked out the window at the city lights passing by."Faye, I can assure you that whatever Katherine was doing tonight was completely one-sided. I have no idea what kind of game she's playing,

The evening rain cast slick reflections on the pavement as Yemin, disguised as a frail old man, shuffled slowly toward "Il Palazzo," one of the city's most exclusive restaurants.Vincenzo Torrino had rented out the entire establishment for his private dinner, a display of wealth and power that was typical for a man of his standing in the Sphinx organization.Two burly guards stood outside the restaurant's ornate entrance, their expensive suits barely concealing the weapons holstered beneath their jackets.They watched with barely contained amusement as the elderly figure approached them, his cane tapping rhythmically against the wet sidewalk."Excuse me, gentlemen," Yemin said in a quavering voice, hunching his shoulders to appear even more frail. "I need to speak with your boss about a matter of great urgency."The first guard, a mountain of muscle named Tony, burst into laughter."Did you hear that, Marco? Grandpa here wants to see the boss."Marco, equally large but with a scar run

The abandoned warehouse district on the outskirts of the city provided the perfect cover for clandestine meetings.Vincenzo Torrino sat in the back of his armored sedan, watching nervously as the elderly man who had somehow infiltrated his private dinner approached the vehicle with that same unsettling calm."You came," Vincenzo said as Yemin settled into the passenger seat, his disguise as convincing in the dim light as it had been in the restaurant."I told you I would provide a solution," Yemin replied in his quavering elderly voice. "Are you ready to hear how we're going to save your life?""I'm all ears, old man," Vincenzo said, though there was still skepticism in his tone. "But this better be good. My superiors aren't known for their patience.""Tell me, Vincenzo," Yemin began, adjusting his gray wig slightly, "what would happen if you delivered not just the killer of Joseph Ultra and Marco Benedetti, but also eliminated a major threat to the Sphinx organization in the process?