Antonio slid the bracelet into the inner pocket of his coat.The words — The Black Gang Group — tasted like ash on his tongue. He could feel the weight of it, not only the alloy resting against his palm but the accumulation of two ruined nights: the echo of his mother’s last breath, Marianne’s small hand clutched in Cynthia’s, the red scrap of paper that had slipped like a warning from silk into his life. Each memory stacked on the other until they formed a pressure that demanded action.He didn’t hesitate. Hesitation was a luxury he couldn’t afford. Antonio had long ago learned to judge a threat by the sound of its footsteps and the patience of its silence. Some fights required immediate answers; others demanded the slow, steady carving away of lies until the truth bled out. This one would take both — the quick strike to stop whatever was happening now and the patient work to destroy what had allowed it to happen.At the car, the city smelled of diesel and heat. Antonio fished

Antonio's men were spread around the perimeter with rifles ready, eyes scanning for any sign of movement. The city lights behind them dimmed into a soft, distant haze, leaving the building in near-total darkness except for the faint glow of the streetlamps that barely penetrated the abandoned neighborhood. The air was thick with the scent of decay and damp asphalt. “Report,” Antonio’s voice cut through the stillness, low, calm, but carrying the weight of authority that demanded immediate attention. One of his men stepped forward, holding a small tablet that cast a dim glow on his face. “Boss, we’ve located him. The leader of the Black Gang Group has been traced to this house. Surveillance confirms he’s inside, though it’s difficult to get a solid visual. Security measures around him are… unusual.” Antonio’s lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw tightening slightly. “Unusual how?” “Not normal, sir,” the man replied. “It’s more than cameras or motion detectors. There are m

Antonio was about to step out of his study when he heard the insistent vibration of his phone.Glancing down, Antonio saw the name of his father’s butler flashing insistently on the screen. He frowned.Calls from the butler at odd hours were rarely for mundane matters. The subtle tremor in the butler’s voice as he answered only confirmed that something serious had occurred.“Young Master, you must come immediately. It’s your father… his condition is getting worse. It looks like he’s on the verge of giving up the ghost. You need to get here… to hear his last words,” the butler said.Antonio’s brow furrowed deeply. His father’s health had been in decline for several months. He had expected deterioration, of course, but he had silently hoped that the old man would hold on a little longer, if only to see him secure in his own plans, to ensure that the Morris legacy would remain unbroken. The thought of hearing that his father might pass away without seeing certain arrangements fulfil

The next morning at the Ortega Mansion, Liora had barely finished brushing her hair when a soft knock came at her bedroom door.“Miss Ortega,” one of the maids said politely, bowing her head slightly. “Your mother has requested your presence downstairs. The family is waiting.”Liora paused, her brush halfway through her auburn hair. “Everyone?”“Yes, miss. Everyone.”That alone made her stomach tighten, because the Ortega family did not simply gather without reason. Family meetings were rare—and when they happened, they always meant something significant. Sometimes it was good news. More often, it was not.She set down her brush and smoothed her dress before following the maid out into the hallway. Her footsteps were light, but her heart felt heavy, beating with a sense of foreboding she couldn’t shake. The winding staircase curved gracefully downward, its polished banister cool beneath her fingertips as she descended.As she neared the living room, she caught sight of them already

Upon hearing Liora’s words, Damian’s smirk dropped instantly, wiped clean from his face as though someone had slapped the expression off him. His mouth twitched, opening slightly as though he wanted to respond, but no sound came out. His ego seemed to crumple in on itself. But before he could gather the pieces of his pride, before he could speak a single wounded word, a voice exploded from behind Liora like a thunderclap.“What did you just say?!”The sound tore through the room, making everyone flinch. Her mother’s heels struck the polished marble floor sharply—click, click, click—each step echoing with rage as she stormed forward. Anger radiated from her in waves so thick they might as well have been visible. Her eyes were stretched wide, filled with disbelief, humiliation, and a sharp, cutting fury that made the air itself feel dangerous.“You can’t what?” she repeated, louder this time, her voice trembling with outrage. “You can’t marry him?”Liora swallowed, the inside of