Rocco paced his office like a caged predator, his phone pressed against his ear with barely controlled fury. Three days had passed since Vincent had been taken to the police station, and somehow—impossibly—nothing had happened."What do you mean there were no charges filed?" Rocco demanded. "I had Isabella put pressure on them! They were supposed to arrest him!"The voice on the other end murmured something apologetic."I don't care about proper procedure!" Rocco shouted. "That beggar should be in jail right now! Instead, he's still walking around free!"He ended the call with a violent stab of his finger, then immediately dialed another number. Truth Skewer answered on the second ring."We need to accelerate the plan," Rocco said without preamble."Accelerate?" Truth Skewer's digitally-modified voice carried caution. "We agreed on a timeline—""The timeline isn't working!" Rocco interrupted. "I've stolen hundreds of thousands from her accounts, framed Vincent perfectly, and Gianna st

They moved toward the back exit, Vincent maintaining a casual pace that belied the tension of the situation. As they passed through the service corridor and out into the alley behind the café, Truth Skewer heard the front door chime.Through the service corridor's small window, Truth Skewer caught a glimpse of Gianna Moretti entering the café, looking elegant and tired, scanning the space as if searching for someone.Vincent didn't look back, his attention fixed forward as they stepped into the alley where a nondescript black sedan waited with engine running.Inside the café, Gianna claimed a table and ordered her usual espresso, her mind troubled. She hadn't seen Vincent since the police had taken him away. Despite telling herself she didn't care, guilt gnawed at her conscience alongside unwelcome worry.Where was he? Was he in jail? Had charges been filed? Her IT specialist had confirmed Vincent's claims about the Trojan, which meant he'd been telling the truth about being framed. B

Across the city, in the luxurious private bar at the Benedetti mansion, Rocco was already celebrating with Kevin Romano. The bar was all dark wood and expensive spirits, a monument to inherited wealth."Trust me," Rocco said, pouring generous measures of thirty-year-old scotch into crystal glasses, "it's only a matter of time now. Vincent will be completely destroyed."Kevin accepted the glass with a satisfied smile. "You sound very confident.""Because my plan is perfect," Rocco replied. "By the end of today, Gianna's company will be bankrupt. She'll have no choice but to blame Vincent and throw him out.""Rocco," Kevin said carefully, his smile fading slightly, "what exactly did you do?""What needed to be done," Rocco replied smugly. "Giovanni and I have been working on something. A comprehensive solution to the Vincent problem."Kevin's expression darkened. "Wait—Giovanni knows about this?""Of course," Rocco said, missing Kevin's sudden tension. "We've been coordinating everythin

Rocco's face contorted with fury as he jabbed his finger repeatedly in Vincent's direction, his entire body trembling with rage."If you don't reverse what you did right now," Rocco snarled, "you're going to be in big trouble! Do you hear me? Big trouble!"Vincent continued eating calmly, as if Rocco wasn't even there. "Is that a threat, Rocco?""It's a promise!" Rocco's voice rose to a near scream. "You think you can just mess with my accounts and get away with it? I have connections! Resources! I'll make you pay for this!"Gianna stood abruptly, her confusion mixing with growing anger. "Rocco, what the hell are you talking about? What accounts? What did Vincent supposedly do?"Rocco's mouth opened, then closed. His face cycled through rage, panic, and desperate calculation. He couldn't tell Gianna the truth—that he'd been the one stealing from her accounts, framing Vincent, orchestrating everything. Admitting that would implicate him completely, destroy any remaining relationship wi

The week following Rocco's humiliation had brought an unusual calm to the Moretti villa. Gianna found herself navigating unfamiliar emotional territory—gratitude, curiosity, and lingering guilt about how she'd treated Vincent all mixing together uncomfortably.Isabella had been conspicuously absent since her disastrous visit to the police station. Whatever had happened there had clearly shaken her badly enough to keep her away from both Vincent and Gianna. When Gianna had called to check on her mother, Isabella had been evasive and clearly uncomfortable, making excuses about being busy with social obligations.Across the city, in the Benedetti mansion, the atmosphere was considerably less peaceful."You paid a hacker half a million euros," Giovanni said coldly, pacing his study while Rocco sat hunched in a chair, "and somehow ended up being the one who got robbed?""Papa, I didn't know—" Rocco started."You didn't know?" Giovanni's voice rose sharply. "You hired a criminal from the da