Elena gripped the armrests of her seat, her knuckles turning white as the engines began to roar. She wasn't sitting in the cramped, middle-row seat of a budget airline. She was in a chair made of soft, hand-stitched cream leather that felt more like a throne than an airplane seat. There was enough legroom for three people, and a small table beside her held a glass of sparkling cider that bubbled like liquid gold."Leo, are you sure we’re allowed to be back here?" she whispered, her eyes darting toward the front of the cabin. "This looks like the private section they show in those billionaire documentaries. I haven't seen a single other passenger."Leo leaned back, looking completely at ease. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and dark trousers, but he carried himself with a quiet authority that seemed to command the very air around them. He took a sip of his drink and smiled."I told you, Elena. It was the grand prize," Leo said, his voice smooth and steady. "The tech company that

Leo stepped back onto the terrace, sliding his phone into his pocket. The call with Sebastian had been brief...mostly updates on the shell companies moving into the Italian market...but his mind was already shifting back to the girl waiting at the table. He had a smile ready, a soft comment about the dessert menu, but the moment his eyes landed on Elena, his heart hit the floor.She was sitting exactly where he had left her, but her posture had changed. She looked smaller, her shoulders pulled inward as if she were trying to disappear. Her face was the color of chalk, and her hands were gripped so tightly around her napkin that her knuckles were white."Elena?"She jumped at the sound of his voice, her head snapping up. For a split second, Leo saw a flash of raw, naked terror in her eyes. It was the look of someone who had just looked into the mouth of a shark.Leo was at her side in two steps, his hand reaching for hers. "Elena, what’s wrong? What happened?"Elena felt her heart hamm

Leo didn't even have time to breathe before the first blow landed. The man with the scarred chin moved with a speed that didn't match his bulky frame. He swung the heavy wooden bat in a wide, vicious arc. Leo tried to twist his body, tried to take the hit on his shoulder instead of his spine, but the gravel shifted under his designer loafers.The wood connected with his ribs with a sickening *thud*.Leo’s breath left him in a sharp, painful wheeze. He crashed into the side of the car, his vision spinning. He had been trained to fight, yes, but he had spent the last three years in boardrooms and classrooms, not back alleys. His body wasn't ready for the raw, unpolished violence of the street."Leo!" Elena’s scream was a piercing blade of sound. She lunged toward him, her hands outstretched, but the two men at the back caught her. One grabbed her waist, and the other clamped a hand over her mouth, dragging her back.Leo struggled to find his feet, his hand instinctively reaching into hi

Elena’s fingers cramped around the silver letter opener. She looked at the distance between her and the door. It was impossible."Don't come any closer," she gasped.Marco didn't even slow down. He reached out, his hand moving like a snake. Elena swung the letter opener, but she was too slow, too tired. He caught her wrist in a grip that felt like a metal vice. With a sharp twist, he forced her arm down. Elena cried out as the silver blade fell from her numb fingers, hitting the carpet with a dull thud.Before she could even scream, Marco’s other hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of her rose-gold hair. He jerked her head back, forcing her to look up at the ceiling."The bird has claws," he mocked, leaning in until she could smell the stale tobacco on his breath. "But you're still just a bird in a cage, Elena."He threw her toward the center of the room. Elena’s sneakers slipped on the marble, and she went down hard on her knees.A groan came from the bathroom.Don Lorenzo appeared in

Leo stood perfectly still as the world around Lorenzo fell apart. He didn't look like the boy who had been begging for mercy five minutes ago. He stood tall, his chin up, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs. He looked at Marco, the man who had pulled Elena’s hair, and his eyes were as cold as a winter morning in the mountains."Antonio," Leo said, his voice quiet but cutting through the noise of the idling helicopter. "I want them on their knees. All of them."Antonio Valenti didn't hesitate. He gave a small nod to the men in black tactical gear.The violence that followed wasn't a fight. It was an execution of pride. The soldiers moved like machines. Two of them grabbed Marco by the shoulders. Marco tried to struggle, his face twisted in a mask of panic, but a heavy boot slammed into the back of his knee. The bone gave a loud, wet crack that made the other guards flinch.Marco hit the stone floor of the terrace with a scream that was cut short when a rifle butt slammed into his jaw.