A few moments into his meal, Ciro looked up to the stomach-upsetting view of Sarah and Natalie, her best friend. He remembered how Natalie had stood supporting her friend with a smirk on her face, and his expression dripped with ice.Ciro raised his wine glass toward them slowly and deliberately and smiled, while inwardly restraining himself from strangling them.Sarah's face went bright red, her stomach betraying her at the sight of the meal with a growl."I already told you that I am here to see my boyfriend," she huffed impatiently at the host, then turned to stare seductively and innocently into Ciro's eyes.He almost snorted."You weren't picking up my calls, Ciro. I was beginning to get worried." She spoke in a lyrical tune that should have sounded like music, but to Ciro it was nothing more than a snake hissing."Boyfriend?" His eyes lifted with a tang of irritation."Sarah told me everything that happened," Natalie cut in smoothly. "You know she didn't mean a word of it, right

Ciro's phone buzzed at 9:00 AM with a text from Sarah that was so transparently manipulative it almost made him laugh."Baby, your basement storage is such a mess! Let me organize it properly. I'll bring help so we can get it done fast. You deserve to have everything neat and accessible for your project!"Ciro stared at the message and saw exactly what she was doing. She wanted full access to catalog everything he'd stored so she could report back to Marcos and Natalie about the scope of his wealth. She wanted to photograph, inventory, calculate, and plan.He texted back: "That'd be great. Thanks."An hour later, Sarah showed up at his door with Marcos standing behind her, wearing work gloves and a helpful smile that didn't reach his eyes."Surprise!" Sarah said brightly. "I brought Marcos to help. He's really strong, so he can handle all the heavy lifting."Marcos extended his hand. "Hey man. Sarah told me you've got quite the setup going. Happy to lend a hand with whatever you need.

At the break of dawn, Ciro walked into First National Bank at 9:00 AM.He went straight to the loan cashier and she gave him a warm professional smile.“What can I help you with today sir?” She inquired. Like that wasn't obvious already. “I need a loan.” She had started working on her computer to record Ciro's speech and she raised her head, taking every words that he said.“How much?” She inquired. “As much as I can get!”Her eyes shot up and for the first time, she actually noticed him.“I said as much as I can get!” Ciro repeated and she coughed. Most people that frequented that place already had a fixed amount in their mind. But this young man, he was unlike anyone that had come there before.“Let's see!”The loan officer pulled up his account and her eyebrows went up. "Mr. Novelli, our records show this property was paid off in full two years ago. You own it outright. Why would you want to take out a mortgage on an asset you already control?"Ciro leaned back in the chair and

Ciro walked into the Tactical Defense Expo Sunday morning with a shopping list that would raise red flags at any normal retail store but here among the preppers and survivalists and off-grid enthusiasts nobody blinked twice at a man buying weapons and ammunition and backup defense systems. The expo hall was massive with vendor booths selling everything from crossbows to body armor to dehydrated meals rated for twenty-year shelf life and the air smelled like gun oil and coffee and paranoia.He moved through the aisles systematically adding items to his mental inventory that the fortress contractors wouldn't provide without extensive background checks and waiting periods he didn't have time for. A compound bow with fifty carbon fiber arrows because crossbows were quieter than guns and arrows could be reused. Tactical knives with serrated edges. Bear spray in industrial canisters. Pepper spray grenades. Tasers. Everything legal enough to purchase without ID but effective enough to def

CHAPTER TEN Ciro had a stoic expression plastered all over his face, making everyone who had congratulated them wonder why he didn’t seem excited about the news. Even though Sarah had a sad look on her face, deep down, she knew what could have happened. “You don’t look happy, Ciro…” Her voice was a bit flustered, her eyes scanning his visage.Ciro took a deep breath, but before he could say a word, they were met with the presence of a familiar man, walking in like he owned the place. Sarah was silent, she refused to look at the man standing close to her for a second time, he seemed to be sparking some reactions in her body. “Sarah, what is going on? What is he doing here?” Ciro said in a very low tone but Sarah only turned to look at him for a few seconds without saying anything. “Go on Sarah, tell him why I am here,” Marcos said with a smirk on his face, causing Sarah to turn her gaze to him. “Do I need to tell him myself, Sarah?” “That’s enough, Marcos! What are you doing h