2025-11-24 17:35:01Every second that passed, the crown felt heavier. Enzo Dalca stood on the balcony and looked out over Havencroft. His hands were resting on the cold metal railing. The city was dark and spread out in front of him. He won. Carmela Santillo, Bianca Rourke, and anyone else who tried to stop him had fallen. But the taste of victory was bitter, like ash in his mouth.
Serena's voice broke through his thoughts: "You did it, Ghost." She walked quietly out to the balcony to join him, her presence as quiet and dangerous as ever. "You're in charge of the city." At first, Enzo didn't say anything. He looked out at the skyline and thought about what he saw. It felt like a Pyrrhic victory. The price was always power. He had killed for it, lied for it, and now he had it. But what was left of him? "Is it worth it?" Enzo asked in a low voice, so low that it was hard to hear over the noise of the city. "What's the point of having it all if you've already lost everything you wanted?" For a brief moment, Serena's eyes softened, but the walls came back right away. "The cost of power is always high." But you already knew that, right? Enzo looked at her, and his eyes hardened. "I knew it would cost a lot. But I didn't know it would cost this much. He stopped and looked at her. "You knew this would happen, right?" Serena took a deep breath and kept her eyes on him. "You're right." Yes, I did. But you've always been too deep in this world to get out now. Their partnership was getting worse every day, but for now, they had to keep going. Enzo couldn't stop thinking about Bianca, the woman who had once been his best friend but was now an enemy working with Carmela. Serena opened the laptop and showed the plans for Carmela's next weapons shipment as they sat down to talk about what to do next. It was the key to their last push, but Enzo felt something eating away at him. Serena said, "I know where Carmela is," and pointed to the screen. "She is already talking to Luca Moretti." We need to strike before they completely join forces. Enzo nodded, but his mind was elsewhere even though his eyes were on the screen. The stress between him and Serena was no longer just business. There was something darker and more personal hiding beneath the surface that he couldn't ignore. "Are you on my side or are you still playing both sides?" Enzo's voice was low and hard with doubt. Serena looked him in the eye, and her face was blank. "I'm with you," she said in a calm voice, but Enzo saw something flash in her eyes. "But the game is bigger than you think, Enzo." You don't want to admit it, but the stakes are higher. He squinted. "What does that mean?" Serena didn't give a straight answer. Instead, she clicked on a few more files, and each one was worse than the last. "Luca is moving pieces on the board, and Carmela is already thinking about what to do next." We have to play better than both of them, or we lose. As Enzo got ready to attack Carmela Santillo's compound, the stress among his crew became too much to handle. The quiet worry had turned into open distrust. Tristan Rocco, who had once been a trusted friend, had been acting strangely, and Enzo couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The fluorescent lights above flickered, making the war room even more chaotic as Enzo paced back and forth. He thought quickly about the plan: break into Carmela's compound, take the shipment, and get rid of anyone who got in his way. But he felt like something was wrong. The pieces of the puzzle didn't fit together, and his crew, who he trusted the most, were starting to look more like problems than solutions. "Tristan, get over here," Enzo yelled, narrowing his eyes and pointing at the financial genius who had been quiet for too long. "I need to know what's going on with the money." Why is the money flow slowing down? Tristan hesitated for a moment, looking at Serena before stepping forward. "Hey, we're... We are having problems with the accounts in other countries. Carmela has been taking money to pay for her own business. Enzo's heart raced. He asked, "How much?" Tristan said softly, "Enough to change the tides in her favour." "Enzo, she's planning something bigger." More than we thought. Enzo's hands were clenched. It wasn't just about weapons anymore. Carmela was trying to make herself the new queen of Havencroft. He could feel the ground shifting under his feet as the city slipped away from him. Enzo called his crew together for the last push after the plan was set in motion. They would break into Carmela's compound, take her weapons, and put an end to her business for good. But a loud voice stopped Enzo as he was about to leave. "Do you really think you can win this war, Ghost?" Enzo stopped in his tracks when he heard Bianca's voice echoing down the hall. He turned to look at her, and his face grew hard. "Looks like you're still following Carmela." Bianca smirked, and her eyes were full of poison. "You're not the only one who will do anything to win." Enzo, don't lie to yourself. You are just like me now. Willing to give up anything, everything to get the throne. Enzo's throat got tight when he realized the truth. She is right. He wasn't the same man anymore. He had changed because of the city. The power had an effect on him. He had also lost sight of what he was really fighting for. Enzo said in a cold voice, "We'll see who wins, Bianca." He was sure of himself, but doubt was eating at him inside. "This is the last time I'm going to ask you." "Get out of my way." As Enzo moved forward, determined to take control, a loud noise broke the moment: the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked. Luca Moretti's voice broke the silence, cutting through the tension. "You think you can tear down everything I've worked for? "Do you think you've won, Ghost?" Enzo's heart sank. Luca Moretti had always been one step ahead. Luca stepped into the light, and armed men stood next to him. His smile was mean and sharp. "Enzo, you're playing a game you can't win." And now I have the cards. Enzo's hand went to his gun, but the heaviness of the situation hit him hard. He held on tighter. The last battle for Havencroft was about to start, and this time it was all or nothing.
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Chapter 61: Rebirth or Ruin
Enzo stood in the middle of it, with cold sheets of rain falling all around him, making the skyline and the rubble below his feet hard to see. The air was full of smoke, and the distant sounds of gunfire reminded him that the city, the very thing he had once fought for, was slipping through his fingers. He couldn't save it or destroy it anymore.He clenched his fists, feeling the weight of every choice he had made, every betrayal, and every alliance. Serena, Bianca, and Luca had all pushed him to this point. And now that everything was falling apart, he had to choose between fighting for the throne or giving it all up.His men were spread out across the city, fighting to stay alive, but Enzo knew that the city would never be the same, no matter how many people died. He could feel it in his gut: the cost of power and the price of redemption. He heard his name whispered in every corner of Havencroft, but in the back of his mind, he wondered if it was too late to save anything, even hims
Chapter 60: The Price of Power
Rain fell in thin, stubborn sheets, making Havencroft's main square look like a mirror with broken lights and muddy water.Enzo stood under the broken awning of an old bank and watched his men take up positions on the roofs and in the alley mouths. Their numbers were fewer now, and their faces looked older than they were.Marco came up behind him with a low rifle. "We're too spread out," he said. "People who work for Serena are dug in by the fountain." Bianca's crew is acting like they're not taking sides, which usually means they're overthinking things.Enzo said, "Bianca always thinks too much." "That's why she's still alive."Marco thought about it. "Are you sure we want her here at all?"Enzo said, "No, we don't." "We need her guns." There is a difference.Bianca stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the square. Her coat was dark with rain, and two of her men were behind her. She raised her hands to show that they were empty.She yelled, "You really made the place look n
Chapter 59: The Heart of Darkness
The rain on the roof of the warehouse made a loud, steady noise that drowned out the sounds of the city outside.Enzo stood on the floor, not the catwalk, with his boots planted in a loose circle of chairs. His men stayed in the shadows along the walls. Bianca was sitting to his right, with her back straight and her fingers loose on the armrest."This is like the part in a bad movie where everyone dies," she said."Then let's try to make the script mad," Enzo said.The door on the side opened. Three of Luca's former lieutenants came in with Serena. No masks. No attitude. Just tired eyes and hands close to their holsters.She stopped in front of him. "You chose a nice place," she said. "Romantic in a way that comes after the end of the world."He said, "It has been the cause of most of our problems." "Sit."They grabbed their chairs. The lieutenants stayed standing and watched everyone.Serena said, "You wanted to talk." "Talk before someone changes their mind.""You built a council an
Chapter 58: Broken Bonds
Havencroft had stopped yelling, but it still didn't know how to talk quietly.Enzo watched a line of people go around a relief truck from the window of the old tax office. His men kept the peace, keeping their eyes on the crowd and their hands on their rifles.He could hear Bianca's voice coming from the table behind him."You see faces that are hungry," she said. "I see leverage."He looked back. "You always knew how to make love."She put the reports all over the table. "Food goes out with our stamp on it." Medicine moves along our paths. People complain, but they know who to ask for help when they need it.Enzo said, "They also whispered Luca's name." "Until they spat on it."Bianca looked up and laughed. "Scared of becoming him?"He said, "I'm afraid of becoming someone worse and not knowing it."She walked over to the window and joined him. "Take it easy. You still jump when the bodies start to stack up. That means you're still here."Comforting," he said softly.Marco stepped in
Chapter 57: A Crown of Ashes
In the morning, Havencroft seemed smaller.Enzo looked out the broken windows of what used to be a tax office and was now his headquarters. He saw smoke still coming from two blocks away. The sirens screamed and then stopped. Someone yelled from the street below, then went quiet.Marco, one of his oldest officers, stood at the table with coffee and maps on it. "You have the city, boss," he said. "What's left of it?"Enzo didn't take his eyes off the window. "I have rubble that answers to my name." That is not the same thing.Marco said, "You wanted the throne." "Now it is yours."Enzo said, "The throne is a broken chair with bullets in it." "Sit on it wrong, and it kills you."Marco laughed half-heartedly. "Some men kill for seats that are less comfortable."He got serious and tapped a mark on the map. "The south blocks are on edge. Stores were robbed and kids were running around. "Who is in charge now that Luca and Carmela are gone?" people are asking.Enzo turned around. "Tell them
Chapter 56: The Ghost's End
Havencroft was almost silent.Enzo watched smoke drift over the river road from the top floor of the broken office building.Serena was behind him, one hand on the wall and the other on her stomach. She said, "It's almost over."Enzo asked, "For who?""Everyone," she said. "Luca. Carmela. You. Me. This spot.He kept looking at the skyline that was on fire. "Luca is still alive." "It's not over until he stops breathing."Serena said, "You could just leave." "Tonight." We get in a car, go through the tunnels, and then we vanish. No more crowns. "Stop painting the streets red.""And leave him here to fix all this," Enzo said. "Let him raise our child according to his own rules."She said quietly, "You already chose war after you found out about the baby." "Don't act like this is a sacrifice for us.""I stopped acting like I was innocent," he said. "That's it."She got closer until he could feel her breath on his shoulder. "You say you're doing this for our child. But what's the point of
