2025-11-24 17:19:15Enzo stood in the middle of Rossini's compound, and the room was full of tension. The walls, which used to be strong and safe, now felt like a trap. Matteo Rossini, the man who had planned Damon's death and controlled every move in this war, stood across from him.
Rossini's smirk made me mad, like a man who knew he had already won. "You thought you could get me down, Enzo? You were never anything more than a piece on my board. His voice was cold, but his eyes showed that he was having fun. "Damon was weak, but you... you were always helpful." Enzo's fists were tight, and his body shook with rage. Every fight he had fought and every step he had taken had brought him to this point. But Rossini's words hurt more than any blow. A pawn. "You killed him," Enzo said, stepping forward. "You killed Damon to get in charge." And you thought you could just leave it behind? Rossini shrugged, as if the death of a man who had once been his equal didn't matter. "It's a dog-eat-dog world, Ghost. You should have known that by now. Enzo's hand shook, and he couldn't help but want to pull the trigger. But he knew he couldn't go back now. I'm just as bad if I kill him. He was so angry and wanted to get back at the person who hurt him that the truth hit him like a punch to the gut. This was no longer about justice. It was a matter of life and death. And how much did that cost? He couldn't afford to pay that much. Enzo's mind raced as Rossini's words weighed heavily on him. The room felt like it was closing in on me. With each passing second, he could feel his humanity slipping away. Bianca, who was standing nearby, saw that he had changed. She moved closer and spoke softly. "Now is the time, Enzo. You have to take charge or you'll die. There is no middle ground. Enzo looked at her, his eyes hardening but also showing that he was torn. "I didn't want this. I never wanted any of this. But you are right. It's up to me to choose. Bianca looked at him, but her face was blank. "Then do it." Enzo looked back at Rossini, the man who had ruined everything Damon had worked for and made him look like a fool. He could feel the darkness closing in on him, tempting him to pull the trigger and put an end to Rossini's reign of terror once and for all. But what would that mean for him? Another dictator? Another man who had been taken over by power? He tightened his jaw. "I'm done with this." Bianca's eyes went to the gun in Enzo's hand, and she spoke softly. "Are you not going to kill him?" Enzo said, "I'm not like you," with a bitter tone. "I'm not like Rossini." But Enzo's choice had effects that weren't good. Rossini's eyes shone with victory as soon as his gun went down. "You really think you won, Ghost?" Rossini made fun of. "You still follow rules that don't exist in this world." "I've already won." Enzo's grip on his gun got tighter, and even though he was still determined, his body was tense as he realised he had been playing right into Rossini's hands. Rossini was right: every move and every plan had brought him to this dead end. He was now just another pawn. Enzo stepped closer and said, "I don't think you get it." "You don't have power over me anymore." Enzo looked at Bianca, who had been strangely quiet during the conversation. Her calculating eyes locked onto his, as if to say without words that this was the moment when everything would change. The door behind them suddenly flew open. Luca Moretti, the crime lord Enzo had thought about teaming up with, walked into the room with armed guards on each side. Luca said, "I see the little Ghost is still trying to be a hero," in a smooth, condescending voice. Enzo's heart stopped for a second. He didn't need another enemy, especially not Luca Moretti. "Have you been working with Rossini?" Enzo asked in a low voice, "What?" Luca's smile got bigger. "Did you really think you could kill Rossini without me knowing? Ghost, I've been in charge of things behind the scenes for a long time. Enzo didn't let on that he was hurt by the betrayal. He had worked too hard to let it get to him now. He thought, "Don't trust anyone." Before anyone could do anything, a shot rang out. The noise echoed in the room, and it made Enzo's heart race with fear. He turned around just in time to see Serena Voss, the hacker who had helped him before, fall to the ground with blood spreading beneath her. "No!" Enzo yelled and ran towards her. He knelt next to her, and his hands shook as she looked at him in shock. Bianca, always the smart one, moved closer. "You're too late, Ghost." Rossini smiled and kept his hands up in fake surrender. "It's too bad, really. You were almost in charge. Enzo gritted his teeth as anger coursed through him. But when he looked down at Serena and saw the blood on her clothes, he knew how bad things were for him. Everything, even power, was too expensive. Serena coughed and her breath was short. "You... you have to... kill him, Enzo," she whispered, her voice weak but urgent. "Don't let him win." Enzo's heart hurt. He knew what he had to do. But the thought hit him like a punch: He would have to give up everything to stay alive. The door to the room slammed open again before Enzo could say anything. This time, it was Carmela Santillo, and she wasn't by herself. Tristan Rocco, the city's financial genius, stood next to her with a smug look on his face. "Tristan?" Enzo's voice broke with disbelief. "Why are you here?" Tristan didn't say anything. He nodded towards Luca Moretti instead, his smile tight. "Ghost, this is bigger than you think." And you've been on the wrong side the whole time. Enzo's world turned. Betrayal. It was all over the place. And he was right in the middle of it all, in the middle of the crossfire.
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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
