Chapter 5 - The Snake in Naples
The revelation shifted everything. Sofia was no longer just an injured employee caught in a corporate fraud scheme; she was the widow of Alessandro’s favorite cousin, Giuliano, who had been executed during a bloody power struggle inside the Italian syndicate five years prior. Sofia had fled Europe with her two-year-old daughter, changing her name to Rossi and hiding in the lowest strata of working-class society to keep Emma invisible.
In the villa’s subterranean command center, Alessandro sat behind a wall of monitors displaying intelligence feeds from southern Italy. Marco stood beside him, holding a fresh dossier.
"We traced the Milanese investigator who was paying Victor Vance," Marco reported. "He works directly for Don Carmine Moretti—Giuliano’s uncle."
Alessandro’s eyes darkened at the name. Carmine was a ruthless, aging boss who had seized control of the Naples territories after Giuliano’s death.
"Carmine knew Giuliano left behind an estate worth nearly fifty million euros in offshore trusts," Marco continued. "According to Giuliano’s final will, those funds were sealed until Emma turned eighteen—unless Sofia died, in which case control of the trust defaulted to Carmine as the surviving male patriarch."
"That’s why Carmine’s men were looking for her," Alessandro realized, his voice dripping with venom. "They didn't just want to find her. They wanted her to die quietly in a foreign country so the trust would open."
"Victor Vance was giving Carmine’s investigator updates on Sofia’s declining health," Marco added. "He was intentionally withholding her pay to speed up her collapse. If she died of pneumonia in a cold apartment, it would look like natural causes. No murder investigation, no questions asked."
Alessandro slammed his fist onto the mahogany console, cracking the polished wood surface. The sheer depth of the conspiracy—targeting a helpless mother and child who belonged to his own lineage—ignited an ancient, deadly fire in his veins.
"Where is Carmine now?" Alessandro demanded.
"He arrived in New York yesterday morning," Marco replied grimly. "He’s staying at the Plaza. He believes Victor has located Sofia and is coming to finalize the transfer of information."
Alessandro stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "Carmine thinks he’s coming to a business meeting. Let’s show him how we handle family matters in New York."
"Should I prepare the heavy tactical team?" Marco asked, a grim smile touching his lips.
"No," Alessandro commanded. "Carmine wants an audience. We will give him one. Invite him to dinner at the Palazzo Romano tonight. Tell him Victor Vance has set up a private meeting with the hotel’s owner to discuss an exclusive transaction."
"And Sofia?"
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Alessandro looked at a screen showing the villa's upper terrace, where Sofia was currently sitting with Emma, teaching her how to read a new book.
"Keep her safe here," Alessandro said softly. "By tomorrow morning, the men who made her run across the ocean will no longer exist."
