Chapter 4 - The Rat in the House
Back in Manhattan, the grand ballroom of the Moretti mansion was still humming with high-society chatter, though a low current of unease had rippled through the elite guests.
Luca Reed stood near the mahogany bar, swirling champagne in his crystal flute, his eyes darting frantically toward the empty terrace doors.
"Where is he?" Luca muttered under his breath, leaning toward Vivian, who had glided over with a tense, forced smile plastered across her face.
"I don't know," Vivian hissed, her manicured fingers digging into the stem of her glass so hard it looked like it would snap. "He poured the wine out, he smashed the glass, and then he vanished. And worse—the maid, Rosa Delgado, and her deaf brat are gone too. Their lockers in the staff quarters are empty."
Luca’s expression darkened into a scowl. "She saw us. The little deaf girl. She read our lips, or she saw the vial."
"Then find them," Vivian demanded, her voice venomous. "If Alessandro figures out what we planned, our families are finished. My father has already transferred the offshore accounts into your name, Luca. We are too deep in this to turn back now."
"Calm down," Luca sneered, taking a slow sip of his champagne. "Alessandro is paranoid, but he’s proud. He thinks he’s untouchable. We’ll announce tomorrow morning that he suffered a sudden medical relapse and stepped down to recover at a private retreat. By the time anyone asks questions, we’ll own his ports, his casinos, and his syndicate."
Across the room, unknown to Luca and Vivian, Marcus stood near the shadows of the arched doorway, his hand resting inside his jacket, gripping the encrypted satellite phone connected directly to Alessandro’s private terminal.
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Marcus pressed a single button, ending the audio transmission, and whispered into his collar mic: "They swallowed the bait, Boss. They think you're running blind."
Through the earpiece, Alessandro’s gravelly voice replied with terrifying clarity: Let them play their game. The trap closes at dawn.
