Chapter 7 - INTO THE LION'S DEN
"I didn't know," Sofia whispered, her voice cracking as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I swear on my daughter’s life, Adrian... I didn't know anything about his business. Antonio kept me away from his shop. He told me he was fixing engines... he took out loans from Donati because his shop was going under... I had no idea..."
She fell to her knees beside his desk, weeping uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking with profound heartbreak.
"If you think I brought Emma here to hurt you," Sofia sobbed, looking up at him with utter sincerity, "then kill me now. But please... don't look at my baby like she's an enemy. She loves you, Adrian. She calls you her hero."
Adrian looked down at her. He saw no deception in her eyes—only the raw, shattering pain of an innocent woman who had been dragged through hell by the choices of men around her.
The rage inside him drained away, leaving behind a profound, terrible clarity.
Antonio Romano had been an unwitting pawn, manipulated and silenced by Lorenzo Rossi when he discovered what his work was being used for. Antonio’s "accident" two years ago wasn't an accident at all—Lorenzo had murdered him to cover his tracks, then sent Donati to squeeze his widow for debts that didn't exist.
Lorenzo Rossi was the spider at the center of the web. He had destroyed Adrian’s past, and now he was trying to destroy his future.
Adrian knelt down, taking Sofia’s shaking hands in his own. His thumb gently wiped away the tears on her wet cheek.
"I believe you," Adrian whispered softly. "I'm sorry, Sofia. I am so sorry."
Sofia threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against his chest, clinging to him as if he were the only stable thing left in a violent world.
"It ends tonight," Adrian said, his tone shifting into absolute, iron certainty. "Frank!"
The library doors swung open. Frank stepped in, his expression grim. "Boss?"
"Assemble the entire crew," Adrian commanded, helping Sofia to her feet. "Every soldier, every shooter from Berwyn to the North Side. We are going to Lorenzo's headquarters."
Frank’s eyes flashed with fierce loyalty. "It's about time, boss. What are the orders?"
"No negotiations," Adrian said, his eyes turning to burning coals. "We eradicate the Rossi syndicate tonight."
Before leaving, Adrian turned to Sofia. He pulled a thick, golden signet ring from his pinky finger—the Moretti family crest—and placed it gently into her palm, folding her fingers over it.
"If I am not back by sunrise," Adrian said softly, looking into her eyes, "Frank’s men will take you and Emma to a safehouse in Switzerland. You will be set for life. The estate, the money, everything belongs to you."
"Don't talk like that," Sofia begged, clutching the warm gold ring to her chest. "Come back to us. Promise me you'll come back."
May you like
Adrian looked past her toward the garden, where Emma was waving at him through the window with her rag doll.
"I promise," Adrian said.
