Chapter 13 - Blood and Silk
The Grand Ballroom of the Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan was a breathtaking sea of crystal chandeliers, flowing champagne, and haute couture. High society’s elite mingled under gilded ceilings, unaware of the silent war playing out in the shadows.
Sophia swept through the hall in a stunning emerald-green silk gown of her own creation, structured like armor with delicate gold embroidery following the contours of her silhouette. Beside her, Julian looked imposing in a tailored black tuxedo, his eyes scanning every face in the crowd with lethal precision.
"Security report?" Sophia asked under her breath, offering a graceful smile to a passing French ambassador.
"Perimeter is secure," Julian replied softly, taking two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handing one to her. "My team has identified three uninvited guests on the mezzanine floor. We are monitoring them. But Sophia, Elena has been acting strangely all evening."
Sophia’s heart tightened. "What do you mean?"
"She accessed the private vault controls ten minutes ago. Said she was retrieving a necklace for your second outfit change, but the vault logs show she transferred encrypted files from your personal drive onto an external flash drive."
Sophia felt a cold chill run down her spine, but her face remained an unreadable mask of elegance. "Keep her under surveillance, but do not move until I confront her myself."
An hour later, as the fashion showcase reached its peak and applause thundered through the main hall, Sophia excused herself and walked down the quiet, marble-lined corridor leading to the private dressing suites.
She opened the door to her suite. The room was dimly lit, filled with clothing racks draped in delicate fabrics. Elena stood near the vanity, her hands shaking as she concealed a small velvet pouch in her jacket.
"Elena," Sophia said softly, closing the heavy oak door behind her.
Elena gasped, spinning around, her face pale as snow. "Sophia! I... I was just preparing the jewels for the finale."
"Why did you copy my private files, Elena?" Sophia asked, her voice calm, devoid of anger, carrying only a heavy, heartbreaking quietness. "Ten years. I treated you like a sister."
Tears welled in Elena's eyes, mixing with fear. "You don't understand... they have my brother, Sophia! The Vane Syndicate... they contacted me two weeks ago. They showed me videos of him in a cell. If I didn't give them your supply chain routes and private security codes, they promised to send him back to me in pieces!"
Before Sophia could answer, the lock on the suite door clicked. The door swung open, and three men in sharp suits stepped into the room, their hands tucked inside their jackets.
Leading them was a man with cold gray eyes and a deep scar running from his ear down to his collarbone—Victor Vane, the younger brother of Marcus Vane.
"Charming family reunion," Victor sneered, stepping into the room as his men drew suppressed pistols. "Thank you for the access codes, Elena. Your brother is already dead, by the way. We don't leave loose ends."
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Elena let out a choked scream, collapsing to her knees in despair.
Victor pointed his weapon straight at Sophia's chest. "Ten years ago, my family lost everything because of you and your father. Tonight, the Romano legacy ends in blood and silk."
