Chapter 4 - Playing with Fire
Three weeks passed, and the Vance estate became a heavily fortified castle. Norah felt protected, but the isolation was starting to take a toll on her mental state. Every window was bulletproof, every meal was tested for poison, and she couldn't even walk in the private gardens without four armed guards trailing twenty paces behind her.
To ease her anxiety, Vincent began spending more time at home, conducting his business affairs from the study rather than his downtown offices. He became fiercely attentive, catering to her every craving, monitoring her rest, and spending hours just sitting beside her with his hand resting on her growing belly.
However, the peace was shattered when an unexpected package arrived at the front gates.
Luca brought the wooden crate into the study, his face pale. "It was left by a courier, Boss. Swept for explosives and toxins—it's clean. But you need to see what's inside."
Vincent stepped forward, shielding Norah behind him as Luca opened the lid. Inside lay a single, torn piece of cloth—a sleeve from the sweater Norah had worn the day she was attacked—stained with dried blood. Beneath it was a burner phone.
The moment the phone was lifted, it began to ring.
Vincent answered it, pressing it to his ear. "Speak."
"Vincent Vance," a greasy, mocking voice laughed through the speaker. It was Don Moretti’s top lieutenant, Santino. "I hope your pretty little wife is enjoying her golden cage. Tell her Derek says hello. He’s been telling us all sorts of interesting stories about her old life."
"If you have something to say, Santino, say it to my face," Vincent replied, his voice dangerously calm. "Otherwise, you are wasting my air."
"The port of Brooklyn," Santino sneered. "Tonight at midnight. Come alone, or we send a team to drop a bomb on your mansion. Let’s see if those bulletproof windows can withstand military-grade C4. Bring the deeds to the northern shipping lanes, or the next package we send will contain something much more personal than a sweater sleeve."
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The line went dead.
Vincent stared at the phone for a brief second before crushing it completely in his bare hand, the plastic fracturing into pieces. He turned to Norah, his eyes burning with a lethal resolve. "It's time to end the Moretti family."
