Chapter 5

Austin Demon sat in his grand office, flipping his phone absentmindedly. His jaw clenched as he replayed the assassination in his head. His men had a clean shot at the girl—but then, at the worst possible moment, Diva had interfered. The bullet had missed its target.

His hand slammed against the desk. "Why would she do that? Now Rafael has been nominated for Mafia King. She ruined everything at the worst possible time!"

Just then, the heavy door swung open.

Christina Diva stepped in, her usual commanding aura trailing behind her. She walked with the kind of confidence that made even the most ruthless men second-guess themselves.

"The reason I stopped your men," she said smoothly, removing her dark sunglasses and placing them on the table, "is because that girl isn't actually Rafael's wife."

Austin narrowed his eyes. "What the hell do you mean?"

Diva tilted her head, smirking. "Haven’t you ever considered that you've been killing the wrong women this entire time? That Rafael has been deliberately feeding you decoys?"

Austin’s fingers twitched. He prided himself on knowing everything. But this… this was news to him.

"Think about it," Diva continued, gracefully taking a seat. "Even a womanizer like you wouldn’t go through that many women in such a short time. Rafael’s been playing you, using these women as bait while keeping the real one hidden."

Austin gritted his teeth. He had suspected something was off, but to hear it confirmed made his blood boil.

"Yesterday, you thought Rafael wouldn’t bring a wife to the party. Yet he did. And now, conveniently, he’s been nominated as your opponent. It's all over the news that his wife was almost killed."Diva leaned back, her black hair cascading over her shoulder. "I saved that girl because she has something I want. We’ll use her to get to Rafael. And as for his real wife?" She smirked. "She’ll reveal herself when she realizes..." She paused. "When my plan takes off, she will come back"

Austin clenched his fists. "And you waited until now to tell me this?" His voice dripped with fury. "You could’ve told me sooner!"

Diva let out a low chuckle. "Oh, Austin… I know you're an arrogant jackass, but don’t ever forget who I am—Christina Diva." She stood with the same effortless grace she had walked in with. "I came here to warn you, so you don’t do anything reckless. But don’t think for a second that I need your approval for what comes next."

She turned toward the door, pausing for a brief moment. "I have something up my sleeve. Don’t be surprised."

With that, she stroded out of the office, leaving Austin seething.

His fury boiled over as he swept everything off his desk with one violent motion. He hated being outmaneuvered, hated it even more when someone like Diva thought they were smarter than him.

The Morettis had taken down his father before him. If he wasn’t careful, they’d do the same to him.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"It’s time."

***********

The morning sun filtered through the window, casting a golden glow over the room as Ivy sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the letter in her hands. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

She had managed to sneak into the basement with the help of a maid, her heart pounding the entire way. But the moment she stepped inside, a wave of dread washed over her. A corpse lay sprawled on the cold floor. The sight had sent chills down her spine.

Her first thought had been Rafael. Had he killed her informant before she could get any answers?

But then, her eyes landed on a piece of paper beside the body. A hastily scribbled message.

Her informant had fled.

Maybe he didn’t want to meet her in person? Maybe he had realized the risk was too great?

But the message he left behind was strange.

It was an instruction—an order. If she wanted to know the truth, she had to follow it.

The problem was, she didn’t understand what it meant. It looked like a plan… but it also felt like a trap. The more she read it, the more it seemed like someone was pushing her deeper into the Moretti’s den.

A place she wasn’t sure she was ready to enter.

She let out a slow breath and set the letter down.

But hesitation wouldn't get her anywhere.

If this was the key to unlocking the mystery behind her parents' deaths… then she had no choice.

She was going to do it.

*************

Rafael sat in his office, his fingers tapping restlessly against the desk. The picture wouldn’t leave his mind.

Who could have left it there?

The photo of the couple—the couple he had tried to erase from his memory. The family that had been slaughtered three years ago.

And now, someone had placed that same picture in the store, as if to taunt him. As if to remind him of a past he had buried.

He had spent three years trying to find their daughter, Ava. The real reason they had been killed. But she had vanished, leaving behind nothing but shadows. He didn’t even know what she looked like anymore.

Just as he reached for his phone to call Marcus, the door swung open.

"Planning to call me, huh?" Marcus smirked as he strolled in, shutting the door behind him. "I just got back from the airport."

Rafael narrowed his eyes. "The airport? What the hell were you doing there?"

Marcus dropped into a chair and propped his feet on the desk. "Handling a problem before it starts. I tricked Sophia into taking a short vacation—at least until you’re officially crowned Mafia King."

Rafael’s jaw tensed. "And she agreed?"

"I haven’t told her the real reason yet. If you don’t open your big mouth, you might actually get some peace for once," Marcus said with a shrug. "Besides, if she knew Ivy was still here, there will be war"

Rafael exhaled sharply and leaned back. "You have no idea how much I have on my plate right now."

"You look like hell. What happened?"

Rafael ran a hand down his face. "I found the picture of the murdered couple in the store… and someone wrote ‘killed’ over it in blood. The door was wide open when I got there."

Marcus shot up from his chair. "What?! That’s impossible. We never kept any pictures of them in this house. Who the hell has access to something like that? Have you told Nikko, to look into it?"

"I have. But it’s not enough. I need to know who did this. I’ve spent years looking for Ava, and every dead end makes me feel guiltier than before."

Marcus exhaled and rubbed his temples. "Are you seriously still hung up on that girl? Rafael, that past is a ticking time bomb. If you keep digging, it’s going to explode in your face."

Rafael didn’t respond. He didn’t have to.

Marcus shook his head. "Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. The package for the Russians is missing "

Rafael's eyes darkened. "What did you just say?"

"The shipment was tampered with. If they don’t get their package on time, there’s going to be a serious problem."

Rafael shot up from his chair, rage boiling in his veins. Too much was happening at once.

"We don’t have time for this. If the Russians don’t get what they’re expecting—"

"It will be a great loss," Marcus finished grimly.

Rafael stormed out of the office, Marcus right behind him.

*************

Ivy absentmindedly poked at the food the maid had placed in front of her.

She liked the idea of being pampered, free from work and responsibilities. Living a luxurious life had always been her dream...

But not in her enemy’s house.

Despite being treated like a queen, the suffocating tension in the Moretti mansion was unbearable. She didn’t belong here. And if she was being honest, she wished Nina was around to keep her company.

As she drifted into her thoughts, her phone rang.

The same unknown number.

Her heart skipped. After receiving that eerie letter, she had tried calling the number back— but it didn’t exist.

Yet now, it was calling her again.

She picked up in a hurry, ready to demand answers, but before she could say a word, a deep voice cut in—cold and emotionless.

"Get ready."

Then the line went dead.

Ivy stared at her phone, dread curling in her stomach.

Get ready for what?

Then a message popped in....