Seraphina POV
The armored SUV rolled to a halt, the crunch of gravel beneath its tires signaling the end of my brief, dark ride. The heavy doors were yanked open, and the biting, salt-laced wind of the Long Island coast whipped across my face.
The two Soldiers hauled me out. My legs were practically useless, dragging against the asphalt, but the freezing morning air pierced through the heavy fog of the sedatives just enough to clear my mind. Looming ahead on the tarmac was a silver Gulfstream G650, a sleek beast waiting to carry me to my execution.
I forced my heavy head up, using every ounce of willpower I possessed to stop my trembling. I looked at Julian. He stood impeccably dressed against the bleak, gray sky, watching my pathetic struggle with mild amusement.
"Are you really going to do this?" My voice was a raspy, broken whisper, but the venom in it was unmistakable. "Are you going to parade a half-dead woman before the old men of The Commission?"
Julian paused at the base of the airstairs, his dark eyes locking onto mine.
"They won't see a conqueror, Julian," I pushed on, my chest heaving against the suffocating fabric of the designer dress. "They will see your fear. You are so terrified of the Marino name, so threatened by a ghost, that you have to drug a woman just to prove you own her. You're going to be a laughingstock."
For a second, the wind seemed to stop. I waited for the flash of anger, for the strike that would prove I had pierced his massive ego.
Instead, Julian stepped closer. The scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the metallic tang of the jet fuel. He reached into his breast pocket, withdrew a pristine silk handkerchief, and gently, almost tenderly, wiped a faint trace of dried blood from the corner of my mouth—a lingering testament to my poisoned rebellion.
"On the contrary, *mia cara*," he murmured, his lips curving into a chilling, flawless smile. "They will see that even a proud, wounded lioness can only whimper at my feet."
The last ember of my hope turned to ash. He didn't care about looking honorable. He reveled in the desecration. He gave a slight nod, and the Soldiers dragged me up the stairs, my heels scraping against the metal steps.
Inside, the private jet was a masterpiece of beige leather and polished mahogany. It was the most luxurious cage in the world. They dropped me into a wide seat, buckling me in as if I were a fragile, precious doll. Julian took the seat across the aisle, opening a leather-bound folder without sparing me another glance.
The engines roared to life. As the plane accelerated and tore away from the earth, the sheer, crushing weight of my powerlessness pinned me to the seat. I closed my eyes, the hum of the cabin vibrating in my bones, and let the darkness pull me backward.
*The scent of rich Cuban cigars and aged leather filled my senses.*
I was fifteen again, standing in the center of my father’s study. The walls were lined with old photographs and the Marino family crest. I was trembling, but not from drugs. I had stolen Don Antonio’s favorite Beretta, terrified that his scheduled sit-down with the Russian Bratva would end in his death.
My father hadn't yelled. He had walked around his massive mahogany desk and forced me to look at the crest.
"There are no cowards in the Marino family, Seraphina," his deep, gravelly voice echoed in the room. "Honor is our only armor. You think you are protecting me by hiding my weapon, but you are shaming me. You are shaming our shared name."
"She's just a girl, Papa. She was scared," Marco’s voice had chimed in from the doorway. My older brother, always my shield.
Don Antonio had raised a hand, silencing his Underboss instantly. He looked down at me, his eyes hard but filled with a grim truth. "A soldier's fate is to die on the battlefield. A Don's fate is to die for the honor of his family. Never strip us of that dignity."
*Never strip us of that dignity.*
The memory faded, leaving me in the cold reality of the cabin. My breathing steadied. The tears that had threatened to fall dried up, replaced by a freezing, unbreakable resolve.
My father and Marco had bled for that honor. They had died for it. And here I was, letting Julian Moretti trample their legacy because I was afraid of the humiliation. My despair was the ultimate betrayal of their sacrifice.
I couldn't fight Julian with my fists, and I couldn't escape this plane. But I could survive. I would endure the stares of Don Augusto Viti and the rest of the Commission. I would let them think I was broken.
Personal grief melted away, forging into the cold steel of *Vendetta*. I would live through New York, not for myself, but to become the blade that would eventually slit Julian Moretti's throat.
The heavy sedatives dragged at my consciousness again, pulling me down into a dark, restless sleep, where the ghosts of my family were waiting.
