Elena's POV
The monitors in my safe house cast a faint blue glow across my face, adding a touch of tension to the room.
My fingers flew across the mechanical keyboard, the crisp clacking echoing in the silent space.
I was preparing the master drive for Gabriel and Serena.
I systematically stripped away the real offshore account routing numbers and political protection codes, replacing them with a decoy program—a digital logic bomb.
Once activated, it would expose every single one of their routes to the federal authorities.
I unplugged the silver drive, tossed it into the desk drawer, and sealed their fate.
A few hours later, the silence of my safe house was replaced by the low hum of a ballroom. The air was thick with the scent of cigars and luxurious perfume.
Tonight was the underworld's annual masquerade ball.
Gabriel stood in the center of the room, holding a glass of champagne, introducing Serena to the city's corrupt politicians and high-ranking mobsters.
He announced that Serena would become the new head of the S-Class operations.
Serena wore a diamond necklace around her neck. I stood in the shadows near the bar, watching all of this coldly.
My heart felt hollow. The place where emotions should have been was entirely dead.
The string quartet suddenly stopped, the music coming to an abrupt halt in the air.
An aura of genuine terror swept through the crowd—Dante Falcone had entered the hall, flanked by six of his soldiers.
His perfectly tailored black suit clung to his broad, imposing physique—a body born for violence. His sharp jawline and cold, calculating eyes only made his ruthlessness more apparent.
Gabriel puffed out his chest and took a step forward, but Dante didn't even spare him a glance.
He walked right past Gabriel, completely ignoring the head of the Moretti family.
Dante's tall figure blocked the light from the wall sconces above, casting me in a shadow tinged with the scent of cedarwood and a faint hint of gunpowder.
He reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a heavy black-and-gold card, and pressed it into my palm. His large hand completely enveloped mine.
"My family's consigliere seat has been empty for three years. That position is waiting for you."
I looked down at the card, then tilted my head up to meet his gaze. A faint smile touched the corners of my lips.
"I have to clean up a mess first."
The corner of Dante's mouth twitched slightly.
He pulled back, his fingers deliberately brushing against my wrist.
He slowly turned his head, finally looking at Gabriel, who was standing a few steps away with a flushed red face.
"You treat gold like garbage, and glass like treasure," Dante's voice echoed through the silent hall.
Gabriel's jaw clenched so tightly that I could see the muscles in his cheeks twitching.
Dante adjusted his cuffs, his gaze locked firmly on Gabriel. "Wishing your new S-Class operation a swift and sudden death."
Dante turned and left, his soldiers following him in perfect synchronization.
Before the door even fully closed, Gabriel stormed over and grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip.
He dragged me down a hallway and shoved me into an empty reception room. The heavy doors closed behind us with a muffled thud.
"Are you conspiring with Dante Falcone?" Gabriel roared, his face mere inches from mine.
I calmly brushed off the spot where his hand had touched me, looking at him expressionlessly.
"Gabriel, the only reason you can sit on that throne today is because of my trigger finger."
He grabbed a crystal decanter and smashed it violently against the wall. The sound of shattering glass was sharp and ear-piercing, shards scattering across the carpet.
"If you don't hand over those drives, I'll make sure you can't take a single step in the underworld," he said, pointing a trembling finger at my chest. "I will have you killed."
I glanced at the broken glass on the floor, then back up at his face, which was filled with desperation.
"Fine, you'll get it."
