Chapter 2 The deal with the devil

After Lucas died, she had cut ties with Don Carlo and the rest of the Morettis, refusing to be part of their bloody empire. But that didn't mean she would sell them out to their biggest enemy.

She crossed her arms. "I don't know what you want from me, but I'm not interested."

Victor studied her for a long moment before reaching into a leather folder sitting beside him. He pulled out a stack of photographs and slid them across the table.

Emily hesitated, then picked them up.

Her heart stopped.

The first image was a grainy security photo, her brother Lucas, standing in a dimly lit parking garage. The night he died.

She flipped to the next one.

Lucas, on his knees, a gun pointed at his head.

The third photo made bile rise in her throat.

It was a close-up of the man holding the gun.

Her breath caught in her chest. Don Carlo Moretti.

Her hands trembled as she clutched the photos.

"No... this isn't possible."

She wanted to believe it was fake. Wanted to believe it was all some elaborate manipulation.

But then Victor slid over another file this one full of documents, bank transactions, phone records.

And it all pointed to the same horrifying truth.

Her own uncle had ordered the execution of her only brother.

Emily felt her entire world crack apart.

For ten years, she had lived believing her brother's death was some random act of violence. A deal gone wrong. A betrayal by someone outside the family.

But this?

Don Carlo had ordered Lucas' death.

Victor watched her reaction, his expression unreadable. "Still think your family is worth protecting?"

Emily's breathing was shallow, her vision blurred as rage, grief, and betrayal swallowed her whole.

"Why?" she whispered, gripping the edge of the table. "Why would he do this? Lucas trusted him, I trusted him too. Why did he take away the last family I had? Why" she questioned with her hand trembling.

Victor exhaled slowly, as if debating how much to tell her. Then he spoke.

"Lucas was trying to expose something, Emily. Something big. He found out that Don Carlo was involved in more than just the usual business. Money laundering, arms dealing, and something far worse. He was working with an international syndicate one that had ties to human trafficking, political corruption... and a global network that makes even the Mafia look like small-time criminals."

Emily's stomach churned.

No.

This couldn't be real.

Victor leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

"Lucas found proof. And Don Carlo made sure he didn't live to talk about it."

Emily's fingers clenched into a fist.

For years, she had tried to push away the pain, the unanswered questions. She had convinced herself that no matter what, her family had never been involved.

But they were.

And now, she had to make a choice.

Victor's voice was quiet but sharp. "I know you don't trust me. And frankly, I don't care if you ever do. But we have the same goal, Emily. You want revenge for Lucas. I want to burn the Moretti empire to the ground. We can help each other."

Emily lifted her gaze to meet his.

For the first time, she saw something in his eyes beyond cold calculation. There was rage. Determination. Obsession.

Victor wanted the Morettis destroyed. And he was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen.

She swallowed hard, her pulse hammering in her throat.

"If I do this, I want full control. I don't take orders from you."

Victor's lips curled slightly. "As long as you get the job done, I don't care how you do it."

She hesitated for only a second before nodding.

"Then I'm in."

She had made her choice.

She would infiltrate the Moretti family. She would tear them apart from the inside. And she would make them pay for what they had done to Lucas.

Victor studied her for a moment before standing.

"Then welcome to the war, Moretti."

Emily exhaled slowly, stepping into the darkness she had spent ten years avoiding.

This wasn't just revenge anymore.

It was justice.

And she would burn everything down to get it.

"When am I going back" she asked with determination written all over her.

"Soon Emily, soon, we just need to get you ready"

"Ready? How? I don't understand"

"You will get to know soon, just get ready when I call".