Chapter 1 Echoes of the past

"Em, listen to me."

Lucas' voice had been urgent, breathless. The street noise behind him, the screech of tires, hurried footsteps made her stomach tighten.

"Lucas? What's wrong? What's happening to you? Where are you?" She questioned breathlessly.

"Stay safe, okay? No matter what happens, you stay away from this. Don't look for me and don't return to the Moretti family, stay away from the mafia family."

"Lucas, what are you talking about? Where are you? Please answer my question."

A loud bang shattered the night. A gunshot.

Emily's blood had run cold, her breath catching in her throat.

Then came the voice. Deep, cruel and final.

"He's dead. Let's go."

He's dead? Who's dead?

"No no it can't be, it can't be Lucas no....... Luca!!"

The line went dead.

Emily had screamed his name into the silence, redialing over and over, but there was nothing. Just the crushing realization that her brother, her protector, the only family she had left was gone.

She had never been able to move on. Not fully. Not with every memory so fresh like it happened yesterday.

Ten years ago.

The night was cold. She could still feel the chill in her bones, still hear the faint static of the phone pressed against her ear as she answered the call that had haunt her forever.

Ten years.

Ten years of wondering who had killed Lucas. Ten years of searching for the truth in the shadows of a world that never gave anything freely.

Her fingers curled into fists, nails biting into her palms.

A sharp, intrusive ring cut through the silence.

Emily's eyes snapped open.

Her phone vibrated against the desk, the screen glowing with an unknown number.

She didn't answer.

Her instincts told her to ignore it. It could be a client, a wrong number, or just another meaningless call.

But something inside her, a feeling she couldn't shake, kept her staring at the screen as it rang again.

After the third ring, she exhaled sharply and picked up.

"Who is this?" she demanded, her voice sharper than intended.

For a moment, there was silence. Then a low, measured voice came through the line.

"If you want to know what really happened to your brother... meet me at Knox Bar. Midnight, don't fail because after midnight you won't get this opportunity again."

Emily sat up straighter, her pulse hammering.

"Who are you? How do you know my brother? Hello please say something"

Click.

The line went dead.

Emily stared at the phone in her hand, her heart, beat a frantic drum against her ribs.

Someone knew.

After ten years of silence, someone knew the truth about Lucas' death.

And she was going to find out who.

The air outside Knox Bar was thick with the scent of cheap cigars, whiskey, and rain-soaked pavement.

The dimly lit alley, tucked away from the city's main streets, made the place look like the kind of establishment where secrets were traded like currency.

Emily Moretti pulled her coat tighter around her as she hesitated at the entrance. The neon sign above flickered erratically, casting an eerie red glow over the cracked pavement.

Her mind screamed at her to turn back. This could be a trap.

But she had waited ten years for answers. And tonight, she was finally going to get them.

Steeling herself, she pushed the door open.

Inside, the bar was filled with a mix of regulars and lowlifes nursing drinks, their voices blending into a dull murmur beneath the soft jazz playing in the background. The scent of alcohol and desperation clung to the air, but Emily had been in worse places.

A man in a black suit stood near the back, his gaze locking onto her the moment she stepped inside.

He was waiting.

She hesitated for a second before he nodded toward a hallway. Without a word, she followed him.

This is a mistake Emily, a voice in her head whispered. You don't know who you're dealing with, what if it's a trap. She kept on following the man in black suit because she needed the truth more than she needed caution.

The man led her through a dimly lit corridor, past a few closed doors, and finally stopped in front of a private room guarded by two armed men. One of them knocked twice before pushing the door open.

Inside, the room was stark with minimal furniture, low lighting, and a single round table at the center. And seated at that table was the man who had called her.

Emily froze.

He was handsome, but in a way that made her stomach twist with unease.

Dark, neatly combed hair. A sharp jawline. Piercing gray eyes that looked as though they could see straight through her.

He was dressed in a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing tattoos on his forearms intricate designs that spoke of violence and power.

Even seated, he radiated ruthlessness.

She knew he wasn't just an ordinary person before he spoke.

"Emily Moretti." His voice was smooth, confident. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

Emily narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

The man smirked. "Victor Romano."

Her breath caught.

"Romano? " She questioned herself.

The name sent a jolt of recognition through her. She knew who he was. Everyone in the underground world did.

Victor Romano. The enforcer-turned-heir of the Romano Crime Family. A man known for being as calculating as he was lethal.

And more importantly her family's greatest rival.

Her body tensed. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but if you think I'm going to betray my family for you, you're out of your damn mind."

Victor leaned back in his chair, his smirk widening slightly. "Your family? Tell me, Emily, when was the last time the Morettis treated you like family?"

Her jaw tightened.

He wasn't wrong.