Chapter 3

Antonio’s expression changed.

Something clicked as I glanced toward the second floor.

Sure enough, a man in a black suit standing at the turn of the staircase gave me a discreet look.

I understood and gave the slightest nod.

The Cassano family was Antonio’s greatest rival. This attack would undoubtedly be devastating.

Antonio had no time to deal with me. He shot me one glare, then hurried away with all his men.

I holstered my pistol and walked upstairs without expression.

As I reached the second floor, the man in the black suit brushed past me and silently slipped a folded note into my palm.

I entered the restroom and unfolded it. It contained a single line: 267 North Hill Road.

I burned the note to ash with my lighter, dropped the remains into the toilet, and flushed them away.

After leaving the club, I climbed back into the Maybach. "Federico, take me to 267 North Hill Road."

I closed my eyes and ran through my revenge plan again and again. At last, my lips curled into a cruel smile. "Antonio, this is only the beginning."

When I arrived, Cassano was sitting in a leather chair, turning a butterfly knife over in his hand as the blade gleamed cold beneath the light. "Miss Moretti, all of Sicily knows Antonio was once the most loyal dog at your side. How do I know this isn’t a scheme the two of you devised together?"

I sat gracefully across from him, drew a slim cigarette from my purse, lit it, and met his gaze through the veil of smoke. "He betrayed the Moretti family, so he must pay. Cassano, I don’t need you to attack him. I only need you to drive up the price at the Black Gold auction. I want him to spend every last cent he owns on that route."

Cassano raised an eyebrow and studied me with keen interest. "That's a small thing. And what do I get out of it? I never do business at a loss."

"Once Antonio mortgages all his ports to secure that route, every piece of territory he leaves exposed is yours."

I tapped the ash from my cigarette and said evenly, "I want his life. You want his territory. That seems fair."

Cassano studied me for a long moment, then burst into laughter, admiration flickering in his eyes. "Rumor says the Moretti heiress is a fool who cares only for romance. It seems Antonio misjudged you. A pleasure doing business with you."

On the drive back, I gave Federico his instructions. "Federico, send the Medusa route’s encryption key and sales contract to the Black Gold auction house." I shut my eyes and leaned back. "Tell them to open the bidding precisely three hours from now."

The words had barely left my mouth when the tires screeched and Federico slammed on the brakes.

I frowned and looked out the window. Several familiar black armored vehicles had boxed us in.

The moment I stepped out, more than a dozen men in black surrounded me.

Federico’s expression hardened. He drew his pistol and aimed at the men across from us.

I waved for him to lower it.

Their leader was Reese, one of Antonio’s most trusted aides. "Miss Moretti, the boss would like to see you." His hard tone left no room for argument.

I laughed softly and straightened the collar of my coat. "Since he’s so eager to see me, lead the way."

They took me to a private shooting range on the outskirts of the city.

When I entered, Antonio was standing at the firing line.

At the sound of my footsteps, Antonio did not turn. Instead, he squeezed the trigger several times in succession.

Every round struck the bull’s-eye.

"Ophelia, hand over the Medusa key." Antonio turned and tossed the pistol to an attendant. His eyes held the condescension of a man granting charity. "For old times’ sake, I’ll let you leave Sicily alive if you hand over the key. Or, if you can behave, you may stay at my side as my mistress."

I could not help laughing. "Your mistress? Antonio, have you forgotten who once knelt at my door and begged?"

His face darkened. "Sicily no longer belongs to the Moretti family.

"Still, I don’t mind showing you mercy one last time. We’ll have a shooting match. If you win, I’ll let you go. If you lose, the key stays—and so do you and your men."

There was nothing but confidence in his eyes.

He believed that only because, in the past, I had deliberately missed my shots to give him a sense of accomplishment and let him guide my hands as he taught me.

Naturally, he had concluded that I was a hopeless amateur who couldn’t handle a gun.

What he did not know was that women of the Moretti family learned to handle guns as soon as they learned to walk.

I picked up the heavy sniper rifle from the table and tested its weight in my hands.

Antonio glanced at me with contempt.

He picked up a custom Beretta and aimed first.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots. Three bull’s-eyes.

"Your turn."

I raised the rifle one-handed without even glancing at the target.

Bang!

The moving target a thousand yards away shattered on impact, and the green indicator flashed wildly.

Antonio went still.

"In Sicily, never question a Moretti’s marksmanship." I opened my eyes and turned the gun on Antonio. "Now, do you still think you can keep me here?"

Antonio’s expression shifted, and he waved to his bodyguards.

More than a dozen guns swung toward me.

My expression darkened. "What’s this, Antonio? You won’t even honor your last promise?"

"In Sicily, only the dead care about honor. Hand over the key!"

I gave a soft laugh. "Unfortunately, you missed one thing. I already delivered both the sales rights and the key to the Black Gold auction house. By now… the bidding should be about to begin."

His face froze.

Just then, Kyle rushed over and lowered his voice. "Boss, the Medusa route just appeared in Black Gold’s auction preview. Bidding starts in half an hour!"

Antonio shot me a furious glare, then turned and strode away.

I watched them retreat in disarray and left the range at an unhurried pace.

Outside, Federico had already opened the Maybach’s door and bowed slightly. "Miss Moretti."

I climbed in, my lips curling into a cruel smile. "Let’s go to the auction house and see how much this upstart will pay to reclaim what he wants."