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PROLOGUE
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2026-10-16 22:09:22Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window of my dimly lit study, I took a slow, deliberate sip of dark scotch.
Below me, the twinkling lights of Rome stretched endlessly into the night. Millions of people were heading home, completely oblivious to the shadowy war silently taking place beneath their feet. As the head of the Rossi syndicate, my word was absolute law. I didn't make mistakes, I didn't allow loose ends, and I certainly didn't tolerate incompetence from the men on my payroll. A sharp, heavy knock echoed against the dark oak double doors of my study, shattering the quiet atmosphere. "Enter," I commanded, my voice low and carrying an edge that made the air in the room instantly grow cold. Marco, my right-hand commander, stepped quickly inside. His posture was unusually stiff, his jaw tight a look I rarely saw on a man who had served me for years. "Boss," Marco began, taking a quiet breath to steady his voice. "The retrieval team just returned from Vespera." I didn't turn around immediately, keeping my eyes fixed on the city lights. "Did they secure the target? Is the Valenti family's heir in our hands?" A heavy, suffocating silence stretched between us, thick enough to cut with a knife. "No, Boss," Marco said quietly. My hand froze midway to my lips. I slowly turned around, my cold gray eyes locking onto him with lethal stillness. "Explain." "There was a complication outside the club," Marco swallowed hard, choosing his words with extreme caution under my sharp glare. "The target slipped out into the crowd. Panic set in because your explicit orders were to bring him in tonight at all costs. The team spotted a young man leaving the venue who matched the target's height and dark hair..." Marco hesitated, taking a visible step back before delivering the blow. "They grabbed him, threw him into the back of the SUV, and brought him straight to the estate. We checked his credentials the moment they cleared the front gates... It isn't the Valenti heir, Boss. They brought back the wrong person." A wave of sharp, dark fury surged through my veins. I slammed my glass down onto the mahogany desk with a heavy thud that echoed off the high stone walls. "They brought back a stranger?!" I stepped around the desk, my presence towering over the entire room as my jaw set in pure rage. "My top crew dragged a complete civilian across Rome because they couldn't confirm a face in the dark?!" "I'm sorry, Boss," Marco said quickly, bowing his head respectfully. "The men are downstairs awaiting your judgment. They know they failed." "Failure is an understatement," I growled, pacing toward the window as I forced my blazing temper under control. In my world, a mistake like this wasn't just embarrassing—it was fatal. I turned back to Marco, my face turning into a cold stone. "Who is he?" Marco opened a black leather folder. "Julian Vance. Twenty-one years old. An honor student studying clinical medicine at St. Jude Academy. No criminal record, no family connections to any syndicate."
Pinakabagong kabanata
NOT PART OF THE PLAN CHAPTER TEN
Lorenzo's POVI hadn’t slept all night.Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the same thing over and over again. Julian standing helpless in the garden. The sudden loud crack of a gunshot. The dirt flying up right by his feet.If my men had gotten there just a few seconds later...I forced the thought out of my head and clenched my jaw. I couldn't afford to get distracted right now. Not over a feeling."Boss." Marco stepped into my office, looking grim."What did you find?" I asked, leaning over the desk."We checked everyone who had access to the security room yesterday.""How many?""Six people," Marco said. "Four guards, the guy in charge of security, and..." He stopped, taking a breath. "...Tina."I froze. "Tina?""She has the keycard to the main security room."I stared at him, my eyes narrowing. "Tina has been with my family for thirty years, Marco. She practically raised me after my father died.""I know, Boss.""Then find another answer."Marco hesitated, but nodded. "We
NOT PART OF THE PLAN CHAPTER NINE
My entire body ached with a relentless, throbbing intensity.I opened my eyes slowly and immediately regretted the decision. "Ahhh..." I groaned softly into the quiet room. Every single muscle in my arms felt violently sore, especially my shoulders and upper back. I rolled onto my side, burying my face deep into the soft pillow. "Never again."Yesterday’s brutal self-defense session with Marco had officially destroyed every physical function I possessed. I had barely slept five hours because every single time I shifted on the mattress, a new muscle screamed in protest. After forcing myself out of bed and throwing on a fresh shirt, I limped down the grand staircase to the dining room for breakfast.Tina, the estate's head housekeeper, was already arranging fresh fruit near the table. The moment her warm eyes landed on me, she smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart.""Good morning, Tina," I mumbled, slowly pulling out a heavy dining chair and lowering myself onto it like an old man.Tin
NOT PART OF THE PLAN CHAPTER EIGHT
A gentle knock on the heavy door pulled me out of a light, restless sleep."Rise and shine, sunshine."Marco’s voice echoed from the hallway before he pushed the oak door open. A young staff member followed right behind him, carrying a silver tray stacked with fresh pastries, fruit, and coffee.I rubbed my dry eyes, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. "Good morning," I yawned, smoothing down my messy hair. "What’s going on?"Marco folded his broad arms across his chest, leaning casually against the doorframe. "What’s going on is that if you want to survive what’s coming outside these walls, you need to learn how to defend yourself."I frowned, looking at him in utter disbelief. "Defend myself? I’m a medical student, Marco. I hold scalpels, not weapons.""Well, today is your first day of training," Marco replied smoothly, nodding toward the tray. "Freshen up, eat your breakfast, and someone will lead you down to the training room."He pointed toward the tall wooden wardrobe near
NOT PART OF THE PLAN CHAPTER SEVEN
The guards escorted me back to the plush guest suite, pulling the heavy door shut until the deadbolt clicked into place. Once again, I was entirely alone. I sank onto the edge of the oversized bed, burying my face in my trembling hands as every single word Lorenzo Rossi had spoken replayed in my mind like a nightmare on loop."If I let you leave... you won't survive a week."His low, gravelly voice echoed through the silence of the room. I squeezed my eyes shut, my pulse hammering wildly in my throat. Who on earth would want me dead? Why would any violent crime syndicate target a nobody like me? None of it made a single shred of sense. I had spent my entire life buried in medical textbooks, studying human anatomy, trying to help people. I was just an ordinary student trying to get through school, and now I was trapped in the crossfire of a war I knew nothing about.A quiet, tentative knock against the heavy oak door shattered the oppressive silence.The door creaked open, and
NOT PART OF THE PLAN CHAPTER SIX
Julian's pov The man slowly turned to face me, taking his time as if I were nothing more than an unexpected interruption to his evening. For a few agonizingly long seconds, he said absolutely nothing. His piercing gray eyes remained fixed on me, studying every single detail of my face as though he were trying to solve a complex puzzle. He looked at my messy hair, my barefoot stance, and the visible tremble in my hands. The heavy, suffocating silence in the room made my anxiety skyrocket. My palms grew slick with nervous sweat, and the rushing sound of my own heartbeat hammered violently in my ears. Finally, he gestured slightly toward a sleek leather armchair in front of his massive mahogany desk. "Sit." His voice was surprisingly low and calm, yet it carried an underlying weight of supreme authority that made refusal feel impossible. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, my eyes darting toward the locked double doors behind me, before I slowly sank into the chair opposit
NOT PART OF THE PLAN CHAPTER FIVE
Julian's pov I woke to the heavy, unmistakable sound of a brass lock clicking open. My eyes flew open instantly. My heart slammed violently against my ribs like a trapped bird, and I scrambled back across the massive mattress, dragging myself all the way to the headboard. Fear gripped my throat so tightly I could barely draw a breath into my lungs. My mind was racing I had no idea what was about to happen, but trapped in a place like this, I knew it couldn't be anything good. Curling myself tightly into the far corner of the plush bed, I wrapped my arms around my knees, shivering as I braced for whatever was about to step through that heavy door. Two broad-shouldered men dressed in tailored black suits walked quietly into the room. Their expressions were stoic, unreadable, and completely void of warmth. One of them stopped at the foot of the bed, his cold dark eyes sweeping over my terrified state without a sliver of sympathy. "The Boss wants to see you," he said in a flat
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