"Keys to the Dead"ElisaLorenzo’s words still rattled around in my head, I doubt it was just idle chatter, it felt like a warning, and it bothered me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something, that I had overlooked something important. Trying to find Antonio’s office key had turned into a frustrating exercise. No matter how closely I watched him, or how many times I searched his study, I was always one step behind. I couldn’t trust anyone in the Romano house anymore. The tension in the air was thick, like it was only a matter of time before something would snap.I came back to my room after another day of fruitless observation, my mind preoccupied with all the questions I still couldn’t answer, and that’s when I saw it. There was a small, plain wooden box sitting in the middle of my bed, looking completely out of place. I hadn’t left it there, and I knew it wasn't there when I left this morning.Someone had entered my room when I wasn't around. I froze, instinc
"The Last Night of Silence"AntonioThe sky was already darkening when I drove through the gates of the estate, the last of the client meetings had run longer than expected. I had to endure hours of fake smiles and guarded language, where each word was laced with subtle threats and fake promises. My mind was still occupied with the numbers and timelines we had to go through for the deals to be concluded. I was still think about it all, when I turned toward the main wing of the house.I wasn’t three steps past the corridor when I saw Ricky approaching from the hallway on the other side, his pace quickened as soon as he saw me.“Boss,” he called, his voice low but urgent.I stopped. “Ricky. What is it?”He glanced around briefly before falling into step beside me. “There’s been a situation, I was going to wait till morning before reporting it, but it can’t wait.”“Come to the study,” I said to him, I didn’t like having important conversations out in the open, even within these walls.
"A Life Stolen"ElisaThe wooden box sat on my desk like a sleeping beast, quiet but unbearable. For days, I had avoided it,locked it away, hidden it under the floor, under my thoughts, under my fears. But tonight, something cracked open inside me, I could no longer ignore the weight pressing against my chest, or the whisper that had grown louder in the back of my mind, I needed to know.My hands trembled as I lifted the top of the box.There was only silence at first, then the smell of old paper dry, musty, and faintly sweet rushed up to meet me like a ghost from another life. Everything inside the box was neatly arranged, there was a bundle of aged documents, tied with a brittle, yellow ribbon, and a scattering of old looking photographs. My breath caught, I reached for the photos first.A man and a woman, young and radiant, smiling under the sun, the woman had dark curls like mine, her eyes kind and familiar. The man was tall and proud he was the man in the photographs I recent
The Red Mark Elisa The air in “Gulio's restaurant" was thick with the scent of garlic, cheap wine, and something else… something metallic and sharp that prickles at the back of my throat. It wasn't the blood yet, not literally, but the anticipation of it. Tonight, the menu featured My target, served cold. The restaurant was drowning in soft music and whispered conversations, but I heard nothing except the pulse of my own heartbeat. The scent of expensive wine, the overpriced sizzling steaks, and polished wood fills the air. A place like this reeks of power, a place where men like Antonio Romano make deals over bloodstained money and fine liquor. I adjusted the tray in my hands, careful not to spill a single drop of Chianti as I weave through the maze of linen-clothed tables, I was just another server blending into the scenery. "Little girl" That’s what they’d called me on my way into this restaurant. They'd underestimated the hunger that gnaws at me, the years of training tha
Home is a LieElisaNaples felt different under the cloak of night, the familiar chaotic energy seem muted, replace by a stillness that mirrors the turmoil churning within me. My escape from Calabria had been a blur of adrenaline and fear, the image of Antonio Romano’s knowing smile seared into my eyelids.My shoulder burned, but I kept driving ,my pace steady as I approach the Bianchi villa. The weight of failure clings to me, pressing into my ribs like an iron vice.Antonio Romano should have been dead by now, but Instead, I was the one who ran.I push through the pain, ignoring the faint tremor in my fingers as I entered the estate grounds. The villa looms ahead, a fortress of stone and blood, standing tall against the night. This was home or at least, it was supposed to be.But something is wrong with the picture I was seeing.The front gate is open, the usual guards that was always at the gate were missing. A whisper of uneasiness slithers down my spine, Pietro wouldn’t be this
The DealAntonioThe Bianchi villa smelled of blood and betrayal, I sat at the center of the lavish sitting room, not touched by the chaos that had just erupted moments ago.The polish marble floors was stained with the blood of fallen men, their bodies slump over the grand table where a meal had once been served. Pietro Bianchi sat before me, the once proud and ruthless man now reduce to a trembling coward.And I despised cowards.My men secured the remaining household staff and guards, forcing them to their knees, no one dared to speak, no one dared to move.The message had been clear, Antonio Romano had come for blood, and blood had been spilled, but now, my attention was on one person.The woman standing in the doorway, her chest rising and falling in rapid breaths, her dark eyes flickering with anger, calculation, and something I couldn't quite name.She moved with a lethal grace that even in the chaos that transpired at the restaurant, had caught my attention. Most assassins w
Unchosen Chains Elisa The world had fractured in the space of a single gunshot. One moment, I was bracing myself against Romano, the enemy I’d come to eliminate. The next, my own father lay dead, the echo of the bullet that ended his life still ringing in my ears, fired by the very man I’d targeted.Rage, a slow-burning ember, began to ignite within the icy shock. It wasn’t solely directed at Romano, not yet. It was a white-hot fury aimed at the man who had given me life, only to so readily discard it.Everything blurred around me as I was dragged from the Bianchi villa. The iron grip of Antonio’s men was unyielding, their hands bruising my arms as they shoved me into a waiting black SUV. “ Let go of me,” I finally managed, my voice hoarse and trembling, though more from the emotional impact than any physical struggle.One of the guards grunted, tightening his grip. “Silence..Pietro was dead, I should have felt something, maybe grief or anger, anything at all. But all I could t
Three Days in Darkness ElisaTime blurred in the dungeon, I had no idea if it had been hours or days since they threw me in here. There were no windows, no clocks, just the dim glow of a single overhead bulb that flickered unpredictably, leaving me in suffocating darkness.My body ached from the rough handling, my mind continuously replayed the scene at the villa like a broken record. Pietro’s face, contorted in fear, then surprise, then nothing, Romano’s cold eyes, his deliberate pull of the trigger.Hunger gnawed at my stomach, but I refused to touch the food tray they left. Not because I thought it was poisoned, Antonio wanted me alive for now, I was sure of it. But because eating would mean accepting my captivity.I wasn’t ready to do that.I lay on the cot, staring at the ceiling, my mind drifting in and out of memories of the past. Pietro’s cold, calculating stare, the sharp sting of the training sessions that had taught me pain was just a weakness to be burned out.And then
"A Life Stolen"ElisaThe wooden box sat on my desk like a sleeping beast, quiet but unbearable. For days, I had avoided it,locked it away, hidden it under the floor, under my thoughts, under my fears. But tonight, something cracked open inside me, I could no longer ignore the weight pressing against my chest, or the whisper that had grown louder in the back of my mind, I needed to know.My hands trembled as I lifted the top of the box.There was only silence at first, then the smell of old paper dry, musty, and faintly sweet rushed up to meet me like a ghost from another life. Everything inside the box was neatly arranged, there was a bundle of aged documents, tied with a brittle, yellow ribbon, and a scattering of old looking photographs. My breath caught, I reached for the photos first.A man and a woman, young and radiant, smiling under the sun, the woman had dark curls like mine, her eyes kind and familiar. The man was tall and proud he was the man in the photographs I recent
"The Last Night of Silence"AntonioThe sky was already darkening when I drove through the gates of the estate, the last of the client meetings had run longer than expected. I had to endure hours of fake smiles and guarded language, where each word was laced with subtle threats and fake promises. My mind was still occupied with the numbers and timelines we had to go through for the deals to be concluded. I was still think about it all, when I turned toward the main wing of the house.I wasn’t three steps past the corridor when I saw Ricky approaching from the hallway on the other side, his pace quickened as soon as he saw me.“Boss,” he called, his voice low but urgent.I stopped. “Ricky. What is it?”He glanced around briefly before falling into step beside me. “There’s been a situation, I was going to wait till morning before reporting it, but it can’t wait.”“Come to the study,” I said to him, I didn’t like having important conversations out in the open, even within these walls.
"Keys to the Dead"ElisaLorenzo’s words still rattled around in my head, I doubt it was just idle chatter, it felt like a warning, and it bothered me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something, that I had overlooked something important. Trying to find Antonio’s office key had turned into a frustrating exercise. No matter how closely I watched him, or how many times I searched his study, I was always one step behind. I couldn’t trust anyone in the Romano house anymore. The tension in the air was thick, like it was only a matter of time before something would snap.I came back to my room after another day of fruitless observation, my mind preoccupied with all the questions I still couldn’t answer, and that’s when I saw it. There was a small, plain wooden box sitting in the middle of my bed, looking completely out of place. I hadn’t left it there, and I knew it wasn't there when I left this morning.Someone had entered my room when I wasn't around. I froze, instinc
"The Warning"AntonioThe door to my office swung open, and Lorenzo stepped in, but before he could even register the tension in the air, I moved. One swift punch to his face, knocking him backward into the wall.He froze, blinking in disbelief as his hand shot up to his mouth, wiping the blood that dropped from his lip, he wasn't expecting this I could tell from his reaction.“What the hell, Antonio?” he sputtered, his voice filled with surprise and confusion.“Shut the hell up, you idiot,” I barked, my voice cold. “You know exactly why I hit you.”He wiped his mouth again, eyeing me, and then Matteo, who stood by the window, his posture tense, his eyes watching the exchange closely. Matteo wasn’t here to stop me, I asked him to be here so he could see how far I’d go.“What the hell is this about?” Lorenzo spat, still trying to gather himself, “why did you hit me, what did I do?”I stepped closer, my voice low and controlled. “You know exactly what this is about, you really think I
"Snakes Among Us" ElisaDays blurred together, and I noticed that every attempt I made in finding the keys to Antonio’s office had ended in frustration. He moved with an air that made him feel untouchable, he was always one step ahead, it was as if he could sense when I was getting too close, the more I searched, the more elusive it became.Training with Matteo had become my only escape, my outlet for the tension that was growing inside me. Each session in the courtyard was harsh and demanding, and it allowed me to focus on something other than the constant war in my mind. The morning air was crisp today, as I made my way toward the training grounds. The scent of wet and freshly cut grass filled the air, the coolness settling on my skin, it was a small reminder that I was still in control of something, even if it was just my own movements. I walked quickly, my senses sharpened by years of living on alert. The Romano estate had a rhythm, a pulse, and over time, I had learned to
“Judgment Hour”AntonioThe knock on my door came before sunrise, two sharp taps, followed by silence. Matteo never knocked unless it was serious.I pushed the sheets off my body and stood up, barefoot against the cold marble floor and walked to the door. When I opened it, the expression on his face said everything I needed to know, this was definitely an emergency.He didn’t need an invitation, he stepped in and closed it quietly behind him.“What is it?” I asked, already bracing myself.He held up his phone, “Lorenzo moved a shipment through Lucio's port last night.”That woke me up faster than a slap, I stared at him. “Lucio’s port? You’re sure?”Matteo nodded once, “Confirmed, one of our guys on surveillance caught it, there were trucks, cargo, and Lorenzo himself, on-site.”He turned the phone toward me, the screen showed images of last night, three trucks lined up under the cover of night, and the next photo had Lorenzo, his face partially visible, standing near the containe
“Uncovering the Truth”ElisaThe dream had plagued me again, it was the same voice, hoarse, terrified and full of love that was echoing in my ears. “Elisa… run.”Every time I heard it, something in me twisted, it wasn’t just a dream anymore, it was Something real, and it was digging its way out of my memory, piece by piece.The De Luca name, once foreign and meaningless, had started to feel like a coat I was finally learning how to wear. I didn’t know the whole story yet, but I could feel the truth pressing against the surface of my mind, waiting for the right moment to break through.Antonio’s office was always locked, and I knew for a fact that it held answers.That morning, Matteo pushed me harder than usual in training, the secluded courtyard was quiet except for the sound of fists hitting pads and shoes scraping stone. The sun was already hot, but Matteo didn’t ease up, his blows were sharp and fast, and forced me to respond faster. I welcomed the pain, the ache in my arms,
"Her Bloodline"AntonioThe door to the meeting room shut behind me with a soft thud. Inside, the room was quiet but tense, nothing unusual. My capos and senior associates sat around the long polished table, each man alert, waiting for my cue to begin. The scent of strong coffee lingered, mixed with faint traces of leather and paper.This meeting wasn’t just about business, it was about the preparation for the upcoming shipment through Calabria, and it was high-value and high-risked.I stood at the head of the table and got straight to it.“Lorenzo,” I said, eyes meeting him across the table, “Report on the Calabrian arrangements.”He leaned forward, easy confidence on his face. “We’re in good shape, the route’s clear, our contacts have confirmed passage. Local authorities have been... handled, quietly.”His voice was casual, as always, but I watched him closely. Matteo had shared a few things with me recently, I wasn’t jumping to conclusions, but I was listening with sharper ears n
"Heretic Blood"ElisaThe name De Luca no longer felt like a distant curiosity, It had weight now. It was real, heavy, and impossible to ignore. The photograph and the ring weren’t just random things I’d stumbled on, they were pieces of a puzzle I didn’t even know I’d been solving.They were mine, somehow, they were part of me.And if I couldn't get answers from anyone here, it would be Bianca. I’d seen her father in that photograph, the first one I had received, that meant something I was sure. There was a crack in the wall of lies I had lived in all my life, I just needed to keep chipping away at it.I found her in the greenhouse, It was late afternoon, the sky outside glowing with a soft golden hue that filtered through the glass ceiling. The scent of flowers wrapped around me, there were lavender, orchids, something citrusy and wild. The greenhouse was warm, calm, and nothing like the rest of this estate.Bianca stood near the far corner, misting a delicate orchid, her hands mo