Chapter 1

I was bound to an iron chair in the Sollazzo family's underground tribunal. The bare bulb overhead glared so harshly that it was hard to keep my eyes open.

"Lina Colletti."

Valeria Sollazzo stepped toward me in her black heels. Four black-suited confidants followed behind her, filling the room with oppressive pressure.

"It's been ten years," she said. "How much longer do you plan to keep hiding?"

She leaned down, her fingers clamping around my chin. "The night Sophia died at the docks, you were there. You saw the killer."

I turned my head away, avoiding her eyes. My throat was so dry that I could barely force the words out. "I didn't…"

"Didn't?" Valeria abruptly released me and slapped me hard across the face.

The crack echoed through the tribunal. I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth.

"If you hadn't kept your mouth shut back then, the Gambinos and the Sollazzos never would have turned on each other. We lost three docks, and seven casinos went up in flames. More than 30 of our men died in the fighting. And Sophia—she wouldn't have died for nothing."

The room erupted. Every pair of eyes burned into me, filled with hatred.

"You traitor!"

"Throw her into the sea!"

"Kill her!"

…

The roar of furious voices crashed over me like a tide, drowning me.

Like ignorant mobs from the Middle Ages, they were ready to burn a witch at the stake, caring only about venting their rage.

They didn't care in the slightest whether I was innocent or guilty.

A screen in the corner glowed, showing a live feed. Every outpost and hideout in the underworld was tuned in, watching this trial. My humiliation was being broadcast for all to see.

"Bring the memory extractor," Valeria ordered, straightening and nodding toward the technician.

The memory extractor?

My eyes went wide. If they use that…

The moment she spoke, two of her confidants stepped forward and pinned my shoulders down hard.

"Let me go… Don't!" I thrashed violently.

"It's useless," Valeria sneered. "Today, you'll pay for what you've done."

The two confidants forced the memory extractor onto my head.

The cold helmet clamped onto my head like a torture device, its fine needles pressed against my scalp, ready to pierce bone and sink into my brain the instant it activated.

"Valeria, stop!" I struggled, still putting up a fight.

But every move only made the chains bite deeper into my flesh, leaving raw, bloody welts.

I couldn't stop a ragged scream from escaping me. "You can't extract my memories! You'll regret this!"

"Regret?" Valeria let out a cold laugh and strode to the control console, her finger hovering over the activation switch.

"My only regret is the day I pulled you out of the slums and brought you to live with Sophia and me! You spent the family's money, trained in combat, learned intelligence work… and for what? To become an accomplice to a murderer!"

The main screen in the tribunal hall lit up. The livestream to the underworld was live, and countless eyes followed it on their screens.

Valeria's voice echoed through the chamber, amplified by the speakers. "Today, I will show everyone what this traitorous scum, this bastardo who shielded a murderer, has been hiding!"

The moment she hit the switch, I heard my own scream.

Needles pierced my scalp with searing pain, and my consciousness began to unravel, beyond my control.

At that moment, the insults from the others, Valeria's interrogation—everything seemed to vanish along with my mind.

Only one thought remained: they must never see that memory. Never!