Chapter Sixty Six: The Serpent Kiss Peter pushed the door open slowly, the soft creak slicing through the heavy silence of the office. Ryan stood by the windows, his broad back turned to Peter, rigid like a statue carved from anger. “Close the door, Peter.” Ryan’s voice was low, quiet…but every syllable carried a weight of command that brooked no argument. Peter obeyed, the click of the door closing sounding unnervingly loud. “You saw the news, I assume? The laughing stock of the city. My task force… humiliated by novelty fish,” Ryan said, voice tight, clipped. Peter kept his tone even, careful to stay neutral. “It was a strategic blow, sir. But we’ll recover. We’ll find whoever did this.” Ryan spun around like a coiled serpent, slamming his hand down on the desk with a thunderous crack. Peter flinched, caught off guard by the raw fury blazing in Ryan’s eyes. “Recover?!” Ryan’s roar shattered the room, his face twisted with something savage, feral. “They didn’t just stea
Chapter Sixty Five: Meeting With The FoesThe air in the VIP room was thick with the smell of old money and new lies. Peter felt his uniform tighten around his throat like a noose. Every step behind Ryan Graves felt like walking the plank.Arthur Bryan sat enthroned in a leather armchair, a glass of brandy in hand. His smile was a polished weapon. "Peter Davis," he said, the name rolling off his tongue like a verdict. He stood, his grip crushing Peter's hand. "I knew your father. A man of… inflexible principles." His eyes, cold and assessing, scanned Peter's face. "It's a relief to see his son understands how the real world operates."Peter’s stomach churned. He could feel the ghost of his father in the room, a silent, disapproving presence. I’m sorry, Dad. He forced a smile that felt like a crack in his soul. "I believe in getting things done, Senator. My father admired efficiency. I suppose I do, too." The lie tasted like bile.Ryan clapped a heavy hand on Peter’s shoulder, a p
Chapter Sixty Four: The Devil’s Bargain The lounge was too quiet, the kind of silence that felt expensive and dangerous. Peter’s skin prickled under his uniform. It felt like a costume here, a pathetic disguise. “There you are. I was beginning to think you got cold feet.” Ryan Graves didn’t smile. His eyes did all the talking, scanning Peter like he was a piece of evidence. “Sit.” Peter sat, the leather chair groaning under him. He felt like a kid in the principal’s office, if the principal was a shark in a tailored suit. “You look tense. Drink.” It wasn’t a suggestion. Ryan pushed a glass of amber liquid across the polished wood. “It’s good to have ambition, kid. Serve me well, and you’ll rise fast. Faster than you can imagine.” Peter’s fingers curled around the cool glass. He forced a smile, but it felt brittle on his face. “It’s not about the position for me, sir. It’s about serving the country. Upholding the law.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth. Just like Dad. Ry
Chapter Sixty Three: Blood and Thrones“Are you really afraid a major strike could hit us, Father?” Caesar’s voice was calm but sharp, like a blade slicing through the tense silence.Julian, Peter, and Enzo sat close by, the weight of Don Alessandro’s presence hanging heavy after Ryan’s press conference. The room was thick with unspoken threats.“Oh, son,” Don Alessandro sighed, voice low but laced with something like tiredness. “You know me. Fear is a stranger to me.”“But the police crackdown,” Caesar pressed, “it’s not just smoke. It’s a real threat…one that hits the family where it hurts the most.”Don Alessandro’s eyes narrowed, dark and unreadable. “If you want to be part of this fight, you step back.”“No more using Julian like a pawn, no more half-trusts. I lead. You don’t interfere. Otherwise, walk away and let us rot.”Caesar cut him off, ice in his glare. “Don’t push me, Father. My life isn’t the Mafia’s. You’re the one who stands to lose everything if this empire crashes
Chapter Sixty-Two: Rings of Fire“You think that bastard just offered to mentor you because he likes your face?” Enzo’s voice cracked like a whip, sharp with fury. “He’s already sizing you up.”Peter stood still, arms folded, jaw clenched. Enzo wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t exactly right either.“His walking in on you at the recruitment office wasn’t some random coincidence,” Enzo continued, pacing now, like a storm building. “You’re walking into a den of wolves. They’ll eat you alive.”“I’ll make them think I’m a sheep,” Peter said, calm and cold. “Let them circle. I want justice for my father. And this is the closest I’ve ever been.”“Peter, in as much as this is a good idea,” Julian cut in, his eyes soft but voice strained, “this is dangerous.”“Peter is the best shot we’ve got to plant someone near Ryan,” Caesar added, arms folded. He sounded more like a strategist than a friend. “He just has to make Ryan believe he’s on his side…make him think he’s taken the bait. Meanwhile, we g
Chapter Sixty-One: The Villain in Uniform“I don’t think you should stay at the hospital anymore. We don’t know who’s going to walk through that door next…someone who won’t hesitate to silence you for good.”“You worry too much about me, Doc,” Sebastian chuckled, trying to lighten the tension.“I’m serious.” Aiden’s voice was firm as he adjusted his glasses. “You don’t have anyone to take care of you if I send you home. You should stay at my apartment.”Sebastian sighed, heavy with reluctance. “I don’t want to be a burden or put you in danger. You’d understand if I refused.”“I’m a doctor, Sebastian. My job is to keep you alive. And right now, the hospital isn’t safe for you.”“At least in my apartment, I can watch over you every second.”Aiden’s calm and unwavering tone did what it always did…he convinced Sebastian.*****Snap! Snap!Hundreds of camera flashes exploded in the hall.A neatly dressed, well-decorated officer climbed the stage to speak.“No one is above the law. Not the