LOGINLuca had never been a man who enjoyed discussing his family.There were too many unanswered questions and too many memories he preferred to leave undisturbed. His mother had been a complicated woman, and the few things he knew about her past had never quite fit together.He had spent years accepting that some answers would remain beyond his reach.But the recent activity surrounding the old Council had brought back a name he had not heard in a long time.His mother's.He sat in the private office Giovanni had assigned to him, studying a photograph on his phone. It was old, slightly blurred and taken outside a building that no longer existed.His mother stood near the centre.Behind her, almost hidden by another figure, was a symbol he recognised.The serpent.Luca enlarged the image.He had seen that mark before. He had seen it on Sofia's lower back, and he had heard the stories of the women who had carried it before her.But why had his mother been standing beside them?A knock inter
The sound of a car pulling into the estate courtyard interrupted Sofia's quiet afternoon. She was sitting in the garden with Elena, reviewing plans for the new Black Vipers support centre. The building was nearly ready, and the organisation was beginning to take on a shape neither woman could have imagined during the darkest years of their lives.Sofia looked towards the entrance."Are we expecting someone?"Elena smiled. "I believe your family is arriving.""Which family?""Your other family."Before Sofia could ask what that meant, the front doors opened, and a familiar voice travelled across the courtyard."Giovanni! If you have hidden the good coffee again, I am leaving."Sofia laughed."Alice."A moment later, Giovanni's sister appeared, carrying a designer handbag and wearing sunglasses that she pushed onto her head as she approached.She embraced Sofia warmly."Look at you! You're positively glowing.""I'm also tired.""Well, you're allowed. You're growing a human being.""Tha
Sofia had never been particularly fond of waiting rooms.They reminded her of hospitals after missions, of injured soldiers and doctors speaking in low voices while families waited for news. She had spent enough time in those places to associate their quiet with uncertainty.This morning was different.She sat beside Giovanni in the private clinic, her fingers intertwined with his. A folder rested on his knee, containing the results of her blood test and the doctor's notes from their first appointment.He had read every page twice."You know staring at those papers won't make the appointment happen faster," Sofia said."I'm reviewing them.""You've reviewed them.""Perhaps I missed something.""You haven't."He looked at her. "You're very certain.""One of us has to be."He smiled and placed the folder aside.Sofia glanced at the door. "What if something is wrong?"Giovanni's expression softened."We'll listen to the doctor and take things as they come.""What if..."He took her hand
Sofia had faced armed men without blinking. She had walked into enemy territory knowing that every step might be her last. She had survived torture, betrayal and battles that would have broken people stronger than most.Yet that morning, standing beside Giovanni in front of the bedroom mirror, she was more nervous than she had ever been before a mission.She looked at her reflection, then down at her stomach.There was nothing to see yet. No visible change. No outward sign that her entire world had shifted.Still, she knew.There was a life growing inside her."You're staring at yourself again," Giovanni said from behind her."I'm trying to understand how something so small can make me feel so..." She searched for the word."Terrified?"She glanced at him through the mirror. "I was going to say overwhelmed.""Those two things can exist together."His arms slipped around her waist, his hands resting gently against her stomach. Sofia placed her hands over his."We're going to tell them
Sofia had never been particularly fond of hospitals.She trusted doctors when necessary, but she preferred being in control of her own circumstances. Hospitals reminded her of injuries, operations and too many memories she would rather leave behind.Yet that morning, she found herself sitting in a private consultation room, waiting for a doctor to confirm something that could change her entire life.Becca had insisted on accompanying her.Sofia had initially refused.Then Becca had reminded her that she had once dragged Sofia out of a burning building, and that sitting in a doctor's waiting room was hardly going to be the greatest inconvenience of her life.Sofia had eventually surrendered.Now she sat with her arms folded.Becca glanced at her."You're nervous.""I'm not.""You're tapping your foot.""I'm impatient.""Same thing."Sofia gave her a warning look.Becca smiled."Alright. I'll be quiet."A few moments later, the doctor entered."Good morning, Sofia.""Good morning.""How
The following morning began like any other at the Russo estate.The sun had barely risen when Sofia entered the kitchen, wearing black leggings and one of Giovanni's oversized shirts. Her hair was tied into a loose ponytail, and she was already checking messages on her phone.She had a meeting with Becca at headquarters, followed by a review of the new Black Vipers training programme.There was always something to do.She reached for the coffee machine and prepared herself a cup.The familiar smell filled the kitchen.Sofia stopped.She frowned, bringing the cup closer before immediately pulling it away.Something about the smell made her stomach turn."That's strange."She put the cup down and reached for a bottle of water instead.A few moments later, Giovanni entered."Good morning, beautiful.""Morning."He approached her and kissed her cheek."You're up early.""I have a meeting.""Of course you do."She gave him a look."What?""Nothing. I was hoping to convince you to have brea
“Please spare me, I didn’t mean to betray you, please.” The man cried as his face was bloody and unrecognisable. “I wonder if that’s what came to your mind when you were leaking information about my organisation.” A man seated on a chair in front of the bleeding man said with a breezy voi
Sofia left Master Carlos’ office feeling very uneasy. She always welcomed big jobs but lately it seemed like their targets were more prepared when they came to assassinate their targets. She could feel her brain calculating the odds that there was a spy in their mist, and she was ready to f
Sofia jolted up from her bed at the sound of her alarm clock going off, she rubbed her eyes and sighed as she clicked the alarming ring off. She stretched her body for five minutes before swinging her body from the bed and straight to the floor. Sofia walked to her full-length mirror and examined
The grim reaper stood on top of the tallest building in their target area easily blending with the night in her black attire, she knew that she needed to stay alert because someone was always bound to make a mistake when on a mission. Raised in the Elite Assassin Academy, she knew how to execute







