All Chapters of The Mafia’s Reckoning : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter Seventy-TwoAlex stood in the center of the cold, empty cell, fists clenched and jaw locked tight. The tablet still flickered on the ground beside the note—Dominic’s words burned into his mind like acid.“Now let’s see what the queen does without a king.”She was gone.Not killed. Moved. Hidden. This meant there was still time—but that also meant Dominic had planned this step well in advance. Alex had played straight into his hand.Sophia’s voice broke through the radio. “Alex? What’s your status?”“She’s gone,” he growled. “Cell’s empty. Flash drive missing.”Silence.Then Sophia said softly, “We’re being funneled.”“I know.” His eyes lifted toward the security camera overhead—now dark. “Pull back. Regroup at the safe house. If Dominic wants war—he just got one.”Elsewhere — Location UnknownAria stirred.The air was cooler here, less industrial, more sterile. The scent of antiseptic lingered, and as her eyes adjusted, she realized she wasn’t in a dungeon or a cell anymore.

Chapter Seventy Four 00:04:59The countdown was real.Aria stared at the red notebook encased in glass like a relic from another life. The Moretti crest on its leather spine was unmistakable—stamped with the weight of blood, empire, and ruin.Her mother had hidden it here. Or… someone had. Someone who wanted her to find it now. Not before. Not later. Now.She looked around for a way to open the case. No visible latch. No scanner. Just a silent warning:Time is not your ally.She reached for the glass, expecting resistance—but it hissed open on contact. No alarm. No deterrent. Just cold air wrapping around her fingers as she lifted the notebook free.It was heavier than expected. The pages are brittle. The scent of aged ink, salt, and gunpowder.She flipped it open.The first page bore her mother’s handwriting—delicate and fierce, like the woman herself.“To my daughter—If you’re reading this, then the final hand has been dealt. And not by you.Don’t trust what bleeds easily. They a

Chapter Seventy-SixThe SUV roared through backcountry roads in utter silence. Neither Alex nor Aria spoke, but the tension inside the vehicle was suffocating.Valentina sat across from them, elegant even in the dark, her expression unreadable. Her gloved fingers tapped rhythmically on the console like she was counting time. Or preparing for war.Aria’s voice finally broke the silence. “Where are we going?”“To someone who will keep you alive,” Valentina said calmly. “And explain what I can’t.”Alex’s hands curled into fists. “Why not explain it now? You disappeared for two decades, faked your death, and now you suddenly care about saving us?”Valentina didn’t flinch. “Because the people hunting you are the same ones who tried to kill me. Because I didn’t fake my death. It was arranged—by Matteo.”Aria’s brows furrowed. “Your husband planned your… disappearance?”“No. Your grandfather did,” she said, her eyes flicking to Alex. “The old Moretti patriarch feared what I knew. He used Mat

Chapter Seventy-EightThe scent of blood clung thick in the air as Nico dragged Alex behind a collapsed archway. Moonlight sliced through the gaping ceiling, casting sharp, silver edges across their faces. Alex hissed in pain, clutching his side as warm blood seeped through his shirt.“Stay with me,” Nico muttered, tearing fabric from his jacket and pressing it hard against the wound.Alex gritted his teeth. “I’m fine.”“You’re not. But you’re still breathing, so I’ll take that as a win.”Footsteps echoed again — slow, calculated, closing in. Nico’s head jerked toward the sound. Someone was approaching from the hallway behind the ruins, but it wasn’t rushed. Whoever it was, they wanted to be heard.A figure stepped into view, silhouetted by the moonlight spilling through a collapsed doorway.Slender. Confident.And familiar.Too familiar.Alex blinked through the pain, his breath catching in his throat.“…No,” he whispered.Standing before them, calm as a ghost, was Valentina Morano.

Chapter EightyThe gun didn’t tremble in Valentina’s hand.Even as the fire roared above them and the walls wept with heat and ash, she stood perfectly still—like the chaos was just background noise to the score she’d waited years to settle.Sophia didn’t move.She couldn’t.Not with the muzzle trained directly on her heart.“You’re supposed to be dead,” she said, her voice hoarse.Valentina smiled, slow and unkind. “Everyone keeps saying that. Maybe you all should’ve tried harder.”Sophia’s mind raced. There was no cover here. No backup. And she was still dizzy from the smoke and adrenaline. But her hands were free—and she knew this estate better than Valentina ever could.“I don’t know what you want from me,” she said carefully. “If you came for Dominic, take him. You already set this place on fire.”“Oh, Sophia…” Valentina’s voice was syrup and venom. “I didn’t come for him. I came for the truth. And you’re one of the last people who knows where it’s buried.”Sophia’s lips parted.