Chapter 41

Darkness swallowed the Belladonna house.For a few terrifying seconds, no one could see anything except the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the windows.Outside, dozens of engines idled in perfect unison.No shouting.No panic.Only absolute discipline.It was more frightening than chaos.Then emergency lights hidden inside the library flickered on.A dim amber glow filled the room.Enough to reveal frightened faces.Enough to remind them they were trapped.Lorenzo instinctively stepped in front of Alessia and Elena.Antonio stood beside them.Claudio quietly checked the magazine in his pistol.Father Gabriel whispered a prayer.Daniel leaned against the bookshelf, still weak from his injury.Only Adrian and Catherine remained strangely calm.Almost...Expectant.Lorenzo noticed."You've seen this before."Adrian nodded."Many times."Catherine closed her eyes."He always arrives this way."The voice returned through the hidden speakers."You have four minutes.""No one need

Last Updated : 2026-09-30

Chapter 42

Silence.No one inside the Belladonna house moved.Outside, the man standing beneath the moonlight lowered his hand after pointing at Lorenzo.The line echoed in Lorenzo's mind.You've inherited my throne.It didn't make sense.It couldn't.His grandfather, Giovanni Moretti, had been declared dead decades ago. There had been a funeral. His portrait hung in the Moretti Villa. Every family story ended with the same words:"He died protecting the family's legacy."Yet the man outside looked very much alive.Antonio was the first to speak."No..."His voice trembled."Something is wrong."Everyone turned toward him.Lorenzo frowned."You know him."Antonio nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off the window."I knew Giovanni."A long pause."But the man standing outside...""...isn't him."The room fell silent.Alessia looked back through the glass."What do you mean?"Antonio took a slow breath."Giovanni Moretti had a scar."Lorenzo frowned."A scar?""Across his left eyebrow.""He got

Last Updated : 2026-10-04

Chap 43

The lake was still.A silver mist drifted across the surface of Lake Como, softening the outlines of the surrounding mountains. Dawn had not yet broken, and the world seemed suspended between darkness and light.Lorenzo stood at the private dock behind the Belladonna residence, staring at the coordinates engraved inside Matteo's watch.46.0167° N 9.2579° EHe closed the watch with a quiet click."This is it."Alessia joined him, wrapping her coat tighter against the cold morning breeze."You didn't sleep."He smiled faintly."Neither did you."She looked out across the water."I kept thinking about my father."Antonio.Alive.Missing.Taken.Every answer they uncovered only seemed to lead to another mystery.Lorenzo slipped his hand into hers.Without thinking, she intertwined her fingers with his.Neither of them let go.Behind them, Antonio stepped onto the dock carrying an old leather tube."I thought you should have this."He handed it to Lorenzo.Inside was a faded nautical map o

Last Updated : 2026-10-04

Chapter 44

No one spoke.The ancient vault seemed to hold its breath.Victor Laurent stood calmly beside the black leather ledger, as though he had been expecting them all along.The lanterns cast long shadows across the stone floor, making the centuries-old chamber feel even more imposing.Lorenzo took one deliberate step forward."You expect us to believe you founded the Circle?"Victor smiled faintly."I don't expect anything."He rested one hand on the ledger."I simply know what is true."Antonio's expression hardened."That's impossible.""The Circle has existed for generations."Victor nodded."It has.""But not in the form you know today."Father Gabriel folded his arms."Explain."Victor looked around the chamber."You deserve that much."He walked slowly around the marble table."More than two hundred years ago, the Order of Saint Fiora was created for one purpose.""To preserve history.""To ensure that powerful families could never erase the truth."Alessia listened carefully.It mat

Last Updated : 2026-10-10

Chapter 45

The bronze doors opened completely.Their ancient hinges groaned through the vast chamber like a warning from another century.Every eye turned toward the woman standing at the entrance.She looked no older than fifty.Her black tailored coat fell perfectly to her knees, and silver streaks framed her dark hair. She carried no weapon.She didn't need one.The dozen men and women behind her stood in perfect silence, dressed in identical dark suits.Disciplined.Patient.Waiting for a single command.The woman smiled."Good evening."Her voice was calm.Cultured.Italian with the faintest trace of a French accent.She looked directly at Alessia."At last...""We finally meet, Belladonna."Lorenzo instinctively stepped in front of Alessia."You'll speak to me first."The woman regarded him for a moment."So protective."She smiled."Just like your father."Antonio stiffened."You knew Matteo.""I knew all of you."She turned her attention to Victor."You've disappointed me."Victor sighed