Chapter 5 - The Dawn Gathering
At 6:15 a.m., the sun rose over the Mediterranean, casting long, crimson shadows across the marble courtyards of the Moretti estate.
The heavy iron gates at the entrance of the property closed silently, locked down by automated override codes known only to me and Matteo.
In the central courtyard, forty armed guards stood in rigid formation, their dark uniforms pristine, their hands clasped behind their backs. They had been summoned for an "emergency security briefing" by Marco Vance, who believed I was still flying back from Lombardy.
Marco stood at the top of the grand marble staircase leading into the villa, wearing a crisp dark suit, adjusting his tactical watch, looking every bit the commander of a fortress.
"Attention!" Marco barked, his sharp voice echoing off the stone walls. "As you know, we had a severe breach of trust in the domestic quarters yesterday. Clara Ricci attempted to steal high-value assets from the estate vault. Effective immediately, all staff vetting procedures will double—"
The massive carved double doors behind Marco swung open.
The courtyard fell dead silent.
Marco turned around, his smug expression instantly freezing into a mask of pure, unadulterated horror.
I stepped out onto the marble terrace.
I was not wearing my traveling coat. I was dressed in a dark grey suit, my hands folded calmly behind my back, flanked by Matteo and six senior capos who had arrived with me from the airport.
"Continue, Marco," I said softly, my voice carrying clearly through the chilly morning air. "Tell them more about the breach."
Marco swallowed hard, his throat moving convulsively. His face turned pale as ash.
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"Signor... Signor Moretti," Marco stammered, stepping back. "I... we were not expecting you back from Milan until this afternoon. The deal with Volkov—"
"The deal with Volkov was never about shipping, was it, Marco?" I asked, taking one slow, measured step down the marble stairs toward him.
