The city slept uneasily under a dark, starless sky. The villa perched atop the hill like a sentinel, lights flickering in the windows, casting long shadows over the gardens and cobblestone streets below. Elena stood on the balcony, the wind tangling her hair around her face, eyes scanning the city she now ruled with Enzo. The calm was deceptive; she could feel it in her bones. Tonight, the storm would come.

Enzo joined her silently, arms wrapping around her waist from behind. “You can feel it too,” he murmured, lips brushing her ear. “The final move. DeLuca isn’t waiting. He’s coming for everything.”

Elena nodded, steel in her gaze. “Let...