The sound of breaking glass shattered the silence.

Adrian Moretti's eyes snapped open.

For a moment, he lay frozen in bed, staring at the darkness of his room. The mansion was usually quiet at this hour. His father valued discipline, and everyone in the house knew better than to make unnecessary noise after midnight.

Then came another crash.

This time, it was followed by a scream.

Adrian sat upright.

His heart immediately began to race.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for the pistol hidden inside the drawer of his nightstand. His father had insisted he learn how to use one years ago.

"Just in case," Vincenzo Moretti had always said.

At the time, Adrian thought it was excessive.

Now he wasn't so sure.

Another scream echoed through the mansion.

Closer.

Adrian tightened his grip on the weapon and stepped into the hallway.

The luxurious corridor was dimly lit by golden wall lamps. Expensive paintings lined the walls. Thick carpets softened every footstep.

Normally, the mansion felt like a palace.

Tonight, it felt like a tomb.

A gunshot exploded somewhere downstairs.

Adrian flinched.

The sound echoed through the entire house.

Then another shot followed.

And another.

His stomach dropped.

"No..."

He began moving faster.

As he reached the staircase, he saw movement below.

Several armed men dressed in black stormed through the grand entrance hall.

Their faces were hidden behind masks.

One of them fired at a security guard.

The guard collapsed instantly.

Blood spread across the white marble floor.

Adrian's breath caught.

This wasn't a robbery.

This was an execution.

The Moretti Mansion was one of the most heavily protected properties in the city.

Anyone foolish enough to attack it knew exactly what they were doing.

Someone powerful had planned this.

Someone powerful wanted the Moretti family dead.

Adrian ducked behind the railing as two gunmen rushed beneath him.

His mind struggled to process what was happening.

Who would dare attack his family?

Who would dare attack his father?

A sudden roar echoed from the lower floor.

"GET THEM OUT!"

Adrian immediately recognized the voice.

His father.

Vincenzo Moretti.

The king of the Moretti Syndicate.

The most feared man in the city.

Relief flooded Adrian's chest.

If his father was still fighting, there was hope.

Vincenzo wasn't a man who lost battles.

The crime world had learned that lesson long ago.

Adrian hurried downstairs.

The scene that greeted him looked like something from a nightmare.

Bodies lay scattered across the entrance hall.

Broken furniture littered the floor.

Bullet holes scarred the walls.

In the center of the chaos stood Vincenzo Moretti.

Even at fifty-two, he looked unstoppable.

A pistol in each hand.

Blood stained his white shirt.

His silver hair was disheveled.

Yet he stood like a king defending his throne.

Two attackers charged him.

Vincenzo fired twice.

Both men dropped instantly.

Adrian had never seen anyone move so fast.

For a brief moment, pride filled him.

This was his father.

The man everyone feared.

The legend.

Then Vincenzo saw him.

And everything changed.

The older man's expression twisted into something Adrian had never seen before.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For his son.

"ADRIAN!"

The shout thundered across the room.

"RUN!"

Adrian froze.

Run?

His father had never told him to run from anything.

A gunshot rang out.

Vincenzo staggered.

Adrian's eyes widened.

A dark stain appeared on his father's side.

Someone had shot him.

For the first time in Adrian's life, he saw Vincenzo Moretti wounded.

The impossible had happened.

"No!"

Adrian rushed forward.

Another bullet struck a nearby pillar.

Stone exploded beside him.

Vincenzo grabbed his arm.

His grip remained iron strong despite the injury.

"Listen to me."

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes locked onto Adrian's.

"You leave now."

"No."

"That's not a request."

"We can fight—"

"You don't understand."

The words came out sharp.

Urgent.

Desperate.

"They aren't here for money."

Another gunshot echoed.

"They aren't here for territory."

Vincenzo's face hardened.

"They're here for you."

Adrian felt ice spread through his veins.

For him?

Why?

Nothing made sense.

Before he could ask another question, a voice echoed from the shadows.

A slow clap.

Then another.

The room fell silent.

Even the gunmen stopped moving.

A figure stepped forward.

Tall.

Elegant.

Dressed in a black suit.

His face remained hidden beneath the darkness.

Yet something about him felt terrifying.

Not because of his appearance.

Because of his confidence.

The confidence of a man who believed he had already won.

Vincenzo's expression darkened.

"You."

The stranger smiled.

"So we meet again, old friend."

Friend?

Adrian stared.

His father had enemies.

Countless enemies.

But this man sounded personal.

The stranger's gaze shifted toward Adrian.

Interest flashed in his eyes.

"So that's the boy."

Every instinct in Adrian's body screamed danger.

The stranger studied him for several seconds.

Then he laughed softly.

"Amazing."

"What do you want?" Vincenzo growled.

"What I've always wanted."

The stranger's smile disappeared.

"Everything."

Gunfire erupted again.

Chaos returned instantly.

Vincenzo shoved Adrian backward.

"GO!"

The force nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Dad—"

"NOW!"

For one second, Adrian hesitated.

One second.

It would haunt him forever.

A shot rang out.

Then another.

Then a third.

Adrian turned.

And watched his father collapse.

The world stopped.

The gun slipped from Adrian's hand.

His knees felt weak.

This couldn't be happening.

Not to him.

Not to Vincenzo Moretti.

Not to the man who had survived decades of war.

"Dad..."

Vincenzo hit the marble floor.

Blood spread beneath him.

The king had fallen.

The stranger looked down at the dying mafia boss.

"No empire lasts forever."

Adrian couldn't breathe.

Couldn't think.

Couldn't move.

A hand suddenly grabbed him from behind.

"Move!"

One of the family bodyguards.

Antonio.

The veteran guard dragged Adrian toward a hidden side passage.

Adrian fought him.

"No!"

"You have to leave!"

"My father—"

"Your father is dead if you stay!"

The words hit harder than any punch.

Antonio forced him through a concealed doorway.

Behind them, gunfire continued.

The hidden passage slammed shut.

Darkness swallowed them.

Adrian stood frozen.

His chest felt hollow.

His ears rang.

Somewhere beyond the wall, the battle continued.

But all he could see was his father's body lying on the marble floor.

The king was dead.

And whoever had killed him was now coming for the heir.

Far above the city, storm clouds gathered.

A new war was about to begin.

And Adrian Moretti had just become its most wanted target.

The hidden tunnel smelled of damp earth and rust.

Adrian stumbled forward, barely aware of where he was going.

His father's face kept flashing before his eyes.

The gunshots.

The blood.

The way Vincenzo Moretti had fallen.

It felt impossible.

Like a nightmare his mind refused to wake up from.

"Keep moving!"

Antonio's voice echoed through the narrow passage.

The veteran bodyguard grabbed Adrian's shoulder and pushed him forward.

"We don't have much time."

Adrian finally stopped.

"No."

Antonio turned.

"What?"

"My father is still there."

Adrian's voice trembled.

"We have to go back."

The older man stared at him.

For a second, something painful flashed across his face.

Then he shook his head.

"He's gone."

"No."

"Adrian—"

"No!"

The shout echoed through the tunnel.

Adrian slammed his fist against the wall.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

"He can't be dead."

Antonio remained silent.

Because neither of them truly believed the words coming out of Adrian's mouth.

Deep down, they both knew.

They had seen it.

Vincenzo Moretti was gone.

The realization hit Adrian like a freight train.

His knees buckled.

He slid down the wall.

For the first time since childhood, he cried.

Not quietly.

Not with dignity.

The grief tore through him like a storm.

Antonio stood nearby and said nothing.

There were moments when words were useless.

This was one of them.

Several minutes passed before Adrian finally managed to speak.

"Who was that man?"

Antonio frowned.

"The one who killed my father."

The bodyguard looked away.

"I don't know."

"Liar."

Antonio sighed.

"I've never seen him before."

"But my father knew him."

"Apparently."

Adrian clenched his fists.

The stranger's words echoed in his mind.

So we meet again, old friend.

Who was he?

Why had Vincenzo looked so shocked?

And why had the man been interested in Adrian?

None of it made sense.

A distant explosion suddenly shook the tunnel.

The ground trembled beneath their feet.

Antonio's eyes widened.

"We need to move."

Adrian rose unsteadily.

The two continued through the darkness.

The tunnel stretched beneath the city for what felt like forever.

Eventually, a faint light appeared ahead.

A metal door.

Antonio hurried toward it.

After entering a code, the lock clicked open.

Cool night air rushed inside.

They emerged behind an abandoned warehouse near the docks.

Rain had begun to fall.

The city lights shimmered across wet streets.

Adrian stared at the skyline.

Just hours ago, he had been the son of the most powerful crime boss in the city.

Now he was a fugitive.

Everything had changed.

Everything.

Antonio led him toward a black SUV parked nearby.

As they approached, the driver's door opened.

A young man stepped out.

Dark hair.

Leather jacket.

Concern written across his face.

"Adrian!"

Luca Romano.

Adrian's best friend.

The moment he saw him, relief flooded Luca's expression.

"Thank God you're alive."

Without thinking, Adrian embraced him.

For the first time all night, something felt familiar.

Safe.

Luca pulled back.

"What happened?"

Adrian couldn't answer.

Antonio answered for him.

"The mansion was attacked."

Luca's face paled.

"And Vincenzo?"

Silence.

Understanding dawned in Luca's eyes.

"Oh God."

Nobody spoke.

Rain continued falling around them.

Finally, Antonio opened the SUV's rear door.

"We need to leave."

Luca nodded.

The three climbed inside.

As the vehicle pulled away from the docks, Adrian looked back one last time.

Far in the distance, smoke rose into the night sky.

The Moretti Mansion was burning.

His childhood home.

Gone.

---

An hour later, they arrived at a small safehouse on the edge of the city.

It looked nothing like the luxurious mansion Adrian had grown up in.

The building was old.

Weathered.

Forgettable.

Exactly the kind of place nobody would search.

Antonio locked every entrance before gathering them inside.

The living room felt cramped.

A single lamp illuminated the space.

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Then Luca broke the silence.

"What happens now?"

Antonio looked directly at Adrian.

The question wasn't meant for him.

It was meant for the heir.

Adrian laughed bitterly.

"What happens now?"

His voice sounded hollow.

"My father is dead."

"Our organization is probably falling apart."

"Someone wants me dead."

He looked around the room.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?"

Nobody had an answer.

Suddenly Antonio's phone rang.

The veteran bodyguard answered immediately.

His expression darkened as he listened.

"What?"

More silence.

Then:

"How many?"

Adrian felt dread growing inside him.

Antonio ended the call.

"What is it?" Luca asked.

The bodyguard looked grim.

"The attacks weren't limited to the mansion."

The room froze.

"What do you mean?" Adrian asked.

"Several Moretti businesses were hit simultaneously."

A chill spread through Adrian.

Simultaneously.

This wasn't revenge.

It was a coordinated operation.

Someone had planned everything.

Someone had prepared for war.

"The syndicate is collapsing," Antonio said quietly.

"The captains are either dead, missing, or switching sides."

Luca cursed.

Adrian stared at the floor.

The attack hadn't just killed his father.

It had destroyed an empire.

In a single night.

His father had spent decades building the Moretti Syndicate.

Now it was crumbling within hours.

The realization filled Adrian with rage.

Pure rage.

For years he had avoided involvement in the family business.

He had told himself he wanted a different life.

A normal life.

Now that life no longer existed.

Whoever destroyed his family had taken everything.

And Adrian wanted answers.

A knock suddenly echoed through the house.

Everyone froze.

One knock.

Then another.

Antonio immediately pulled out his pistol.

Luca did the same.

Adrian's pulse accelerated.

Nobody should know they were here.

Nobody.

The knocking continued.

Slow.

Patient.

Almost confident.

Antonio moved toward the window.

Carefully, he peeked outside.

His face immediately changed.

"What?"

Antonio stepped away from the window.

Confusion filled his eyes.

"It's her."

"Who?"

Before Antonio could answer, the front door opened.

A young woman stepped inside.

Tall.

Elegant.

Composed.

Rainwater dripped from her dark coat.

Her sharp eyes scanned the room.

Then settled on Adrian.

Sophia DeLuca.

Adrian recognized her instantly.

Daughter of one of the city's most powerful rival mafia families.

And the last person he expected to see tonight.

"What are you doing here?" Antonio demanded.

Sophia ignored him.

Her gaze never left Adrian.

"I came to save your life."

The room fell silent.

Adrian frowned.

"What?"

Sophia reached into her pocket.

Antonio immediately raised his weapon.

She slowly removed a folded photograph.

Nothing more.

Then she tossed it onto the table.

Adrian picked it up.

The moment he saw it, his blood ran cold.

The photograph showed the Moretti Mansion.

Taken earlier that evening.

Hours before the attack.

Several locations had been marked in red ink.

Attack points.

Entry routes.

Sniper positions.

Someone had planned every detail.

At the bottom of the photograph was a single message.

Phase One Complete.

Adrian looked up.

"Where did you get this?"

Sophia's expression hardened.

"My father received it."

The room went silent.

A terrible realization settled over everyone.

If her father had received it...

Then the attack involved far more people than they had imagined.

Sophia took a deep breath.

"Listen carefully."

Her voice was deadly serious.

"What happened tonight is only the beginning."

Adrian felt his pulse quicken.

"What are you talking about?"

Sophia stared directly into his eyes.

"Every major crime family in the city is being targeted."

"What?"

"The attack on your family was simply the first move."

The room seemed to shrink around them.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

Then Sophia delivered the words that changed everything.

"The people who killed your father aren't trying to take control of the city."

Adrian swallowed.

"Then what do they want?"

Sophia's answer came like a bullet.

"They want to erase every mafia family from existence."

The silence that followed was terrifying.

Because for the first time that night, Adrian realized the truth.

This wasn't a gang war.

This wasn't a power struggle.

This was something much bigger.

And somewhere in the darkness, the people responsible had already begun hunting their next victims.

The war had started.

And Adrian Moretti had just become one of its most important targets.

The room remained silent long after Sophia spoke.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

It felt as though the entire world had frozen around those terrifying words.

They want to erase every mafia family from existence.

Adrian stared at her.

Part of him wanted to dismiss the claim as impossible.

The other part remembered the bodies scattered across the marble floor of his father's mansion.

The second part was winning.

Antonio finally broke the silence.

"Explain."

Sophia crossed her arms.

"My father received information several days ago."

"Information from who?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know."

The bodyguard frowned.

"That's not good enough."

"I know."

Sophia's voice remained calm.

"But whoever sent it knew things they shouldn't have known."

Adrian leaned forward.

"What kind of things?"

Sophia hesitated.

Then she answered.

"The locations of safehouses."

Antonio's eyes widened.

"The financial records of multiple families."

Luca cursed under his breath.

"The names of informants."

The room grew colder.

Those weren't things outsiders should know.

Those were secrets protected by decades of blood and fear.

Yet somehow someone had obtained them.

Someone powerful.

Someone dangerous.

Someone organized.

Sophia continued.

"My father thought it was a bluff."

"What changed his mind?" Adrian asked.

She looked directly at him.

"Your father's death."

Silence.

The words hit harder than Adrian expected.

His chest tightened.

For a brief moment, he saw the image again.

Vincenzo collapsing.

Blood spreading across the white floor.

His final order.

Run.

Adrian clenched his fists.

He would never forget that moment.

Never.

A vibration suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Antonio pulled out his phone.

His expression darkened as he read the screen.

"What's wrong?" Luca asked.

Antonio didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he handed the phone to Adrian.

"What is this?"

Adrian looked at the display.

A photograph appeared on the screen.

His photograph.

Below it was a message.

WANTED: ADRIAN MORETTI

Reward: $10,000,000

The room fell silent.

Adrian felt his stomach drop.

Ten million dollars.

Not ten thousand.

Not one hundred thousand.

Ten million.

Someone had placed a fortune on his head.

Sophia swore quietly.

Antonio looked furious.

Luca looked terrified.

Adrian simply stared.

The message continued.

Alive preferred. Dead acceptable.

For a moment, he couldn't speak.

Couldn't think.

His entire life had changed overnight.

Yesterday he had been the son of a king.

Today he was prey.

And every criminal in the city had just received an invitation to hunt him.

Luca finally broke the silence.

"We need to leave."

Antonio nodded immediately.

"Agreed."

Sophia looked toward the window.

"If that bounty is already circulating, this location won't stay secret for long."

Adrian handed the phone back.

His mind raced.

Every gangster.

Every mercenary.

Every corrupt cop.

Every desperate criminal.

All of them would see dollar signs when they looked at him.

For ten million dollars, people would betray their own families.

His father's warning suddenly made sense.

They weren't simply trying to kill him.

They were making sure nobody could afford to protect him.

The trap was brilliant.

And terrifying.

---

Thirty minutes later, they were preparing to move.

Antonio gathered weapons and supplies.

Luca loaded ammunition into several magazines.

Sophia remained near the doorway, watching the streets outside.

Adrian sat alone.

Thinking.

The room felt too small.

Too quiet.

His entire world had collapsed.

And yet there was no time to mourn.

No time to grieve.

No time to process.

Because survival came first.

A shadow appeared beside him.

Sophia.

She sat across from him.

Neither spoke for several seconds.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"You look angry."

Adrian laughed bitterly.

"My father died less than twenty-four hours ago."

"Fair point."

"I lost everything."

Sophia studied him carefully.

"No."

Adrian frowned.

"What?"

"You lost a lot."

Her eyes hardened.

"But not everything."

He stared at her.

"What exactly do I have left?"

Sophia's answer came immediately.

"You're alive."

Simple.

Direct.

Yet impossible to argue with.

She leaned back.

"Most people in your position wouldn't have survived the first hour."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"No."

A small smile appeared.

"It's supposed to remind you that whoever planned this failed."

Adrian blinked.

Failed?

"My father is dead."

"Yes."

"The syndicate is collapsing."

"Yes."

"They burned my home."

"Yes."

Sophia leaned forward.

"But you're still breathing."

For the first time, Adrian understood what she meant.

The attack had been designed to wipe out the Moretti bloodline.

Yet he had escaped.

Somehow.

Against impossible odds.

The realization sparked something inside him.

Not hope.

Not yet.

Something darker.

Determination.

---

A loud crash shattered the moment.

Everyone jumped.

Antonio immediately grabbed his weapon.

"What was that?"

Another crash echoed from outside.

Glass breaking.

Then came shouting.

The color drained from Luca's face.

"They found us."

Antonio moved toward the window.

One glance outside was enough.

"We're leaving now."

Gunfire erupted.

Bullets slammed into the walls.

Wood splintered.

Glass exploded inward.

Sophia immediately drew a pistol from beneath her coat.

Adrian stared.

"Since when do you carry that?"

She smirked.

"Since always."

More gunfire.

Someone outside screamed.

Antonio fired through the window.

A body fell.

The safehouse had become a battlefield.

And the enemy had arrived far sooner than expected.

"Back exit!" Antonio shouted.

Everyone moved.

Fast.

Adrian's pulse thundered in his ears.

The group raced through the narrow hallway toward the rear of the building.

Gunshots echoed behind them.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The attackers were entering the house.

Antonio kicked open the back door.

Cold night air rushed inside.

Rain poured from the sky.

The alley behind the building was empty.

For now.

"Move!"

They sprinted into the darkness.

Footsteps thundered behind them.

The hunters were coming.

Adrian risked a glance over his shoulder.

Several armed figures emerged from the building.

At least eight.

Maybe more.

One of them pointed.

"There he is!"

The chase began.

---

Rain soaked the streets.

Water splashed beneath their feet.

Adrian pushed himself harder than ever before.

His lungs burned.

His muscles screamed.

But stopping wasn't an option.

Not tonight.

Maybe not ever again.

Gunshots cracked through the darkness.

Bullets struck a nearby wall.

Concrete exploded.

Luca nearly fell.

Sophia grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.

"Keep moving!"

The group turned into a narrow side street.

For a brief moment, the gunfire faded.

Then headlights appeared ahead.

A black van.

Its engine already running.

Antonio's face changed instantly.

"Get back!"

Too late.

The van doors burst open.

More gunmen emerged.

Weapons raised.

Adrian's heart sank.

It was an ambush.

The hunters had anticipated their escape route.

They had been herded exactly where the enemy wanted them.

Sophia fired first.

A gunman dropped.

Antonio followed.

Two more attackers fell.

But there were too many.

Far too many.

The trap was closing.

Adrian suddenly noticed something.

One of the attackers wasn't aiming at him.

He wasn't shooting at all.

The man simply stood there.

Watching.

Observing.

As if the entire battle meant nothing.

A familiar chill crawled down Adrian's spine.

The stranger slowly stepped forward.

Expensive black suit.

Calm expression.

Confident posture.

The same man from the mansion.

The man who had spoken to Vincenzo.

The man who had watched his father die.

Adrian froze.

The stranger smiled.

Recognition flashed in his eyes.

"Hello again, Adrian."

The world seemed to narrow.

All the noise faded.

All the gunfire disappeared.

Only rage remained.

Pure rage.

"You."

The stranger's smile widened.

"Good."

He sounded pleased.

"I was hoping you'd survive."

Adrian's fists clenched.

"Why?"

The man tilted his head.

"Because dead men aren't interesting."

Lightning flashed across the sky.

For a brief second, Adrian finally saw the stranger's face clearly.

Sharp features.

Cold eyes.

No emotion.

No guilt.

No mercy.

The face of a monster.

The stranger looked at him almost curiously.

"As for your father..."

His smile vanished.

"He died exactly as I expected."

Adrian took a step forward.

Antonio grabbed him immediately.

"Don't."

But it was already too late.

The stranger had achieved his goal.

Adrian wanted revenge.

More than air.

More than sleep.

More than life itself.

The man nodded slightly.

Almost as though he approved.

Then he spoke words Adrian would never forget.

"Welcome to the game."

A flash grenade exploded.

Blinding light filled the street.

Everyone staggered.

Adrian covered his eyes.

The world turned white.

When his vision finally returned, the stranger was gone.

The surviving attackers were retreating.

Vanishing into the rain.

Disappearing like ghosts.

Leaving only bodies behind.

And one burning question.

Who exactly was the man who had murdered Vincenzo Moretti?

As thunder roared overhead, Adrian stared into the darkness.

For the first time since his father's death, he made a promise.

No matter how long it took.

No matter how much blood it cost.

He would find that man.

And when he did—

Someone would pay for the blood on the marble floor.