A price on his head

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.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***