Marco is playing both sides

"Vito tells me you've been making moves," Giovanni finally said, his voice deep and gravelly.

"That you're planning to meet with Marco."

Bella nodded. "I have to. He's the key to destabilizing Roberto's organization. If we turn Marco, we weaken Roberto significantly."

Giovanni puffed on his cigar, the smoke curling in the dim light. "And what makes you think Marco will turn? He's been loyal to Roberto for years."

Bella's expression hardened. "Everyone has a breaking point. And Marco is close to his. Roberto is unraveling, and Marco knows it. We offer him a way out, security, power, a future, and he'll switch sides."

Giovanni regarded her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Just be careful, Bella. This game you're playing is dangerous. One wrong move, and Roberto will come after you with everything he's got."

Bella's eyes flickered with determination. "I know. But I'm not afraid of Roberto anymore. He's not the man I married."

She entered her father's study once more, where Giovanni and Vito were waiting. Giovanni, ever the composed mafia boss, had been tracking every detail of their operations while Vito had been overseeing the slow, methodical dismantling of Roberto's territory. But both men were waiting on her now.

"Did Marco take the bait?" Vito asked, his arms crossed and his sharp eyes watching her closely.

Bella hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "He agreed to handle it. But we have to be careful. Roberto is already suspicious. If Marco's cover gets blown, this could all fall apart."

Vito smirked, shaking his head. "Marco has been too deep in Roberto's business for too long. It's only a matter of time before he sees the truth. Roberto is crumbling, and anyone still loyal to him is either blind or a fool."

Giovanni watched his children carefully, his fingers tapping the arm of his leather chair. "We can't afford mistakes now. Not when we're this close to taking Roberto down."

Bella felt the weight of the moment. She wasn't just playing a game of power and control, she was putting her life, her family's future, and everything she had ever known on the line. Her marriage to Roberto had been a strategic alliance, but the love she once felt had been real. Now, it was all tangled up in betrayal and vengeance. She had crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

The next morning, Bella received the news. Vito's lieutenant was dead, and the message was clear, Marco had carried out the hit as Roberto ordered. But beneath the surface, Bella knew what this meant. Marco was playing both sides, navigating a deadly game where one misstep could mean his life. She just hoped he was smart enough to survive it.

She stood by the window of her family's estate, watching the rain as it continued to fall. The world outside was chaotic, but inside, her mind was focused. This was just the beginning. The real war was still to come.

With Marco in place, the plan to dismantle Roberto's empire was moving forward. But Bella knew that the hardest part was yet to come, confronting Roberto face-to-face.