Chapter Sixteen: The Weight of Power

The club's VIP section had grown quieter, though the thrum of bass still pulsed beneath their feet. The dim lighting cast long shadows over the polished mahogany table where Vincenzo and Alessia's teacher sat.

Vincenzo studied the man carefully. His presence alone was commanding, but it wasn't just confidence—it was control. The kind of control that didn't need to be spoken, only felt.

The man swirled the amber liquid in his glass before speaking. "Tell me, Vincenzo… what do you think power is?"

A test.

Vincenzo leaned back, his expression unreadable. "Power is control. Over men, money, and fate."

The man smiled faintly. "Control is an illusion. A necessary one, but an illusion nonetheless. Power is influence. The ability to bend reality, not just rule over it."

Vincenzo's fingers tapped against the table once, considering his words. "Machiavelli said it is better to be feared than loved. That a leader who cannot be cruel when necessary will never hold onto power."

The man nodded, pleased. "And do you believe that?"

Vincenzo's gaze sharpened. "I believe love fades. Fear lingers."

The older man let out a soft chuckle, resting his glass down. "Smart. But incomplete. A leader must know when to be feared… and when to be adored. Tyranny breeds revolts. Love breeds loyalty. The greatest rulers weave both into a single force."

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with the wisdom of someone who had played this game long before Vincenzo. "Sun Tzu wrote: 'The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.' Tell me, Vincenzo, do you know the true nature of war?"

Vincenzo exhaled slowly, understanding that this conversation was no longer about theory. It was a dissection of his very nature. "War is not just battles. It's perception, deception, patience. It's won long before the first shot is fired."

A satisfied nod. "Good. Then you already understand that brute force is the tool of men who cannot think. The true architects of power? They do not fight wars. They design them."

Vincenzo's grip on his glass tightened. This man wasn't testing his knowledge—he was measuring him.

A smirk played at the corners of the man's lips. "And what will you do, Vincenzo? Will you fight? Or will you design?"

Vincenzo met his gaze, unwavering. "I'll do whatever it takes."

A pause. Then the man chuckled. "That… I believe."

He reached into his pocket and slid a small card across the table. A number. Nothing else.

"Call this man. He will ensure your friend's success in Serbia."

Vincenzo picked up the card but didn't look at it yet. Instead, he studied the older man. "Why help me?"

The man took a slow sip of his drink before answering. "Because, Vincenzo, I am a man who values potential. And I believe you and I… will meet again when the time is right."

Vincenzo didn't reply immediately. He understood what wasn't being said. This was not a favor. This was an investment.

Still, he nodded. "Then I'll make sure it's worth your time."

The man smiled. "Good. Because time is the only currency we cannot steal back."

---

The car ride back to the estate was silent, except for the occasional hum of the engine. Vincenzo sat in the backseat, rolling the small card between his fingers. A simple number. No name. No details. Just a lifeline wrapped in mystery.

Marco glanced at him from the front seat. "You trust him?"

Vincenzo smirked. "Trust is a luxury. I believe he's useful."

That was enough for now.

---

Back at the estate, Marco wasted no time. He had already called in their best tech expert after Theo—Lucia.

Lucia was quick, precise, and efficient. Smart as hell, but always carrying a slight nervous energy, like she was constantly running high-speed calculations in her head. She didn't need to be reminded how dangerous this was. She already knew.

The large monitor in front of them flickered with lines of data as Lucia worked.

"Starting with the teacher first," she muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard. "This should be easy—if he's who he claims to be."

The screen loaded. Then stopped. Then flickered again.

Nothing.

Lucia frowned.

Vincenzo leaned forward. "Explain."

Lucia tapped a few more keys, pulling up different sources. "It's not that I can't find much on him. It's that there's nothing at all. No tax records, no past employment history, no address—he's a ghost."

Vincenzo's expression darkened. "Meaning?"

Lucia's lips pressed together. "Meaning whoever this guy really is, he was either never in the system… or someone with serious power erased him."

Silence.

Marco crossed his arms. "That's not normal."

Vincenzo exhaled through his nose, deep in thought. "Run the number he gave me. I want to know who we're dealing with."

Lucia nodded. The search took longer this time. Several encrypted firewalls blocked access. Finally, after pushing deeper, a file appeared.

Marco read the words first. His expression changed instantly. "No way…"

Vincenzo's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Lucia whistled. "This guy is classified. Blacklisted. Officially, he doesn't exist anymore."

Vincenzo stepped closer, scanning the details.

Name: Unknown

Status: Declared Deceased

Former Affiliation: Military (Redacted)

Last Known Operations: Classified

The air in the room grew heavy.

Marco shook his head. "Someone with this level of clearance going underground? That's not just running. That's disappearing."

Vincenzo clenched his jaw. This wasn't just some ordinary ally. This was someone who had seen things—done things—that made him a threat.

He looked at Marco. "This is the kind of power I need to understand. The ability to make someone disappear with just a declaration."

Marco exhaled. "It's dangerous, Vincenzo."

Vincenzo smirked, but his eyes were sharp. "Everything that matters is."

Marco rubbed his temples. "This just made Theo's mission ten times more complicated. If he gets on the wrong side of people like this—"

Vincenzo cut him off. "Then he has to be smarter than them."

Marco gave him a long look. "That means covering his tracks. No mistakes."

Vincenzo nodded. "Exactly. And that's what I need to discuss next."

He turned to Lucia. "Give me a detailed breakdown on how to hide a man completely. I want the real deal—no amateur tactics."

Lucia blinked, then nodded. She started typing again, pulling up different methods on the screen.

"Alright. If you're serious about going dark, here's how it's done…"

---

Vincenzo stood beside Marco as Lucia began explaining. The screen displayed a list of techniques, maps, and cyber-infrastructure points.

"Step one: Erase the digital footprint."

Lucia continued, clicking through different tools. "Most people think deleting accounts or using VPNs is enough. It's not. Real erasure means corrupting data at the source. That means breaching servers that store personal information and altering or wiping them completely."

Vincenzo watched closely. "How?"

"You target medical records, government IDs, bank accounts. Every system has a backdoor—firewalls, admin overrides, access logs. The key is to not just delete, but replace."

Marco raised a brow. "Replace?"

Lucia nodded. "If you just delete, it raises flags. But if you modify? Make it look like the person moved, changed names legally, or even died? Then no one's looking."

Vincenzo smirked. "Interesting. Keep going."

"Step two: Untraceable communication."

Lucia pulled up an encrypted messaging system. "Phones are the worst liability. Even burner phones aren't truly safe if you don't handle them right. If Theo wants to vanish, he needs disposable devices bought with cash, used once, then destroyed."

Marco frowned. "But even then, signals can be traced."

Lucia grinned. "Exactly. Which is why the best method is using relay servers in multiple countries to reroute communication. Makes it look like calls are bouncing through ten different places at once."

Vincenzo tapped his fingers against the table. "And if we need face-to-face meetings?"

Lucia shrugged. "Never use the same routes. Never meet in a place you've visited before. And always—always—assume you're being watched."

Marco sighed. "This sounds like a nightmare."

Vincenzo smirked. "Sounds like a challenge."

Lucia leaned back. "Final step: If someone is looking for you, you need a misdirect."

She clicked on a file labeled "Ghost Operations" and pulled up a document. "Most people focus on hiding themselves. The best way to stay hidden? Make them chase something else."

Vincenzo's eyes flickered with understanding. "A decoy."

Lucia nodded. "Exactly. A fake trail. A fabricated identity moving elsewhere. One that looks just real enough to be convincing, but with just enough inconsistencies to keep them guessing."

Marco whistled. "So we're not just hiding. We're confusing them."

Vincenzo's smirk widened. "Now that… I like."

Lucia bit her lip before saying, almost hesitantly, "Theo would have figured this out faster. He knows all of this like the palm on his hand"

Marco gave her a side glance.

She didn't notice. She was too focused, scrolling through files.

"Speaking of Theo…" she muttered. "I'll send him this guy's contact."

Vincenzo raised a brow. "Encrypted?"

Lucia gave him a flat look. "Of course."

Then, after a pause, her voice softened. "Not that he needs it. He already knows everything I explained. Probably more."

Vincenzo's gaze lingered on her.

She looked down, cheeks slightly flushed. "I mean… it's still good we're doing our part."

Marco smirked. "You're obsessed with him."

Lucia huffed. "I am professionally in awe of his capabilities."

Marco chuckled. "Sure."

Vincenzo smirked. "Just make sure it gets to him clean."

Lucia nodded, fingers already flying across the keys. "Done."

Vincenzo exhaled, eyes dark with thought.

The classified man, the erased teacher, Theo's mission—everything was shifting, becoming more dangerous, more intricate.

And that meant they had to be sharper than ever.

Vincenzo exhaled. "Let's make sure Theo does this right. No mistakes. No loose ends."

Marco nodded. "Agreed. Because once he steps into this, there's no turning back."

Vincenzo's gaze darkened. "We never planned to turn back."