Smoke and Mirrors

Luca had spent years learning the rules of power—how to take it, how to keep it, and most importantly, how to see betrayal before it struck.

But even kings had blind spots.

And tonight, Luca was about to learn that the people closest to him could be the deadliest.

—

The night was thick with rain, the kind that made the city feel heavier, more suffocating. Luca stood on the balcony of his penthouse, staring at the skyline, his cigarette burning low between his fingers.

Henry was inside, pacing near the bar. Sofia sat on the couch, polishing her blade with quiet focus. The air between them was tense.

Something was wrong.

Luca had felt it all day—the way people avoided his gaze, the way whispers followed him like shadows. He had built an empire on control, yet for the first time since DeLuca's death, something was slipping through his fingers.

Then the call came.

Luca answered without a word.

A shaky voice filled his ear. "Boss… it's Bruno. We have a problem."

Luca's jaw tightened. "Speak."

"It's Moretti. He—" A sharp gasp. "He sold you out."

Silence.

Then a gunshot rang through the phone.

The line went dead.

Luca exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled. When he turned back to Henry and Sofia, his expression was carved from stone.

"Enzo Moretti just made a move."

Henry's eyes darkened. "That son of a—"

Sofia stood, slipping her knife back into its holster. "What's the play?"

Luca flicked his cigarette over the balcony.

"We remind him who the real king is."

—

The warehouse on the south docks was already burning by the time they arrived. Moretti's men had set the place ablaze, trying to erase evidence of whatever deal they had made.

Luca didn't care about the fire.

He cared about the message it sent.

Gunfire erupted the moment they stepped in. Luca moved like a predator, precise and lethal, dropping the first two men before they even saw him. Henry covered his side, while Sofia danced through the chaos, blade flashing in the dim light.

Bodies fell. Smoke thickened the air.

And then, in the center of the wreckage, Luca found him.

Enzo Moretti.

Bleeding, cornered, his back against a stack of crates.

Luca walked toward him, slow and deliberate.

Enzo chuckled, coughing up blood. "You're faster than I thought."

Luca pressed his gun against Moretti's chest. "And you're dumber than I thought."

Moretti smirked. "You think killing me changes anything? The city doesn't belong to one man. It never has."

Luca stared at him for a long moment. Then he pulled the trigger.

One shot.

Enzo Moretti slumped against the crates, dead before he hit the floor.

Luca turned to Henry and Sofia. "Burn the rest."

Sofia smirked. "With pleasure."

As the flames rose higher, Luca stepped out into the night, rain soaking through his shirt. Moretti was gone. But this wasn't over.

Because betrayal never worked alone.

And Luca still didn't know who had set Moretti against him in the first place.

—

Next Chapter: The Ghost in the Dark – A hidden enemy lurks in the shadows, and Luca realizes he's been playing someone else's game all along.