The silence in Villa Moretti was dangerous.
It wasn't peace.
It was breath held. Blood simmering beneath silk. Eyes watching from the dark.
Amara sat alone in her father's old war room, lights dimmed, fire crackling, a blade spinning slowly between her fingers. She hadn't slept. Couldn't. Not while her enemies moved like smoke and her own house threatened to betray her.
Rocco had returned to duty. He was quiet. Obedient.
Too obedient.
She didn't trust silence anymore. Not when it came from someone who used to question everything.
Enzo entered, shaking off rain.
"We have a survivor."
Amara stood, eyes narrowing.
"One of the black-clad Veleno agents?"
He nodded grimly. "Took a bullet to the shoulder. Tried to chew off his own tongue before we sedated him. He's awake."
Amara followed without a word.
---
Interrogation Room – Underground Vault
The man sat slouched, eyes glassy but burning with something deeper than fear.
Loyalty. Or madness.
His arms were restrained, his mouth muzzled with a reinforced brace.
Amara stood before him, then nodded to Enzo. He removed the brace.
The agent spat blood onto the floor and smiled.
"Your throne is ash. You just haven't smelled the smoke yet."
Amara leaned in, her voice low.
"Who is Serena Veleno?"
The man blinked once.
Then chuckled. "She's your executioner."
Before she could respond, he slammed his forehead forward, cracking his skull against the table. Blood spilled instantly. He collapsed. Dead.
"No!" Enzo grabbed him, but it was too late.
Amara stood still, rage creeping slowly through her veins.
Even in defeat, they killed themselves for her.
This isn't mafia, she thought. It's a cult.
---
Later – Enzo's Office
"We're bleeding, Donna," Enzo said. "That man died with secrets we needed."
"No," Amara said. "He died proving something else."
Enzo looked at her.
"They fear her. Serena Veleno. That's not loyalty. That's submission."
Chiara burst in, holding her tablet like a weapon.
"I got something," she said. "Not from him. From his comms before the attack."
She tapped the screen.
> LOCATION: Rome.
COVER: Galleria Celeste.
STATUS: HQ-AUXILIARY. INFILTRATED. SAFEHOUSE LEVEL 3.
PRIMARY LEAD: S. VELENO
"Galleria Celeste," she said. "An art gallery. But inside? Full surveillance hub. Relays, blackmail archives, deep web channels."
Amara stared.
"You're sure it's theirs?"
Chiara nodded. "If we hit it, we'll burn their eyes."
Enzo leaned forward. "It'll make noise. Real noise."
Amara's smile was cold.
"Good. Let them know their queen doesn't hide in shadows."
---
Meanwhile – Rocco's Quarters
Rocco sat in the dark, a tumbler of bourbon in one hand, staring at the flickering screen of his encrypted phone.
The message looped again and again:
> They'll kill your sister next.
Say nothing.
Do nothing.
You belong to Veleno now.
He closed his eyes.
And drank.
---
That Night – War Council
Chiara laid the plan on the table. Enzo added tactical options. Amara gave the word.
"No survivors. No salvage. We leave only rubble."
At dawn, her fire would speak for her.
But before the team dispersed, Amara looked at Chiara.
"You said that gallery was where their records live?"
Chiara nodded. "I'm trying to extract the data before the flames hit."
"Focus on the names," Amara said. "I want to know who in Naples still calls Veleno family."
Chiara smiled, eyes gleaming. "I'm already halfway in."
---
Final Scene – One Hour Before the Fire
Amara stood in the garden behind the villa. Alone. Breathing in the quiet before violence.
Rocco approached, his expression unreadable.
"You're sending a message tonight," he said.
"I'm sending a promise," she replied.
He hesitated. "You sure this won't bring them down on us harder?"
Amara turned to him slowly.
"They're already inside our walls. I'd rather die fighting them than pretending I'm safe."
Rocco looked down. "And if I told you… some of us didn't have a choice?"
She froze.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
Before she could press further, Chiara's voice crackled in her earpiece.
"Donna. I have something. A list. A big one."
Amara stepped inside, heartbeat loud.
On Chiara's screen, names scrolled.
Politicians. Judges. Bankers. Police chiefs.
Dozens of them.
Tied to Veleno.
Chiara whispered, "We're not just fighting criminals. We're fighting infrastructure."
Amara's lips parted in a slow exhale.
And in that moment, she made her decision.