CHAPTER 2 – THE ENVELOPE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
CHAPTER 2 – THE ENVELOPE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Tony closed the heavy oak door behind him, shutting out the restless voices of the guards. The mansion fell unnaturally silent.
Only Vincent, Isabella, and Tony remained.
The thick manila envelope in Tony's hands suddenly looked heavier than a bag of gold.
Vincent stared at it without moving.
"Say it," he ordered quietly.
Tony hesitated.
"Boss... we recovered security footage from a warehouse fire near the docks. The fire happened nineteen days ago."
Isabella's tiny fingers tightened around Vincent's sleeve.
"My mama?"
Tony nodded slowly.
"We believe she was there."
The room seemed to lose all warmth.
Vincent grabbed the envelope before Tony could finish.
Inside were several grainy photographs.
The first showed Maria Elena Vasquez entering an abandoned warehouse late at night.
She looked terrified.
She kept glancing behind her every few steps.
The second photo made Vincent's heart stop.
Two black SUVs had pulled up behind her.
Men carrying assault rifles stepped out.
Castano soldiers.
Vincent's jaw clenched so hard a vein bulged across his temple.
"They found her..."
Tony swallowed.
"It gets worse."
He slid another photograph across the desk.
This one had been taken from inside the warehouse through a cracked window.
Elena was kneeling.
Her hands were tied.
Across from her stood Matteo Castano himself.
The ruthless heir of the Castano empire.
The man Vincent had wanted dead for fifteen years.
Isabella gasped.
"That monster..."
Vincent froze.
"You've seen him before?"
The little girl slowly nodded.
Her face turned pale.
"He came to our apartment."
Tony and Vincent exchanged a stunned glance.
"When?" Vincent asked.
"The night before Mama disappeared."
"What happened?"
Isabella's voice trembled.
"He knocked politely."
"He smiled."
"But Mama screamed when she opened the door."
"She pushed me into the closet and told me not to make a sound."
Vincent felt ice spread through his veins.
"What did he say?"
The little girl closed her eyes, remembering.
"He said..."
"'Tell Vincent the debt has finally come due.'"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Vincent's breathing became dangerously slow.
Only three people in the entire city knew about that sentence.
Himself.
Elena.
Matteo Castano.
It wasn't just a threat.
It was a message from the past.
A debt twenty-three years old.
Tony looked confused.
"What debt?"
Vincent didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward Elena's portrait.
His reflection merged with hers in the polished glass.
"I caused this."
Tony frowned.
"Boss?"
Vincent finally spoke.
"Twenty-three years ago... Matteo's father and I robbed the same cartel."
Tony's eyes widened.
"You never told anyone."
"I buried the truth."
Vincent looked exhausted.
"There were three partners."
"Me."
"Marco Castano."
"And Elena's older brother..."
Tony blinked.
"What?"
Vincent nodded.
"Rafael Vasquez."
Isabella stared at him.
"I had an uncle?"
"You did."
"What happened?"
Vincent closed his eyes.
"He died."
The words echoed through the enormous room.
"He sacrificed himself so Elena and I could escape."
Tony whispered,
"Jesus..."
Vincent continued.
"Marco believed I betrayed them."
"He blamed me for Rafael's death."
"He swore he'd destroy everyone I ever loved."
Tony slowly connected the pieces.
"So Elena disappeared because Marco finally discovered she was alive..."
"And because she had my daughter."
Vincent nodded.
"Exactly."
Isabella looked down at the floor.
"So... this is all because of me?"
"No."
Vincent dropped to one knee immediately.
He gently held her shoulders.
"Never think that."
"This happened because evil men couldn't let go of hate."
"You are not the reason."
"You are the reason I'm going to end this."
A tear rolled down Isabella's cheek.
She quickly wiped it away.
"I'm not crying."
"I'm just angry."
For the first time...
Vincent smiled.
A real smile.
"You sound exactly like your mother."
Tony cleared his throat.
"There is one more thing."
He removed a small evidence bag.
Inside was a silver necklace.
Isabella instantly reached for it.
"Mama's necklace!"
She recognized it immediately.
A tiny silver bird hung from the chain.
The same bird Elena always wore around her neck.
"Where did you find it?" Vincent demanded.
Tony answered quietly.
"In the ashes."
Everyone froze.
"But..."
Tony continued quickly.
"There wasn't any body."
Vincent looked up sharply.
"No body?"
Tony nodded.
"We searched every inch."
"There was blood."
"There were shell casings."
"There were signs of a struggle."
"But no remains."
Hope exploded inside Vincent's chest.
"She's alive."
Tony wasn't convinced.
"Or someone wanted us to think she's alive."
Vincent shook his head.
"No."
He remembered Elena better than anyone.
She never gave up.
Not while Isabella still needed her.
"She's alive."
He said it again.
More firmly this time.
Almost like a promise.
Suddenly—
BANG!
The mansion shook violently.
Every chandelier rattled.
Glass shattered somewhere downstairs.
The security alarms screamed.
Red emergency lights flooded every hallway.
Tony instantly pulled his pistol.
"What the hell?"
A guard burst through the study doors.
His face was covered in blood.
"Boss!"
"They're here!"
"Castano men breached the south gate!"
Gunfire erupted outside.
Automatic rifles.
Explosions.
Screams.
The peaceful mansion transformed into a battlefield within seconds.
Tony grabbed Vincent.
"We have to move!"
Vincent scooped Isabella into his arms.
She didn't scream.
She wrapped her little arms around his neck.
Another explosion blasted through the front courtyard.
Smoke poured past the windows.
Then—
A sniper's bullet shattered the glass beside Vincent's head.
CRACK!
The marble wall exploded into dust.
The assassin had been aiming directly at Isabella.
Vincent's face changed.
Every trace of warmth disappeared.
Only the Wolf remained.
He slowly handed Isabella to Tony.
"Take my daughter."
Tony nodded.
"I'll die before anyone touches her."
Vincent opened a hidden compartment beneath his desk.
Inside rested two custom black pistols that hadn't been used in nearly a year.
He loaded them with calm precision.
Click.
Click.
Outside...
More gunfire.
More explosions.
More death.
Vincent adjusted his jacket and looked toward the burning front gate.
His cold eyes held only one emotion now.
Rage.
"They came for my daughter."
"They made the first move."
He pulled back the slides on both pistols.
"Tonight..."
May you like
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"The war finally begins."
