Chapter 3 - Shifting Alliances
Three days passed inside the Beacon Hill estate. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Aris, a trusted physician who owed his life to Damon’s father, Adriana’s color began to return. She was given proper meals—broths, roasted vegetables, iron-rich foods that her body practically begged for.
Damon did not force himself into her space. He remained a ghost in his own home, checking on her through reports from the staff, leaving only when necessary to orchestrate the systematic destruction of the Marquetti family.
On the fourth afternoon, Adriana walked down the grand winding staircase, her hand resting on the mahogany railing. She wore a soft, oversized cashmere sweater someone had left in her wardrobe. She found Damon in his study, surrounded by computer monitors displaying complex financial data.
"You should be resting," Damon said without looking up from his screen, though his posture tightened the moment her footsteps entered the room.
"I can't rest when I feel like a prisoner in a golden cage, Damon," she said softly, standing at the edge of his massive desk. "I saw the news. You’re destroying them."
"They deserved worse."
"You're doing this for Eli," she stated, her amber eyes searching his face. "But Eli wouldn't want you to become a tyrant for his memory. He died trying to get away from the violence, remember?"
Damon finally looked up. The scar on his eyebrow pulled taut. "Eli died because I wasn't ruthless enough. I let a rival family think they could strike at my logistics network. Eli was caught in the crossfire because he was loyal to me. I won't make the same mistake with you."
Before Adriana could reply, the heavy oak doors of the study burst open. Leo, Damon's chief of security, walked in, his face grim.
"Sir, we have a problem," Leo said, glancing briefly at Adriana. "Marcus Marquetti just made a call to the North End. He’s desperate. He reached out to Silvio Barretti."
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Damon’s eyes narrowed into slits. Silvio Barretti was the head of the old syndicate—the very man who had ordered the hit that took Eli’s life.
"Marquetti’s looking for leverage," Leo continued. "He’s offering Barretti our logistics data in exchange for protection from our financial squeeze. And sir... Marquetti’s people have been sniffing around St. Cordova's employee records. They know who Adriana is. They know she’s Eli Voss's widow."
