Chapter 1
A convoy of black SUVs rolled into the underground garage of Conti Group's Manhattan headquarters.
I stepped out in red-soled heels, followed by the man who had raised me for the past seventeen years—Chief Consigliere Vittorio Mancini.
Twenty years old.
In Zurich, I learned how to field-strip a firearm in underground shooting ranges. I learned to read financial statements in a study that resembled a bank vault. And I could say the same sentence in six different languages:
"You're dead."
For seventeen years, I got to know my ten brothers through surveillance screens.
I watched their birthday parties, initiation ceremonies, and the first time each of them pulled a trigger.
Every Christmas family portrait reached me only as an attachment in an encrypted email.
And in every single photo, Chloe stood in the center.
Today, for the first time, I was stepping into the picture.
"Principessa, welcome home," Vittorio said quietly, seventeen years of restrained fury burning behind his aging eyes.
"Don't worry." I touched the miniature earpiece hidden beneath my ear. "Starting today, we're settling accounts."
The elevator took us directly to the top-floor ballroom.
Beneath crystal chandeliers, my ten brothers stood lined up on either side. Black suits. Callused trigger fingers. Violence etched into every inch of them.
Yet the moment they saw me, it was as if someone had hit the mute button.
At the head table sat my father, Don Emilio Conti, half-hidden behind a cloud of cigar smoke.
To his left stood a girl in a white lace dress.
Eighteen years old.
A stuffed rabbit tucked under one arm.
A temperature-controlled baby bottle in her hand, filled with warm milk personally prepared by my youngest brother, Nico.
Pinned to her chest was a ruby brooch.
My mother's brooch.
Donna Camilla's keepsake.
"Vivian." My father rose, his voice carrying its usual frost. "This is Papa's precious Chloe. From now on, she's your sister."
Chloe released my father's sleeve and hurried toward me with tiny, delicate steps, smiling like a porcelain doll displayed behind glass.
"Big Sister!"
She opened her arms for a hug.
All ten brothers moved at once.
"Chloe, slow down!"
"Careful, don't bump into her. You've only just gotten off the plane."
"Give your sister a chance to settle in."
My gaze landed on the pearl hair clip nestled in Chloe's hair.
Three days ago, my people had replaced it.
In my earpiece, Intelligence Director Dario spoke calmly.
"Voiceprint collection underway. Target heart rate: 142. Pupils dilated. Breathing pattern abnormal. Conclusion: active performance mode."
I smiled.
Lowering myself to eye level, I met her gaze.
"Chloe."
"Your name is so pretty, Sister." She blinked her wide innocent eyes. "Will you stay with Chloe forever?"
"Micro-expression analysis indicates disgust and caution," Dario added. "Probability of deception: ninety-seven percent."
I gently patted her head.
"I will."
"I'll be watching over you forever."
The banquet began.
A little later, Chloe approached me carrying two glasses of champagne. Her eyes instantly filled with tears.
"I'm so happy you're home, Sister." Her voice trembled. "Mommy must be so happy in heaven."
The entire room fell silent.
All ten brothers softened at once.
I stared at the faint white particles suspended within the golden liquid.
"Chemical analysis complete," Dario reported. "Sedative mixed with a mild hallucinogen. Ingestion may cause temporary loss of speech and memory impairment."
What a lovely little sister.
I picked up the glass but didn't drink.
Instead, I rose and walked toward the head table.
Twenty eyes followed my every step.
I placed the champagne gently in front of my father and removed a black encrypted flash drive from my jacket pocket.
"Papa, I just got home, so I don't have much to offer."
I turned to look at Chloe.
"But I do have a gift for you."
