**Stefano’s POV**
Raffaele lounged across the leather seat like a king on his throne as he swirled the vodka in his glass, never taking his eyes off my face. They were dark, watching and waiting for a single slip-up.
I cleared my throat. It felt as if I had swallowed dry sand.
“That’s a brilliant plan,” I said, the words tasting bitter in my mouth.
Raffaele’s face split into a wide grin. “I knew you’d see the vision, Bernardo,” he said, his voice thick with pride. “Give or take a month. In thirty days, the Castellano empire falls, Armando is in the dirt, and everything they own becomes ours.”
He lifted his glass in a mock toast and drained it, the ice clinking sharply against his teeth. “Elario is a coward,” he added, waving dismissively. “He’ll be too busy mourning his sister and hi
