Blood and Vows

Secrets and Shadows

Elena sat in front of her vanity mirror, staring at her own reflection as if searching for answers in her own eyes. The weight of what she was doing—the risks, the lies, the danger—settled heavily on her shoulders.

She had spent years surviving in a world where power and loyalty were constantly tested, but this was different. This wasn’t her father’s world anymore. This was Adrian’s.

And Adrian played a deadlier game.

A soft knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Before she could respond, the door cracked open, and Sofia, one of the housemaids, stepped inside, her expression nervous.

“Elena, I… I found something.”

Elena frowned. “What is it?”

Sofia hesitated, looking toward the door as if afraid someone would hear. Then she pulled a small folded piece of paper from her apron pocket and handed it over.

“I was cleaning the guest room earlier,” she whispered. “And I found this under the dresser.”

Elena took the paper, carefully unfolding it. The moment she read the words scrawled in hurried handwriting, her blood ran cold.

"Tomorrow night. Warehouse on Pier 17. No mistakes. - L"

Elena’s grip on the paper tightened. L.

Luca DeLuca.

Her pulse pounded as she reread the note. This wasn’t a coincidence. This was something bigger, something she wasn’t supposed to see.

“Did you tell anyone about this?” she asked, her voice low.

Sofia shook her head quickly. “No. I thought you should be the first to know.”

Elena nodded, slipping the note into her pocket. “Good. Don’t mention this to anyone.”

Sofia nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Elena exhaled slowly.

She had two choices now:

1. Tell Adrian immediately and let him handle it.

2. Go to Pier 17 herself and find out what Luca was planning before Adrian did.

Both options were dangerous. But only one gave her control.

And for the first time in a long time, she wanted control.

She grabbed her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she find out exactly what game Luca was playing.

And she wasn’t sure if she was ready for the truth.