*VINCENZO*
The air in my office felt heavy with the weight of deception, the smell of leather mingling with an undercurrent of anxiety. As I sat at my mahogany desk, I fixed my gaze on the meticulously forged documents sprawled out before me. Each line, each signature—crafted with precision by Marcus's people, intertwined with a plan so labyrinthine that it made my head spin. A complete transfer of ownership, they said. All of my businesses, and Jesse's, alongside them. How simple it sounded on paper, but I knew better. This was a treacherous game of chess, and right now, I was protecting my queen, Adeline.
Orlando's voice echoed in my mind as I recalled our second call. He had spoken with this insufferable confidence as if the world belonged to him. "Give me control, Vincenzo," he had u
