BILLIONAIRES VENDETTA

CHAPTER 1: A RISK GONE WRONG

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LUCA DE ROSSI'S POV

I tapped the edge of my pen against the polished oak desk, the rhythmic sound serving as a futile attempt to calm my nerves. The quarterly reports flickered across my tablet, all numbers sharp and pristine, as they should be. But something gnawed at me, a persistent unease that had settled deep in my chest. My instincts—sharpened over the years navigating the murky waters of this world—were never wrong, and right now, they screamed that something wasn’t right.

The door to my office swung open with its usual lack of formality. Adriano Ricci, my second-in-command, strode in as though he were royalty. Ricci had a flair for making an entrance, but today, there was no trace of his usual cocky swagger. His face was tight, lips pressed in a thin line. The moment I saw him, the unease inside me deepened.

"We need to talk, Luca," he said, his voice low and almost unnatural for someone who was usually so brash.

I didn’t look up immediately. "I hope this time you bring good news, Ricci. I’m tired of failures."

Adriano leaned against the edge of my desk, his arms crossed over his chest. There was a gravity to his stance today that felt different. "Depends on your definition of good news, boss," he said, his voice stripped of its usual mockery. "The Russians hit the shipment in Naples. It’s gone."

I froze, my gaze locking onto the screen of my tablet, though my mind was no longer processing the numbers in front of me. "What do you mean, gone?"

Adriano's expression hardened, and he stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I don’t know how they knew our route, but they were waiting. The shipment’s gone. Every single piece."

My pulse quickened. This wasn’t supposed to happen. We’d planned every detail meticulously, every turn calculated. The Russians weren’t supposed to be able to get to us, not like this. I slammed my fist against the desk, the sound of it echoing in the otherwise silent room.

"How the hell did this happen?" I demanded, my voice tight with frustration.

Adriano glanced at the door, his eyes flicking to the two guards stationed outside the office before he leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a dangerous whisper. "It smells like an inside job. The Russians couldn’t have gotten that information without someone tipping them off."

I exhaled slowly, the air in my lungs feeling thick and heavy. "An inside job?" I repeated, the words tasted bitter in my mouth. "Who the hell would sell us out?"

Adriano’s gaze hardened, the usual flicker of humor completely absent. "That’s what I’m trying to figure out. But it’s obvious. Someone close to us gave them the information."

I clenched my jaw, trying to suppress the anger that was rising inside me. The idea of betrayal was more than I could stomach. "I trusted those men. If one of them sold us out…" My voice trailed off as the weight of the situation pressed down on me.

Without skipping a beat, Adriano’s voice dropped, filled with a cold edge. "You should have let me handle it from the beginning. These new recruits? Too eager, too reckless. They don’t understand loyalty. They think they do, but they’re fools."

I shot him at a sharp glance, my eyes narrowing. "What’s your point, Adriano?"

He tilted his head slightly, meeting my gaze. "You need loyalty, Luca. Desperation doesn’t get you anywhere. Give me full control of this, and I’ll find the rat. I’ll make it so messy, no one will dare even think about betraying us again."

I stared at him for a long moment, contemplating his words. His proposal sounded too convenient, too easy. It was the kind of thing I’d expected from him—the calculated risk, the manipulation. But I knew he was right in one thing: he was the best person to get to the bottom of this. No one else could get as close to the men without arousing suspicion.

"You’re walking a thin line, Adriano," I finally said, my voice tight with a mix of amusement and caution. "But you’re the only one I trust to get this done. Find out who did this, and make sure they pay. Messy, just like you promised."

Adriano’s lips curled into a smirk. "Messy is what I do best." He stood straighter, his eyes gleaming with something almost dangerous. "But just to make this clear, Luca—if I’m doing this, it’s on my terms. No interference from anyone else. If you want this handled, you leave it to me. You trust me, right?"

I hesitated for a moment, my thoughts racing. He was right, of course. If there was anyone who could navigate this treacherous web and come out unscathed, it was him. But there was always the chance that his ambition could cloud his judgment.

"You’ve got three days," I said, my voice low but final. "If you don’t find the traitor by then, I’ll handle it myself."

Adriano nodded without hesitation. "Consider it done, Capo."

As he turned to leave, I stopped him with a single word. "Adriano."

He paused at the door, his hand on the handle, his back still to me. "If you fail," I warned, my voice is colder than ice, "I’ll consider it a personal betrayal."

There was a flicker of something—uncertainty, perhaps—before he turned back to face me. The smirk was still there, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "I don’t fail, Luca. You know that."

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My office felt colder now, more oppressive. I leaned back in my chair, the weight of everything pressing on my chest. I trusted Adriano more than anyone, but in this world, trust was a dangerous thing. A currency that could be spent—and spent too quickly.

I rubbed my temples, thinking about the men involved, the shipment, the Russians. My enemies were closing in on all fronts, and I couldn’t afford to have any weaknesses—especially not within my own ranks. If there was a rat, I would find them. But if Adriano was wrong, if he couldn’t fix this… I had a feeling it wouldn’t just be the traitor who would suffer.

Then, just as I thought I might finally get some peace, my phone buzzed. A message from one of my trusted men.

“Boss, there’s something you need to know. The Russians didn’t make a move on their own. Someone else is pulling strings. Be careful.”

I froze, my fingers gripping the phone so tightly that it almost slipped from my hand. A chill ran down my spine. Someone else? Who the hell else was involved?

I quickly dialed Adriano’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. My gut twisted, the unease I’d been feeling settling into full-blown alarm.

Who the hell was playing both sides?