The full Commission gathering was a powder keg of raw power, old grudges, and barely contained violence. The grand hall of the neutral mansion overlooking the Hudson River was filled with the most dangerous figures in the East Coast underworld. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over armed guards standing silently along the walls and men in tailored suits who controlled empires built on blood and fear. The air was thick with tension, cigar smoke, and the faint scent of expensive whiskey. Every eye in the room was fixed on Aria and Dante as they entered.
Aria stood tall beside her husband, her crimson gown a bold statement of strength and defiance. The dress hugged her petite frame perfectly, a symbol of how far she had come from the frightened waitress who once signed a contract in tea
