Maria said: "I have a brilliant idea that will make my father lose trust in Adriano completely. Adriano is currently searching intensely for you, trying to regain my father's trust. The only clue he has is the appearance of the soldiers who attacked him. So, we'll have those same soldiers go to the nobles' district and tell the gatekeepers they're visiting someone inside. Since Adriano is now tracking everyone who enters, we'll repeat this more than once, making Adriano believe this person was involved in my kidnapping. This person, by the way, is someone my father is currently preparing to sign a deal with, and Adriano has no idea about the man or the agreement. This will provoke Adriano to kill him. When my father finds out, knowing full well the man had nothing to do with the incident, and that Adriano acted out of jealousy and suspicion, he'll react harshly. That's exactly what we want."
Matteo, stunned, replied: "You're a genius, Maria! How did you come up with all this? What a devilish idea. With this plan, we can get rid of Adriano without even killing him."
Giovanni, proud, added: "Your idea is truly brilliant, Maria. You're a major asset to this gang."
Marco said: "Alright then, I'll go give the soldiers the instructions for the mission."
Marco left to brief the soldiers. Leonardo went to get the funds. Matteo and Maria stayed at the base, and Giovanni headed to his room.
Maria asked Matteo anxiously: "Does the fact that I'm Francesco's daughter change how you treat me?"
Matteo replied: "Of course not. The guilty should bear their own sins. I would never treat you based on your father's crimes."
Maria smiled silently, then asked to be excused and left the base.
Back at the Altieri palace, the family had been feeling more at ease since Maria's return. But Adriano was still desperately searching for the gang that kidnapped her, determined to prove himself to Francesco once more.
Adriano left the palace and headed to the district's mail office. There, he found a letter from the gate's postal service. It read: "Today, some soldiers passed by wearing black uniforms with a white arrow insignia. They said they were visiting a specific house in the district."
This was the first step of Maria's plan. The soldiers were Marco's men. Adriano found it strange and remembered that Leonardo had described the same appearance for the kidnappers. The white arrow symbol stuck with him. Still, he chose to think it over rather than act rashly.
At the Jerko estate, Antonio instructed one of his men to go to the shop and check on Leonardo. The man went, but Leonardo wasn't there he was at the gang's base. The man returned to report this, and Antonio simply smiled, though fury burned within him.
Later, Leonardo did show up at the shop to maintain appearances. A worker told him someone had come looking for him. Leonardo nodded and resumed working, mentally preparing for what might await him at home.
When Leonardo returned to the palace, he sat beside his father and quickly said: "We were nearly out of stock today at the shop, but I managed to handle it."
Antonio asked: "And what did you do?"
Leonardo sat upright and replied: "I bought some supplies. They'll last us two more days, then we'll need more."
Antonio exhaled and said thoughtfully: "Good. Now go to your room I'd like some time alone."
Leonardo went to his room and collapsed onto his bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
Days passed like this. The gang continued sending soldiers to the targeted man's house. Eventually, Adriano became certain of his suspicions. He decided to confront the man, unaware that this person had a very close relationship with Francesco.
Adriano gathered strong men this time and set out. He arrived at the target's house, and then...
To be continued...