The summons arrived on cream-colored paper sealed with blood-red wax, the kind of old-world gesture that sent a chill through Aria's bones the moment she saw it. Luca set the envelope on the table between them like it was a live grenade. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, the silence stretching taut across the dining room.
"Who sent it?" Aria asked finally, though she already suspected the answer.
"The Conti elders," Luca said, his voice measured but tense. "Your mother's family. The old guard that's been running the remnants of the syndicate since your grandfather died."
Aria's heartbeat thudded painfully. "They know about me now."
"They always suspected," Luca corrected. "But Matteo's been stirring waters that should have stayed still. Word's spread about your bloodline, about who you are. And now they want to claim you."
