Rachel didn't sleep.
Not because the bed wasn't soft.
Not because the room wasn't beautiful.
But because every luxury in Adrian Moretti's mansion felt like a coffin lined with silk.
She paced the room like a caged animal, her bare feet sinking into thick carpet, her heartbeat pounding louder than the silence.
Outside the window, guards walked in slow circles.
Every few seconds, their boots hit the stone walkway with a dull thud.
Like a countdown.
Adrian's words echoed in her head again and again.
"I have someone else coming tomorrow… your mother."
Rachel's stomach twisted so hard she thought she might throw up.
Her mother was alive.
Her mother was coming.
And worst of all…
Her mother might not be the innocent victim Rachel had imagined.
Rachel pressed her palms against the glass window, staring out into the night.
She whispered the only name that made her feel safe.
"Raziel…"
But Raziel wasn't here.
Raziel wasn't holding her.
Raziel wasn't protecting her.
And for the first time since she entered this mafia world…
Rachel realized something terrifying.
Raziel could bleed.
Raziel could lose.
Raziel could die.
And Adrian was the type of monster who would smile while doing it.
The Devil's Dinner
The door clicked open.
Rachel spun around instantly, body tense.
Two maids entered quietly with a tray of food steak, wine, bread, and fruits.
Rachel didn't touch it.
She stepped back, eyes sharp.
"What is this?" she asked.
One maid lowered her head respectfully.
"Dinner, Miss Moretti."
Rachel scoffed.
"I'm not hungry."
The maid hesitated.
"It's not optional," she said softly, voice trembling.
Rachel narrowed her eyes.
"Adrian told you to bring it?"
The maids didn't answer.
Rachel stared at the food, then at the wine.
She stepped forward, lifted the glass, and sniffed it.
Her heart sank.
There was a faint chemical scent.
Drugged.
Rachel's jaw clenched.
She slammed the wine glass onto the tray so hard the liquid spilled.
"Take it away," she snapped.
The maids flinched.
One of them whispered, almost pleading.
"Please don't make this difficult. He punishes people for disobedience."
Rachel's eyes hardened.
"Then tell him I said I'm not his puppet."
The maids hurried out quickly, fear following them like shadows.
Rachel's hands trembled, but she forced herself to breathe.
So Adrian wanted her weak.
Drugged.
Easier to control.
But Rachel wasn't weak anymore.
Not after Selene.
Not after kidnapping.
Not after blood and smoke and bullets.
Rachel was Moretti.
And Moretti blood didn't beg.
It burned.
Meanwhile… The City Was on Fire
Back in the city, the mansion Raziel owned was no longer calm.
It was war headquarters.
The living room was filled with men armed, tense, waiting for orders.
The air smelled like gun oil and rage.
Raziel stood in the center of them all, his white shirt stained with blood and dust, his knuckles split, his eyes darker than death.
Ethan approached slowly.
"Raziel…"
Raziel didn't look at him.
"She was taken from me," he said, voice dangerously quiet.
Mikhail clenched his jaw.
"We'll find her."
Kai paced like a tiger.
Leonardo's fingers flew across keyboards, hacking into surveillance systems, tracking signals, tracing vehicle movement.
Dante stepped forward.
"Selene didn't take her."
Raziel's eyes flicked sharply.
"What?"
Dante swallowed.
"The smoke bomb used… it wasn't Selene's style. It was military grade. Too clean. Too professional."
Raziel's body stiffened.
His voice dropped.
"Adrian."
Everyone in the room went silent.
The name was poison.
A curse.
A ghost from the past.
Leonardo's screen suddenly flashed.
"I found something."
Raziel moved instantly, grabbing the tablet from his hands.
Leonardo pointed.
"A convoy left the warehouse zone. Black armored cars. No plates. They passed through three checkpoints without being stopped."
Raziel's eyes narrowed.
"Because they were allowed."
Leonardo nodded slowly.
"It's him."
Raziel stared at the screen.
And something inside him snapped.
He slammed the tablet onto the table, shattering it.
The room flinched.
Raziel's voice came out like ice.
"Prepare the men."
Ethan blinked.
"We don't even know where Adrian is."
Raziel turned slowly.
And when he spoke…
every man felt death in his tone.
"I do."
He walked toward the weapon rack.
Picked up a rifle.
Then another gun.
Then a blade.
And finally, he looked at his men.
"This is no longer protection," Raziel said.
"This is revenge."
Rachel Meets the Snake
Morning came too quickly.
At exactly 3:00 AM, Rachel heard footsteps outside her door.
Not the quiet steps of maids.
Not guards.
These footsteps were confident.
Unbothered.
Like someone walking into a place they owned.
The door opened.
Adrian stepped in, wearing a black shirt and gloves.
Behind him were two men holding rifles.
Adrian looked at Rachel like he was amused she was still standing.
"Good morning, niece."
Rachel's eyes burned.
"Where's my mother?"
Adrian smiled.
"She's arriving soon."
Rachel swallowed.
"You're lying."
Adrian stepped closer.
"You think I would lie about something that entertaining?"
Rachel clenched her fists.
"You're sick."
Adrian leaned in slightly.
"Maybe," he murmured. "But I'm honest about what I am."
Rachel's gaze hardened.
"What do you want?"
Adrian's smile faded.
His eyes became cold.
"I want what your father stole."
Rachel frowned.
"I don't even know what that is!"
Adrian's voice became sharper.
"You will."
Rachel took a shaky breath.
"You're afraid of Raziel."
Adrian paused.
Then he laughed softly.
"Afraid?" he repeated.
Then his eyes darkened.
"I raised Raziel. I trained him. I turned him into a weapon."
Rachel's blood ran cold.
"What?"
Adrian walked around the room slowly.
"Raziel Benedict was nothing when I found him," Adrian said. "A starving boy with rage in his bones."
Rachel stared, confused and horrified.
Adrian continued, voice calm.
"I taught him to fight. I taught him to kill. I taught him loyalty."
Rachel's heart pounded.
"Then why is he against you?"
Adrian stopped in front of her.
His face came closer.
"Because he forgot his place," Adrian whispered.
Rachel's voice shook.
"He loves me."
Adrian smiled again, wicked.
"That's the problem."
Rachel felt her stomach drop.
Adrian turned away.
"You know why your father hid you?" he asked.
Rachel swallowed.
"Because he wanted me safe."
Adrian's eyes flicked back to her.
"No," he corrected. "Because your father knew you would destroy everything."
Rachel froze.
Adrian's voice lowered.
"You are the only one who can unlock the vault."
Rachel frowned.
"What vault?"
Adrian leaned closer again.
"The vault your father created," he said. "The vault that holds his black book. His hidden accounts. His secret alliances."
Rachel's body trembled.
"And you want me to open it."
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
Rachel shook her head.
"I don't even know how."
Adrian's smile widened.
"You will," he said softly. "Because it's in your blood."
Rachel stepped back.
"And if I refuse?"
Adrian stared at her for a long moment.
Then he snapped his fingers.
One of his men pulled out a phone.
The screen lit up.
And Rachel's heart stopped.
It was a live video call.
Raziel.
On his knees.
Hands tied behind him.
Blood on his face.
Breathing hard.
But alive.
Rachel screamed.
"No!"
Her legs nearly gave out.
"RAZIEL!"
Raziel lifted his head.
His eyes found her instantly.
And even through the screen…
Rachel felt it.
The rage.
The love.
The pain.
His lips moved.
"Don't…"
Adrian leaned beside Rachel.
"Say hello," he whispered.
Rachel's hands trembled.
"Raziel… Raziel I'm sorry…"
Raziel's voice was hoarse.
"Rachel… listen to me"
The screen shook.
Someone hit him.
Hard.
Raziel's head snapped sideways.
Rachel screamed again.
"STOP! STOP IT!"
Adrian's voice was calm, almost bored.
"Open the vault," he said. "Or I break him."
Rachel's tears spilled instantly.
She turned to Adrian with pure hatred.
"You monster!"
Adrian smiled.
"I prefer king."
Rachel shook violently.
"How did you capture him?!"
Adrian leaned closer.
"I didn't," he whispered.
Rachel blinked.
Adrian's smile grew wider.
"He came for you."
Rachel's breath caught.
Raziel had walked into Adrian's trap.
For her.
Rachel's chest tightened like it was being crushed.
Adrian's eyes gleamed.
"Now," he said softly, "you'll do what you were born to do."
Rachel sobbed.
"Please… don't hurt him…"
Adrian's voice turned cold.
"Then choose."
Rachel's hands clenched into fists.
Her voice cracked.
"I… I'll open it."
Raziel's eyes widened.
He struggled against the ropes.
"No!"
Rachel cried harder.
"I can't watch you die…"
Raziel shouted.
"Rachel, you don't understand!"
Adrian snapped his fingers again.
The call ended.
Rachel's knees hit the floor.
Her whole body shook.
Her tears fell like rain.
And Adrian simply watched her break.
Then he crouched beside her.
His voice became a whisper.
"Good girl."
Rachel's head snapped up.
Her eyes burned with fire.
And in that moment…
Adrian realized something.
Rachel wasn't breaking.
She was transforming.
Rachel whispered, voice shaking but deadly.
"You think you've won…"
Adrian raised a brow.
Rachel's lips curved slowly.
"You just made the worst mistake of your life."
Adrian's smile faded.
Rachel rose slowly to her feet.
Tears still on her cheeks.
But her eyes…
were no longer afraid.
They were the eyes of a queen.
The Most Shocking Arrival
A loud engine roared outside the mansion.
Guards rushed to the window.
Adrian turned slightly.
The door opened again.
A woman walked in.
Elegant.
Expensive perfume.
Long coat.
Dark glasses.
Rachel's breath caught.
The woman removed her glasses.
And Rachel's entire world collapsed.
Because it wasn't the mother Rachel remembered.
It was someone older.
Someone colder.
Someone whose face carried power.
The woman's gaze locked onto Rachel.
Then she smiled faintly.
And said the words that shattered Rachel's soul.
"Hello, daughter."
Rachel's lips trembled.
"M…Mom?"
The woman's smile widened.
But it wasn't love.
It was ownership.
Rachel stepped back.
"No…"
Adrian chuckled softly.
"Meet Isabella Moretti," he said.
Rachel's blood ran ice cold.
Adrian leaned toward Rachel's ear.
"She didn't come to save you," he whispered.
"She came to claim you."
Rachel's heart dropped.
Her mother's eyes glittered with cruelty as she stepped forward.
And Rachel realized…
Maybe Adrian wasn't the worst monster in the Moretti bloodline.
Maybe her mother was.