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My world fades in and out of focus, like a blurry watercolor artistic painting slowly coming into existence to an untrained eye.

The warmth of a fire flickers against my closed eyelids, and the faint, not unpleasant scent of leather and pipe tobacco fills my nostrils.

Where the hell am I? Just what has happened?

A dull ache throbs behind my eyes, and it's then when it all comes back to me.

That horrifying scene that had sent me reeling. Enzo and Kieran.

It can't be. It just can't be. That tape I just saw: it must be a fake.

A muffled voice reaches my ears, "Alex? Are you alright?" It's Liam, and he sounds closer now. The mere knowledge of his presence next to mine brings me relief.

I groan, slowly forcing my eyelids open. The opulent study swims into view, the image distorted by the tears that well up in the corners of my eyes.

Don Luciano is standing triumphant by the projector screen, the video mercifully switched off, a cold smile playing on his lips. Liam is kneeling beside me, his brow furrowed in worry.

"What... what the fuck was that?" My question comes out hoarse, a mere impotent whisper. "It can't be true. Tell me that it's fake," I address Liam.

The memory of the video, of my father working alongside Enzo Volpe, is still a raw, gaping wound in my heart.

Liam reaches out, his hand hovering gently over mine. "It's alright, Alex," he murmurs. "We'll figure this out. It... It's not fake, I can assure ye. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I should've prepared ye fer this."

But even his words can't erase the doubt gnawing at me.

How could Enzo be involved with something like this? With Kieran, of all people?

How long has that been going on and what does it all mean? Has he known Kieran is my father from the very beginning?

A million questions swirl in my head, and they are such a tangled, horrid, unsolvable mess.

I feel like there'll be no easy answers.

Taking a shaky breath, I force myself to focus, longing for the presence of my childhood friend.

The girl who has known me the longest. The girl who knows me the best.

"I... Look. I need to talk to Ri. Shouldn't we call Rigena and Patrick?" I ask Liam, pointedly ignoring Don Luciano, my subconscious seeing him as the source of all my pain.

Don Luciano throws his head back and lets out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing through the vast emptiness of the room. "Those two?" he scoffs, wiping a tear from his eye. "No need, cara mia. Leave them to enjoy their act of copulation. In fact, I prefer that the less people know about this, the better. This little... misunderstanding is between you, me, and Enzo Volpe."

Misunderstanding? There's literally nothing to misunderstand about the video I just saw. It's all there, laid out for me to see, crystal clear.

There is no mistake.

A cold fire ignites in my chest. I may not know the whole story yet, but one thing is clear – Luciano il Serpente knows it. Plus, he seems to have excluded Liam from his little speech.

I won't be anyone's pawn in this twisted game. I push Liam's hand away and struggle to my feet.

The room sways slightly, but I stand my ground, my gaze locked on Luciano's.

"Misunderstanding?" I echo, this time out loud, my voice surprisingly steady."I think we both know the truth here, Don Luciano. And whatever game you're playing, whatever the reason why you brought me here to show me this video... I'm not interested."

"Not interested?" the old il capo repeats, his voice suddenly losing its playful edge. "Perhaps, you are not interested yet, Signorina Alex. But trust me, you still haven't seen all the cards on the table."

He takes a menacing step forward, his imposing presence filling the room. "This little game we're playing," he continues, "believe it or not... It's not a one you have a choice in. Not anymore."

"Oi! That wasn't our deal." Liam slams his fist on the table. "You told me you merely wanted to show her who she is living with. For her sake. For her own good."

"Don't you dare speak to me again with such disrespect and impertinence, young Cavanaugh. And really? You never ever suspect I may have had a hidden agenda? My own interest in bringing her here?"

"I can think of only one reason." Liam's face is now peppered with ugly red blotches. "The Donna."

Who are they even talking about?

"She is one of the reasons, indeed. But not the only one, as you so aptly and exclusively put it. Now, would you be so kind as not to interrupt me? I gave you a lot, Liam Cavanaugh, both you and your brother Patrick. But I can just so easily take it all away. With a single snap of my finger."

The air crackles with unspoken threats, and I can't help but take a step back. Fear threatens to consume me, but I refuse to let him see my weakness. Squaring my shoulders, I meet his gaze head-on.

"And let me say to you again, when it comes to your offer: I'm not interested," I counter. "Whatever game you are playing, Don Luciano Il Serpente Bianchi, I want no part of it."

"Stubborn, aren't we?" he chuckles. "But that's quite alright. The game continues. I need to up my ante. Perhaps a little more... persuasion is needed."

He throws a pointed glance at Liam, who has, this time, remained silent throughout our exchange. "So, Liam," he says, his voice smooth as silk, "why don't you go rejoin your brother and... Rigena, was it? I believe our duo is getting quite impatient down in the foyer. Or upstairs in one of the bedrooms. Whichever it is, I'd like you to go and find them, and then remain with them until I am done with Signorina Martinaj."

Liam hesitates, his gaze flitting between me and Luciano.

I offer him a slight it's-okay nod, to reassure him. He gifts me a feeble smile, and just before he exits through the heavy door, there's a silent plea for me in his emerald eyes.

A plea for me to back down.

But I can't. My mind is made up.

I won't be bullied, and I won't let Luciano force me into submission.

The Serpent follows Liam with his gaze until he makes sure the door is closed, and then he turns to me once more. "So. Perhaps you'll reconsider your position once you've heard what I have to say."

He gestures to a plush armchair by the fireplace. "Prego," he insists, his voice surprisingly polite for a man who just threatened me. "Sit. Let's talk."

I know I should refuse. But a strange sense of morbid curiosity compels me to obey.

What could Luciano possibly say that would change my mind? Taking a deep breath, I steel my nerves and settle into the armchair he pointed at.

He takes a seat opposite me, his eyes glinting with an unsettling intensity. Even if the Serpent hasn't spoken yet at all, I know one thing: this is a dangerous game, and I have a feeling I'm about to learn just how high the stakes truly are.

I stare at the elaborate flower arrangement and the half-burned candles in the six-armed candelabra on the bare study desk.

What a peculiar choice of decorations.

"Now, before we commence. How would you like a drink? Let it not be said I am not a kind, gracious host." The Serpent gestures at the minibar nearby.

"Brandy." I croak.

I need something strong to steel myself for what is inevitably to come.

He pours me a glass — I immediately down its contents in entirety.

The brandy sends a relaxing warmth through my body, and I no longer feel faint.

I sigh. Thank God. Another drink, and my nerves should stop jumping around like they're doing.

When the Serpent fills the elegant little cordial glass again, I toss the second brandy down my throat with a deft twist of the wrist, like it's not a big deal at all.

"Alright, Don Luciano," I begin, all the alcohol I just drank granting me a steely resolve. "Let's cut to the chase. You said showing me Enzo's... entanglement... with the Irish mob and my father of all people wasn't the only reason you brought me here. So, what is it? What do you want from me?"

Luciano leans back in his chair, a sly smile playing on his lips. He takes a deliberate puff from a thin cigar, the smoke curling lazily towards the ornate ceiling. "Straight to the point, Signorina Martinaj. I like that. It saves us both time."

He exhales a plume of smoke, his eyes never leaving mine. "As you astutely observed, Enzo Volpe is not who he seems. He plays a double game — a puppet master pulling strings from the shadows of the Policlinico hospital."

A jolt of electricity shoots through me. Policlinico – that's where we both work. What illegal activities could he possibly be involved in at a hospital?

Luciano seems to read my mind. "Ah, the gears are already turning in that clever little head of yours," he purrs. "You see, Signorina Martinaj, I am faced with a problem. A conundrum, if you will, a puzzle that I cannot possibly solve."

"Which is?"

"Which is: I can only keep tabs on Enzo's movements within his apartment, which I happened to have wired with some of my own devices as well. Yet I have a strong suspicion that most of his... lucrative activities take place within the very walls of Policlinico."

Enzo, my loving partner, the charming, dedicated doctor, a man who adores giving piggyback rides to Sofia... Hiding a dark secret life within the hospital walls?

It seems impossible, and yet the video evidence of my father working alongside Enzo is a firm proof that appearances could be deceiving.

"That's where you come in," Luciano continues. "You, Signorina Martinaj, are the perfect fly on the wall. His partner. His lover. Someone Enzo trusts, someone who won't arouse suspicion."

He leans forward. "I want you to become Enzo Volpe's spy within Policlinico. Report back to me with any suspicious activity, any whispers of illegal dealings."

The blood drains from my face.

Become a pawn in Luciano's twisted game? Getting involved with the mafia again? No, it's unthinkable. I won't stoop to such a level, not even to expose Enzo's wrongdoings.

"I won't do it," I immediately declare.

Luciano's smile morphs into a chilling sneer. "Won't you? Don't you want your father, that old fox, Kieran the Knife Murphy gone once and for all? Don't you wish to free yourself from the burden of his lies, his deceit? Spying on Enzo might help you achieve that."

"I... I don't really care about my father anymore. If you must know, I don't even care if he's alive or dead," I stammer, my bravado crumbling under the weight of his relentless pressure. "This whole mafia world, it's not for me. I just want out."

Out. Away from the threats, the lies.

A yearning for normalcy, for a life free from the shackles of these powerful men, consumes me.

I thought I achieved it here, far away from Dublin, on the sunny streets of Rome. Only to have my past catch up with me so swiftly, so mercilessly. My four-year illusion of happiness, semblance of normalcy, bursts like a bubble.

"Out?" Don Luciano scoffs. "Signorina Martinaj, I don't think you understand the situation you're in. You're already knee-deep in this mess. And I know why."

His words hang in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning.

He knows why? What the heck does he mean by that?

Then, with a horrifying clarity, I understand. He's seen all the tapes. He's connected the dots.

Sofia, my little girl, my secret, my reason for wanting out — it's all laid bare before him.

The blood drains from my face as the realization dawns on me. He's holding my entire world hostage.

"You... you saw the tapes," I whisper, the words catching in my throat.

"Indeed, Signorina Martinaj. And on the tapes, I saw that little... complication of yours? It seems you and your... friend Liam Cavanaugh have quite the history."

My biggest secret, the one thing I would do anything to protect — it's now become a weapon he wields with chilling ease.

"So, the choice is yours, Signorina Martinaj," he continues. "Will you dirty your hands for me just this once, or will your biggest secret come out into the light? Should I show these... recordings to Liam Cavanaugh? Imagine the look on his face when he learns the truth about his precious daughter."

The weight of his ultimatum crushes down on me.

My daughter, Sofia, my reason for fighting for a normal life, now becomes the very reason I'm forced to comply. To connect to the mafia world once more.

There's no choice, not anymore. Don Luciano Il Serpente Bianchi has just taken my freedom, my control, leaving me with nothing but a bitter pill to swallow.

"He must never find out," I say, firmly.

Luciano leans back in his chair "And he won't," he assures me. "Not if you promise to play along."

"I promise," I stammer, each syllable a heavy weight settling in my stomach. "I'll do whatever you want. Just please, please. Please. Don't let Liam find out."

"Good girl. Now that the matter is settled, you may go home, Signorina Martinaj. Once you're there... Await further instructions." He rises from his chair, gesturing towards the doorway behind him. "I do apologize I cannot escort you to your vehicle myself, but I'm afraid I have some rather urgent... affairs to tend to. My lovely wife will accompany you instead."

My heart skips a beat as a slender figure emerges from the shadows.

A woman with auburn hair that falls in cascading waves, her eyes the same soft hazel as mine. She's wearing a fitted black dress, an air of steely composure cloaking her like a second skin.

But it's the familiarity in those eyes, the tilt of her chin, the way she holds herself that sends a jolt through me.

A strangled, uncontrolled cry escapes my lips. 

"Mom?