I sat in the office with 29-year-old Jin Woo standing before me. He headed the Scarlett company, the strongest after us. He smiled at me, crossing his legs and confidently sipping his green tea brought by my secretary. His presence here puzzled me, but he turned his head to the side, looking at the display of pictures and awards. 

"You really do love her, don't you?" he remarked casually.

I raised my eyebrows at his random comment, feeling annoyed.

 "I don't see how that's any of your business," I replied curtly.

 He took another sip and placed the cup on the table before him, adjusting his suit while seated. Then, he gazed deeply into my eyes. 

"Well, can't blame you. Love can be blind, after all," he said, provoking me.

I played with the pocket knife in my hand, staring back at him. 

"What do you want from me, Mr. Woo?" I asked bitterly.

 He chuckled briefly "Oh, we don't need all this formality, Dante. After all, I'm actually here to make you a business proposal."

I stopped playing with the knife "Is that so?" 

He nodded "Indeed. I'm interested in buying your formula for the injection you've developed." 

I scoffed "There's no reason for me to hand over my monopoly position in the market to you"

He smiled even wider.

 "Such a pity. A collaboration would have been nice," he remarked. 

He somehow managed to irritate me. Standing up, he walked over to the display cabinet, focusing particularly on a picture of Rose and me. 

"Her name was Rose, right?"

Playing with my knife again, anger surged within me at the mention of her name by another man. 

"That's still none of your business," I replied sharply.

 He laughed at me. 

"You truly loved her," he remarked.

 I stood up and walked over to him until we were only inches apart, my anger evident.

 "Do you have something to say to me?" I demanded.

He shook his head, still smiling, and then suddenly headed for the door.

 "I'll take my leave then, Mr. Russ," he said, giving me a strange look as he pronounced my name. 

Contemplating whether to slit his throat, I shook my head in annoyance and returned to my desk. I noticed Claus was calling, so I picked up. 

"Yes?"

"I've bribed some staff for tonight's big event and smuggled our weapons into their estate, as we discussed," Claus informed me. 

"Very good. I'll head home now and get ready," I replied. 

"Excellent. See you later," he said, and I hung up.

 I grabbed my jacket and headed out of the office towards the garage. Tonight is the night when clarity will prevail, when blood will be shed, and when I will kill Collon. Just the thought made me smile.

I drove to my new estate alone, feeling a pang of sadness as memories of Elena and Mother flooded my mind. Entering my room, I found my clothes neatly laid out on the bed. I undressed and put on the three-piece tweed suit in Cody Blue. A special pocket watch completed the ensemble. Adjusting my suit in front of the mirror, I then donned my golden Venetian mask and headed outside.

I saw Frederick waiting in the car, a dark diamond-like Bentley. Claus was also inside.

 "If I were a girl, brother, I'd have fallen in love," he quipped. 

I shook my head, smiling "Focus on the Mission dumbass," I replied. 

He chuckled briefly, and Frederick started the car. Our men followed behind us. This event wasn't just about attending; it was also about showcasing our power. I had prepared a special gift for Rodrigo, one he would appreciate.

After about 15 minutes, we arrived at the grand villa, the gates opening upon seeing our emblem. The exterior was adorned with lights, and many guests were already entering. Claus and I stepped out, and Frederick drove away. Our men stayed in the car, awaiting further orders. Guards were stationed at the door, checking everyone. When our turn came, a glance at my mask was enough to signal that we weren't to be checked, and we walked in.

The interior of the villa was palatial, filled with guests holding glasses of expensive champagne and engaging in conversation. A woman caught my eye as she stood with a man, radiating elegance in her beautiful blue dress adorned with crystals and diamonds. Her brown, slightly wavy hair cascaded down to her shoulders, and I noticed how others shot her skeptical glances. The man beside her seemed familiar and stared intensely at her.

A servant approached us. 

"Would you gentlemen like some champagne?" he asked. 

I didn't bother responding, and as he recognized me, he hurried away. The attention shifted to Rodrigo, who descended the stairs with a glass of wine and a spoon, using it as if it were a bell. I stared at him, anger bubbling within me. The gift I had for him would bring him to his knees. Some turned to acknowledge me, nodding in recognition, but I ignored them, focusing on Rodrigo.

He began addressing the crowd with a smile, "My dear anticipated guests! I'm delighted to welcome you—" His speech was interrupted by a gunshot. 

All eyes turned to the source, the woman I had been observing. Even though she wore a mask, her serious gaze fixed on Rodrigo was unmistakable. Gasps filled the air, and women screamed, rushing to the corners. Men hurried to escort their wives, but oddly, the door they tried was locked, while it was about 10 minutes ago open. It had to be related to the woman. The man beside her glanced at her, hands in his pockets. It was then that I noticed a tattoo on her right arm—a skull.

Claus whispered to me, "That's the new cartel."

 I was stunned. A woman leading a cartel? I had never heard of such a thing. I was intrigued. 

She fired another shot into the ceiling and shouted, "Silence!"

 Everyone fell silent. Claus and I were the only ones who hadn't moved.  We were the only ones still standing in the center while everyone else stared at us with fear from the side.

 I laughed, impressed, and applauded her. 

"Truly fascinating," I remarked.

 She turned her head towards me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Her eyes... No, it couldn't be. Was I going mad?

She turned her head back to Rodrigo, who fell to the step in fear, the glass he held in his hand fell and the red wine spilled. He tried to flee, and she aimed her gun at him, deliberately shooting him in the leg, causing him to cry out like a wounded animal and try to stop the bleeding. It wasn't lethal, at least not yet. 

I took out my phone and texted Thomas, the leader of the men in the car, "get ready to burst in in 5 minutes." 

He saw the message, and I put my phone away, looking back at the scene amusedly with a smile.

 Rodrigo screamed desperately, "what do you want from me?"

 She smirked boldly, reminding me again of Rose. I took a step towards her, puzzled.

 She shouted, "give us Collon, and nothing will happen to you."

 "I won't give you a damn thing!"

 She scoffed, and I wondered what connection she could have to Collon. My men suddenly burst through the giant door, there were about 50 of them. They surrounded the entire hall. I saw the guard outside who was checking people lying dead on the ground. Everyone ran out in panic with screams. It took a while for the situation to calm down. Now, there were only us here alone. 

Her men suddenly burst in from the other side, and my men aimed their guns at them while her men aimed theirs at us. She and I raised our hands immediately, signaling for them to lower their weapons, which they did. I was amazed that she recognized the situation immediately. One of my men brought Rebecca in by the arm and threw her on the ground. I had kidnapped her for tonight. Her mouth was gagged, and her eyes were blindfolded.

 I gave him a signal to remove everything. 

He did, and she immediately screamed, "FATHER, HELP ME!"

 Rodrigo stared at her in fear, "PLEASE DON'T HURT HER."

 He reached out his hand to her in panic. The woman turned wide-eyed to me and Rebecca. 

I chuckled amusedly, "sorry for stealing the show, but I also have some personal business with Collon and Rodrigo." 

She was stunned and said nothing. The man beside her smiled amusedly. 

Rodrigo yelled to his butler, "bring the bastard here!" 

The butler made frantic movements and quickly ran into the other room.

It took a few minutes until one of the men dragged Collon into the hall. Her eyes filled with hatred, I noticed that. Collon screamed in panic and tried to break free, but the man dragged him to the center and kicked him in the knees, causing the fat ass to fall on his knees, staring at us in fear and trembling. He looked back and forth between me and her in fear. One of my men shot Rodrigo's man in the head, making Rebecca and Collon flinch in fear. Thomas then held Collon tight. 

I casually walked up to Rodrigo, took out my gun, and he stared at me with wide eyes, trying to say "NO—" but I shot him in the head, and his head fell back on the step.

 Rebecca screamed and cried, trying to break free. One of my men knocked her out and dragged her outside. It was rare for me to kill women in my style so I will send her in another land. I casually approached Collon, grabbed his hair from behind tightly, and pulled his head towards me. I felt his irregular breathing, his trembling, and his tears falling. 

I whispered with hatred and amused tone, "how does it feel to be betrayed?".

 He closed his eyes and whimpered. I let go of his hair and stood in front of him, kicking him in the face with my shoe, causing him to sharply hit the ground. He cried out. 

I turned to the woman, "what connection do you have to him? Maybe I'll let you have some fun torturing him too—"

 I was interrupted when she slowly took off her mask. Her beautiful hair fell relaxed to the side. My breath almost caught in my throat. I was trembling. My body went limp as if I had no bones. I walked away from Collon. 

I whispered in  such a shock, "no... no... it can't be."

 Even Claus reacted shocked, "HOW CAN THIS BE?" 

Rose stared at me with a sad look.