CHAPTER 009

CHAPTER 009

Lucia thought very sharply and focused as she moved quietly through the shadows of the mansion. The Roselli family never failed to brag themselves up; they had built their power on lies and manipulation. But that was about to change. She calculated every move, every step to bring them down. She had spent months learning their weaknesses, learning their lives. But now that her plan came together, she nearly tasted victory.

Outside it was still, silent, the air heavy from the tension that held the world in a constant void. Her mind was racing in the hallway, and she paused for a moment. Mr. Her next target was Roselli, the leading figure in this cancer case. He had harmed someone while she was protecting him, and he had crossed a boundary he would never regret.

The pulse of power in her chest she could feel. This was all the pain... the betrayals... the broken pieces of her past leading her to. This was her opportunity to make them all pay.

The plan was simple: It would target Mr. Roselli where it would hurt the most. She knew his greatest weakness, the people he loved, that no one else seemed to notice. The ones he would do anything to protect. Lucia had been dealing with Sophia, his daughter, for too long. Now, however, Lucia would be using Sophia as a stepping stone towards her own victory.

Mr. Roselli had no idea what was coming; the trap was set. Lucia’s agent had already gotten close enough to poison his food, a slow-acting poison that would slowly chip away at his strength without him noticing.

Lucia whispered to herself, 'Everything is in place,' her voice so low in the empty hall it was difficult to hear.

Down another corridor, she turned, her footsteps noiseless against the marble. It wouldn’t be long now. She felt the shift beginning—power changing. She pulled the strings, all set to collapse the Rosellis.

---

In the main study, Mr. Roselli sat behind his grand desk and, between his teeth, clenched a thick cigar. Inside the room smelt of leather and smoke, there was only one desk lamp, and that was the only source of light. He looked older than he should have been, with his once friendly features caught up in the lines of stress and anger.

He watched him from the shadows. Lucia leaned against the doorframe. He was so caught up in his own little world—his own self-created illusions of power—that he blundered right into danger without even realizing it.

Mr. Roselli, you seem troubled, she said softly and walked into the room.

His eyes narrowed when he saw her; he looked up. He said, his voice thick with irritation, “Lucia.” “What are you doing here? This isn’t your business.”

Lucia smiled, her gaze cold. “When it comes to people who have wronged me, everything is my business.”

His lip curled. Do you think you can just come in here and threaten me? I built this empire.”

It falls apart, and you’re about to watch it... she told him, her voice low and steady. “You’ve crossed the wrong people.” You’ve crossed me.”

His eyes flared with rage, but there was something else in them, too: fear.

'You think you can bring me down?' I’m untouchable.”

Lucia’s smile grew colder. “We’ll see.”

Her heels clicked sharply against the floor; she turned to leave. She stopped, however, as she reached the door. And Mr. Roselli, I wouldn’t get too comfortable, either. You’ve hurt someone very dear to me. I don’t take that lightly.”

---

Time continued on, and the strain in the Roselli mansion was growing thicker by the hour. In the meantime, as Mr. Roselli became weaker and weaker, Lucia, sitting some ways distant, didn't know her poisoned meals were having an impact. His skin became paler, his movements slower, and his temper shorter. Lucia knew what was happening, but he didn’t. The poison was working.

Meanwhile, she closely monitored Sophia's movements. The girl was unaware that she was being used as a pawn in Lucia's game, but it didn't matter. She was only a distraction. She had no clue that her father’s empire was crumbing around her.

Lucia experienced a slight thrill as everything came together. Mr. Once the most powerful of men, Roselli was now merely a sick man determined to hang on to what was already being whisked away from him.

As she did outside his room that night, she simply stared through his window as he lay in bed, groaning in pain. She knew he was finished. It would be because of her, and his empire would fall.

---

For days Matteo had been distracted. Everything appeared to be piling down onto his shoulders—and far heavier than it used to be before. He felt the tension in the air, the shifting power, but couldn’t determine who was doing it. He couldn't pinpoint the cause, but there was a sense of unease.

He’d seen Lucia around the mansion more often lately. He didn't know what it was about her that unsettled him. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t trust her. There was always something behind her smile, something he couldn’t see through.

He thought back to the dreams he’d been having lately. Strange but vivid dreams of another life. About betrayal. About Lucia.

In all the dreams, he was always standing over her, knife in hand, unable to stop himself from killing her.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he sat up in bed. His heart raced, and he ran a hand through his hair. He had to get himself under control. But it was hard. They were too real, too familiar.

Why was he dreaming of her?

Why did it feel like he knew her, like they’d been through something before?

A cold feeling slid over Matthew, and he shivered. Whatever it was, he shouldn’t panic, as it was probably just a flash of his past. But he couldn’t remember it. Couldn’t piece it together.

---

She sat in the shadows while Lucia watched the Roselli family falling apart, feeling such power inside her, like Mr. Roselli was getting weaker with each and every day, and as soon as he fell, she would be there to take his place. It had taken so long, and it was finally as close as she could get.

However, as she stood there, watching, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She read the message out, her fingers shaking slightly.

“It's happening. He’s having the dreams. The ones from before.”

A beat skipped in Lucia's heart. Matteo.

Her fingers typed quickly back with purpose. “Prepare the next step. We can’t let him remember.”

Lucia knew, though, deep down, that Matteo’s dreams weren’t just coincidences. They were something other than that, something deeper. It felt like something binding him to her past in a way she wasn’t quite prepared to face.

The night went by, the mansion grew silent, and Lucia’s mind did not. The game was changing. Matteo was beginning to remember.

But what did that mean for her?

What would he do when he found out the truth?