PART 2 — THE POISONED SLAP THAT STARTED A WAR
The grand ballroom glittered with wealth, power, and danger.
Politicians laughed beside gangsters.
Champagne flowed like water.
Millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry sparkled beneath crystal chandeliers.
Yet hidden beneath all the luxury was something far darker.
A trap.
Skyler moved carefully through the crowd carrying a silver tray loaded with expensive appetizers. Sweat rolled down the back of her neck as she tried not to attract attention.
Unfortunately, attracting attention seemed to be something she couldn’t avoid.
A careless guest bumped into her shoulder.
Her body shifted sideways.
The tray rattled.
And her hip lightly brushed against Bianca Moretti’s chair.
The future bride of the Rossi empire immediately turned toward her.
Her eyes narrowed with disgust.
The expression wasn’t annoyance.
It was hatred.
The kind of hatred someone reserves for people they consider beneath them.
“Watch where you’re going,” Bianca snapped.
Several nearby guests laughed.
Skyler felt her cheeks burn.
She lowered her head and apologized before quickly moving away.
The laughter followed her.
Just like it always did.
But something else caught her attention.
Carmela Rossi wasn’t in the ballroom.
The chair reserved for the Mafia Queen sat empty.
A knot formed in Skyler’s stomach.
She knew Carmela better than anyone.
The loud music.
The flashing cameras.
The hundreds of strangers.
It was exactly the kind of environment that could trigger confusion.
Without hesitation, Skyler placed her tray down and slipped out of the ballroom.
The estate’s east wing was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
She searched the library.
Nothing.
She checked the drawing room.
Empty.
Then she approached the conservatory.
That’s when she heard voices.
One voice sounded frightened.
The other sounded cruel.
Skyler froze.
Slowly she peeked through the partially opened door.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Carmela stood backed against a wrought-iron table.
She looked confused.
Lost.
Afraid.
Standing over her was Bianca Moretti.
The future bride wasn’t smiling anymore.
The mask had fallen away.
What remained was pure venom.
Bianca mocked Carmela’s age.
Mocked her memory.
Mocked her importance.
She told the elderly woman that once the marriage happened, everything would belong to her.
The mansion.
The family.
The empire.
Even Dominic himself.
Then she delivered the final blow.
She promised to send Carmela away.
To lock her inside a nursing facility where nobody would ever visit.
The old woman looked devastated.
Confused tears filled her eyes.
She tried to defend her son.
She insisted Dominic would never allow such cruelty.
Bianca simply laughed.
Then disaster struck.
Carmela stumbled backward.
Her trembling hand caught a large plant.
Trying to steady herself, she accidentally knocked Bianca’s wine glass.
Red wine exploded across Bianca’s expensive white dress.
The crimson stain spread like blood.
For one brief second, the room fell silent.
Bianca stared down at the ruined gown.
Something inside her snapped.
Her face twisted into pure rage.
The kind of rage that made rational thought disappear.
She screamed.
Not at the stain.
Not at the accident.
At Carmela.
Then she raised her hand.
The diamond-covered platinum ring on her finger flashed beneath the conservatory lights.
The swing came fast.
Too fast.
Carmela couldn’t move.
She simply stood there frozen.
Terrified.
Helpless.
Skyler didn’t think.
She acted.
Every instinct inside her screamed to run.
Instead, she charged forward.
Her foot caught the threshold.
She stumbled.
But her momentum carried her directly between Bianca and Carmela.
The slap landed.
Not on the Mafia Queen.
On the maid.
The impact echoed through the conservatory.
A horrifying crack.
Pain exploded across Skyler’s face.
The sharp diamonds sliced through flesh.
Blood appeared instantly.
Bright red.
Hot.
Unstoppable.
Skyler crashed onto the floor.
The world spun.
Her vision blurred.
All she could hear was Carmela screaming her name.
The elderly woman dropped to her knees beside her.
Tears streamed down her face.
She tried desperately to stop the bleeding.
But Bianca showed no remorse.
None.
She looked down at the injured maid with disgust.
As if the blood on the floor was merely an inconvenience.
As if the wounded woman wasn’t human.
Then she kicked Skyler.
Hard.
The heel slammed into her thigh.
“Move,” Bianca hissed.
“You ruined my dress.”
Carmela gasped.
Skyler could barely breathe.
Everything hurt.
Everything felt distant.
Then another voice entered the room.
Cold.
Deadly.
Terrifying.
“Is there a problem here?”
The temperature seemed to drop instantly.
Bianca froze.
Carmela froze.
Even Skyler forced herself to look up.
Dominic Rossi stood in the doorway.
The most feared man in the city.
The most dangerous man in the room.
And the moment he saw blood covering the maid who had shielded his mother…
Something changed in his eyes.
Not anger.
Something much worse.
The kind of fury that doesn’t scream.
The kind that destroys entire bloodlines.
Dominic knelt beside Skyler.
His expensive suit touched the blood-covered floor.
He didn’t care.
He pressed a silk handkerchief against her torn cheek.
Then he looked at his mother.
Carmela’s voice shook as she explained everything.
Every insult.
Every threat.
Every cruel word Bianca had spoken.
Most importantly…
She told Dominic who the slap had really been meant for.
Silence filled the conservatory.
Bianca suddenly looked afraid.
For the first time all night, she realized she might have made a terrible mistake.
But she still didn’t understand the truth.
The slap wasn’t the biggest mistake she had made.
The ring was.
Because hidden beneath those diamonds was a secret that would soon ignite a war…
And before sunrise, the entire Moretti empire would be fighting for its survival.
