Location: Ricci's Underground Compound – 02:17 A.M.
The tunnels groaned with age and shadows. Isabella led the team through the forgotten passageways—Nico at her side, Allegra and Gianna taking rear flank. Silencers on. Flashbangs loaded.
Above ground, the estate glittered. But beneath it, war was crawling toward Ricci's throne.
"Three minutes to breach," Allegra whispered.
Isabella nodded, her eyes like cut stone.
---
Inside Domenico's Cell
The door creaked.
Not Costanzo this time.
A guard. Sloppy. Nervous.
Domenico sprang like a coil, wrapping chains around the man's throat before he could shout. When the body hit the floor, he grabbed the radio.
"Zone 3—down," he whispered.
It was enough. Nico would know.
---
Ricci's Control Room
Monitors blinked red. One by one, cameras went dark.
"They're inside," Costanzo said, jaw tight.
Ricci didn't move. Just poured himself another drink.
"Let them come."
He pressed the detonator.
Elsewhere, under the compound, charges began to tick.
But Isabella had known. She'd disabled half the explosives before they entered.
Still, Ricci had one final piece in play.
---
The Betrayal
As the team split—Isabella toward Ricci's vault, Nico toward Domenico—Gianna turned.
Gun raised. Aimed at Allegra.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "He has my brother."
She pulled the trigger.
Click.
No bullet.
Allegra stared at her. "You think Isabella didn't see this coming?"
From the shadows, Isabella stepped out. Gun aimed. This time, she didn't flinch.
"You picked the wrong blood," Isabella said coldly. "Family isn't leverage—it's a weapon."
---
Nico's Rescue
Nico burst into the cell. Domenico was on the floor, bloody but grinning.
"Took you long enough."
"Let's go," Nico snapped, hauling him up.
Behind them, the compound shuddered—part of the ceiling giving way.
"Tunnel's collapsing!" Domenico shouted.
Nico pulled him through just in time.
---
Ricci's Throne Room
Isabella stepped into the heart of the storm.
Ricci stood there, waiting.
"You finally look like your father," he said, almost admiringly.
Isabella raised her gun.
"He died a man. You'll die a coward."
But Ricci smiled.
"You think this is the end? Look up."
The monitors around them blinked—showing live feeds of safehouses Isabella thought hidden.
"This was never about killing me," he whispered. "It's about breaking everything you built."
And then, he pressed one last button.
---
Final Lines – Cliffhanger
Outside, the skyline lit with fire—three safehouses exploding simultaneously.
Isabella didn't scream. She didn't cry.
She just whispered:
"Then I'll rebuild with your bones."