Chapter 21 - the black envelope
Five years had passed since the political storm. The Westchester estate was completely transformed for an extravagant celebration. Tonight marked Ethan's eighteenth birthday, his official initiation into the higher ranks of the Moretti syndicate.
The grand ballroom was filled with powerful allies, but the air held a heavy, respectful tension. Lily, now a brilliantly observant thirteen-year-old, stood quietly near the main entrance. She wore a beautiful ivory dress, her sharp eyes scanning the room with the exact same lethal precision she had shown as a toddler.
While Dominic and Sophia greeted the elite guests, Lily noticed a strange, chilling detail. A waiter with a slightly uneven limp approached the towering gift table. He placed a sleek, completely black envelope among the brightly wrapped boxes and immediately slipped out the side door.
Lily didn't scream or panic. She calmly walked over, picking up the heavy envelope. She instantly noticed a wax seal depicting a fractured skull. It was a symbol she had read about in Dominic's highly restricted archives.
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The Corsican cartel, a ruthless European faction, had somehow breached their absolute security. She knew exactly what this meant. The era of peace was violently ending.
👉 what terrifying message is hidden inside the black envelope?
