Book 2: Chapter 83

Antonio felt a surge of anxiety claw at his chest. This was it, the moment he had feared, the moment where the lie he had carefully constructed could either hold up or come crashing down around him. 

He had rehearsed this story a hundred times, ensuring that every detail was consistent, and every emotion believable. But telling it again, here, in front of the entire Saviano family, felt different. It felt like walking through a minefield, one wrong step away from disaster.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “As I told you before, Mr. Saviano,” he began, his voice even, “Ares and I were meeting with Dominic Russo that night. It was supposed to be a straightforward negotiation, but things escalated quickly. Dominic… he was unpredictable, volatile. We tried to keep things calm, but he was determined to make a statement. He attacked us, and…” Antonio paused, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in, “Ares fought back, but Dominic… he was prepared for that. He