The Glass Shatters At Table Nine

Elena dropped the box.

The diamond necklace spilled onto the hardwood floor like a snake.

She backed away, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

My mother is dead, Elena’s mind screamed. Dad said she died when I was three.

She lunged for the door, throwing it open.

"Lorenzo!" she screamed down the massive staircase. "Dad!"

Within seconds, Lorenzo was taking the stairs two at a time, his gun already drawn, his eyes wide with panic. Frank was right behind him, moving as fast as his cane allowed.

"What is it?" Lorenzo demanded, pulling Elena behind him and scanning the empty bedroom. "Are you hurt?"

Elena couldn't speak. She just pointed a trembling finger at the diamond necklace and the note on the floor.

Lorenzo walked over cautiously. He picked up the note.

He read it. His face didn't show fear. It showed a sudden, terrifying realization.

He looked at Frank.

"Did you know?" Lorenzo asked, his voice deadly quiet.

Frank limped into the room. He looked at the handwriting. All the color drained from his weathered face. He looked like a man who had just seen a ghost.

"No," Frank whispered, leaning heavily on his cane. "I saw the car burn, Enzo. I buried an empty casket. I swore she was dead."

"Who?" Lorenzo demanded, grabbing Frank by the collar of his shirt. "Who is she?"

Frank swallowed hard, looking at his daughter with a sorrow so deep it broke Elena's heart all over again.

"Her name is Carmela," Frank said, his voice cracking. "Carmela Costa."

The room fell dead silent.

Lorenzo released Frank, stepping back as if he had been burned.

"Costa," Lorenzo breathed, the pieces falling into a horrifying puzzle. "Your wife was a Costa?"

"She was the old Don's youngest daughter," Frank confessed, tears welling in his eyes. "We ran away together. When the family found out, they put a hit on us. The night of the crash... I thought they killed her. I thought I was protecting Elena by hiding her."

"She didn't die," Lorenzo realized, staring at the note. "She used the crash to disappear. She let you think she was dead so she could build her own power base."

Elena stood frozen.

The woman who gave birth to her wasn't a victim. She was the architect of the entire war.

"She killed Victor," Elena whispered, her mind racing back to the restaurant. "She sent Silas. She kidnapped Leo. It was never about the territory... it was about me."

Lorenzo’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled it out. The caller ID was blocked.

He answered it, putting it on speaker.

"Hello, Lorenzo," a woman's voice purred through the phone. It was elegant, cultured, and dripping with venom.

Elena felt a chill race down her spine.

"Carmela," Lorenzo said, his voice like ice.

"I see you found my wedding gift," the woman laughed softly. "It looks beautiful on my daughter, I'm sure."

"If you come anywhere near her, I will bury you in the same empty grave Frank dug for you," Lorenzo promised.

"Oh, Lorenzo, don't be so dramatic," Carmela sighed. "I don't want to hurt Elena. I want my daughter to take her rightful place at my side. She has Costa blood. She is the heir to my empire."

"She is a Moretti now," Lorenzo growled.

"Only if you stay alive," Carmela replied. "The Commission has been blind. But I am not. I have frozen your offshore accounts, Lorenzo. I have bought the loyalty of your lieutenants. By midnight, you will have no men, no money, and no power."

"You think I care about the money?"

"No," Carmela said smoothly. "But I think you care about the boy."

Lorenzo's face went completely slack.

"Leo," Lorenzo whispered.

"He's a sweet child," Carmela said. "He's sitting in my car right now. He likes the puppy, by the way."

Elena screamed, running toward the door, but Frank caught her.

"Bring him back!" Lorenzo roared, his composure shattering.

"I will trade the boy for my daughter," Carmela said coldly. "Elena comes to the Costa compound in the city. Alone. Unarmed. Or the boy pays for your sins, Lorenzo."