BREAKING FREE: FALLING INTO THE MAFIA

L

osest associates dared to call him, swirled a glass of aged scotch, the amber liquid mirroring the flicker of the fireplace. Gone was the usual icy calm that surrounded him, a chilling aura that could stop

ts. There had been a vulnerability in her doe-like eyes, a tremor in her voice that had inexplicably drawn him in. A dangerous anomaly for a man who held the femal

st twenty-three, lay sprawled on the deserted road, the victim of a hit-and-run. Despair and vulnerability, emotions he fiercely guarded against, washed over him as he saw the approaching headlights.

en worried glances at the road. "They're taking me to France to live wit

, a parallel emerged - the same vulnerability in Lily's eyes, a similar innocence, a

d, shattering the silen

ed with a familiar stoicism. "You wanted a report, sir," Mark said, his

e firming. "Tell me everything you

quid in his glass, a contemplative

ne years old, turning twenty-two in a few days, only child of Richard and Helena Black

plained Lily's earlier distress, but it

te?" he asked, his v

r. Lily Blackwood has a stepbrother, Feyrith...Feyrith De

. His nemesis. The man who had once been his closest confidante, his partner in building their empires in t

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n seated across from each other. Alex, then a brash and ambitious twenty year old, and Feyr

voice laced with a barely contained fury. "They took everything fr

ith concern. "Feyrith, that's... that's quite a target. We were suppos

a chilling intensity. "There's no room for plans when it comes to vengeanc

Alex had argued, a flicker of unease flic

sound echoing through the dimly lit study. "T

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elf up but Feyrith had threatened to make enemies with him if he accepted the offer, with Alex accepting the offer and building his empire, Feyrith disappeared into a darkness

lackwood's? He never really asked why Feyrith wanted to destroy them so much, he just concluded it was probably a calculated move, anot

tial investigation, it appears Miss Blackwood's family is indeed facing financial ruin. T

ice returning to his voice, a dang

y acquiring properties owned by the Blackwoods through shell companies. H

ncially; he wanted them broken, humiliated. The ruthless streak in Alex flared, a f

yrith," he commanded, his voice a steely whisper. "Was she aw

.. murky. There's very little digital footprint on Miss Bl

ouldn't be particularly tech-savvy, but a woman hiding something... Suddenly, the memory of the gir

o France," Alex added, the possibility send

eyebrow. "Fra

stion, his gaze fixed on the flicker

onto the balcony, he took a deep breath of crisp night air. The city sprawled beneath him, a glittering tapestry of lights,

– curiosity. The more he learned about Lily, the more questions arose. Was she a pawn in Feyrith's ga

elf distracted. Every spare moment was spent obsessing over Lily. He reread Mark's report, searching for inconsistencies, for any hint of her

ir, I found something interesting," he announced,

his impatience a reflect

ed travel to France seven years ago, at the age of fifteen.

timeframe as the accident, the girl with sky-blue eyes. Cou

as staying with?" he asked,

tely, no sir. The records only

stirred within him – a flicker of protectiveness to

ng grim. "Sir, I may have found something else," he said

rds him, his sharp focus

w," Mark stammered, his voice uncharacteristica

rrying into the De Luca house, Feyrith's mafia community. The implication was cl

rowl escaping his throat. "I need al

rmined to save her. He didn't understand his motives, the protectiveness that pulsed within him, but one thing was clear – he wouldn't let Feyrith destroy Lily, at least not until