Chapter 199 THE REASON.
\~~~SHANE.
I dropped the cigar into the ashtray and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. The room was quiet, the kind of silence most people would find uncomfortable. I didn't. It felt right, like the calm before everything I planned kicked off.
“I’m getting bored,” I muttered under my breath, dragging my thumb across my lower lip. My eyes stayed on the glass window ahead, watching the city stretch out beneath me. Lights flickered, people moved around, lives were going on as if nothing mattered. Like nothing was about to change.
A soft knock came from behind the door. I didn’t turn.
“Come in.”
The door opened and closed quietly.
“Well?” I asked, my voice low, my lips curving to a smile. “Tell me something useful.”
“It is done.”
That made me smile even wider.
“Of course it is,” I said, finally turning my head slightly. I didn’t need to look fully. I already knew the look on his face.
That calm, and collected look. Always thinking he was a step ahead of everyone else.
“And him?” I asked.
“He is starting to doubt.”
I let out a quiet breath through my nose, amused. “Already? That was fast.”
“You know how he is,” the man replied. “He doesn’t ignore patterns.”
“No,” I agreed softly. “He doesn’t.”
My fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
Everything about Luciano irritated me. The way he walked was as if the world belonged to him. Like he owned every space he stepped into. Like nothing could touch him. I hated that. I hated it because it shouldn’t be his. None of it should be his. He had everything that should never have been his. And the worst part? He didn’t even know.
He didn’t know anything.
My jaw tightened for a second before I relaxed again. “Tell me how it went,” I said.
There was a small shift behind me. “The deal was already compromised before they arrived,” he began. “The work was clean and there were no traces left behind.”
I nodded slowly. “And the connection?”
“Left exactly where it needed to be.”
Now I turned fully. “Careful,” I said, my tone light but my eyes sharp. “Don’t make it sound like luck.”
“It wasn’t,” he replied immediately. “Everything was placed properly.”
“Good.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Walk me through it again.”
“The location was discussed within a closed circle,” he said. “And only a few had access.”
“Which makes it perfect,” I murmured.
“Exactly.”
“And the contact?” I asked.
“Introduced through a chain that leads back to him.”
I let out a soft chuckle. “Simple,” I said. “Very simple.”
“Simple works,” he replied.
“Yes,” I agreed. “It does.”
I stood up slowly and walked toward the window, sliding my hands into my pockets. From up here, everything looked small.
The city buzzed below, but up here, I felt like I had it all figured out. Luciano thought he was untouchable, but I knew his weak spots. Years of watching, planning, and waiting had all come down to this.
“Has he confronted him yet?” I asked.
“Not quite much,” he said. “But it is close.”
I smiled again. “Good.”
I tilted my head slightly, imagining it. Luciano standing there, that look on his face. That tight jaw. That controlled anger he tried so hard to hide. Questioning, thinking, and doubting the one man he never should have.
People don’t suspect what they already trust. So the only way in was to break that trust first.
“They will turn on each other soon,” I said quietly. There was no hesitation in my voice and no uncertainty because I knew. I always knew.
“It is already happening,” the man replied, smiling. “He is questioning everything now.”
“Of course he is,” I scoffed lightly. “He is not stupid.”
“No,” he agreed. “He isn’t.”
I turned slightly, glancing over my shoulder. “But he is emotional,” I added. That was the flaw. That was always the flaw. “He reacts. And when he reacts, he makes mistakes.”
Silence filled the room for a second. Then he asked, “And when that happens?”
I smiled. That was the part I liked. “That’s when I step in.”
“His first mistake was entertaining a flaw like Raina, idiot.”
I walked back to the table and picked up my cigar again, rolling it between my fingers. “And now, he will push the man away too. Not immediately though, not fully.” I tapped the cigar lightly against the ashtray. “But the seed is already there. And once it grows, they’ll destroy themselves.”
He asked, “What if he doesn’t?”
I stopped. Slowly, I lifted my head. “He will,” I said, certainly.
“Because he trusts him too much more than he cares to admit, in fact.”
And that was the beauty of it. The deeper the trust, the deeper the damage.
I placed the cigar back down and straightened. “Keep watching,” I added. “Don’t interfere too much.”
“I won’t.”
“Let them feel like they’re figuring it out,” I said. “Let them think they’re close.”
“And when they’re not?”
I smirked. “They will start blaming each other.”
There was silence for a while then he said, “Viktor is not dumb. He won’t sit to take this blame. He will figure this out.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “Let him,” I said. I walked past him toward the door, stopping just beside him. “But it will be too late then.”
I opened the door slightly, then paused. “We planned this well. Your idea was perfect.”
Behind me, there was no response. “The call logs, the burner, and every path lead to him,” I continued. A beat.
My jaw tightened. “He’ll turn on his most loyal man first,” I muttered under my breath. A small, humorless smile touched my lips. “Just like father did.”
I opened my eyes again, cold and steady.
Then I finished, “He just never knew he had a brother watching.”
And with that, I walked away.
As I made my way down the hallway, my mind raced ahead.
This wasn't just about revenge anymore. It was about taking back what was mine. Luciano had grown up in the spotlight, with the family name carrying him through every deal, and every fight. But me? I was the shadow, the one they forgot. The one erased from the stories.
Father had chosen him, built an empire around him, and left me with nothing but scraps and resentment.
The elevator dinged as I stepped in, the doors sliding shut with a soft whoosh. I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms.
Let it fester while he stands there in his suit, watching Viktor marry his sister, Alessia. She was innocent in all this, but the family was leveraged. If Luciano hesitated, she'd be the reason.
Weak Luciano.
Viktor was the key. Loyal to a fault, but human.
Luciano trusted him like a brother, which made that go over his head by wanting to belong to the family officially.
He was going to marry my stepsister, Alessia tomorrow, and oh, it wouldn’t be as fun for Luciano.
Not anymore.
Tomorrow, the wedding, and their real show starts there.
Luciano would smile for the cameras, but inside? The doubt would eat him alive.
And when he finally breaks, I, Shane Moretti, would be ready.