The Price of Power

Sophia Moretti had spent her entire life proving she belonged on top.

But tonight?

Tonight, her own blood was challenging her right to rule.

Serena wasn’t just a hostage.

She wasn’t just a pawn in Matteo’s game.

She was a Moretti.

And that meant the war had just changed.

Ethan sat across from her, his jaw tight, his silence heavier than the whiskey in his glass.

Marco was still missing.

And Sophia?

She was waiting.

Because when he finally called?

She would know whether he was still hers... or if he had just become her enemy.

Her phone vibrated.

Marco.

Sophia exhaled, answering.

"Tell me something good."

Silence.

Then... Marco’s voice, low, steady.

"I have a problem."

Sophia’s grip tightened.

"Let me guess," she murmured. "You’re standing in a room full of men waiting for you to choose sides."

Another pause.

Then... Marco exhaled.

"Yeah."

Marco had spent years standing at Sophia’s right hand.

But tonight?

He was staring at a different kind of queen.

Serena stood in front of him, her posture strong, unwavering.

She wasn’t afraid.

She wasn’t asking for help.

She was offering something.

Something he wasn’t sure he could refuse.

"You could walk away," Serena murmured. "Go back to Sophia. Tell her you never found me."

She tilted her head.

"Or… you could stand with me."

Marco exhaled, his pulse pounding.

This wasn’t just about loyalty anymore.

This was about choosing a future.

One where Sophia wasn’t the only option.

One where Serena Moretti might actually have a claim to the throne.

Marco’s fingers twitched.

He had fought for Sophia for so long.

But now?

Now, he wasn’t sure if he was fighting for the right queen.

Ethan had always been good at reading people.

And right now?

He wasn’t sure if he recognized the woman in front of him.

Sophia was calm, collected.

Too calm.

Like she wasn’t standing on the edge of losing everything.

"You knew this was coming," Ethan said quietly.

Sophia exhaled.

"I prepared for the possibility."

Ethan’s jaw clenched.

"And yet… you still sent Marco alone."

Sophia didn’t blink.

"I needed to know if he was weak."

Ethan inhaled slowly.

"And if he was?"

Sophia smirked.

"Then I don’t need him anymore."

Ethan’s pulse spiked.

Because this wasn’t just about Marco.

This was about how Sophia saw people.

How she saw him.

"You do realize," Ethan murmured, "that Marco might actually choose her."

Sophia leaned back, swirling her drink.

"If he does," she said smoothly,

"Then I’ll make sure it’s the last choice he ever makes."

The moment word spread that Serena was Moretti blood, the underworld began to shift.

Because this wasn’t just a family dispute.

This was a claim to the crown.

And for the first time?

Some of them were considering it.

Conti had never been a man of loyalty.

He was a man of calculated investment.

And right now?

Serena Moretti was a very interesting investment.

If she won?

If she took power?

Conti would be there.

But if she failed?

He would make sure he wasn’t caught in the collapse.

Vasari had his own problems to deal with.

Someone had sent him a letter.

A warning.

"I know what you did."

And whoever sent it?

They weren’t playing games.

They were waiting for him to slip.

But this news about Serena?

This was a gift.

Because if the families were focused on Sophia’s throne shaking…

They wouldn’t be looking at him.

And that?

That gave him time to clean up his own mess.

Romano owed Serena his life.

But his loyalty had always been with Sophia.

Now?

Now, he had to make a choice.

Back Sophia?

Or back the woman who might actually have a stronger claim?

For the first time in years…

Carlo Romano wasn’t sure which side he would land on.

Sophia wasn’t interested in waiting.

She had never bowed to anyone.

And she wasn’t about to start now.

She turned to Ethan, her voice low, calm, lethal.

"Call Conti."

Ethan raised a brow.

"Conti?"

Sophia exhaled.

"If the families are waiting for me to fall?" She smirked.

"Then I’ll make sure I give them something better to watch."

Ethan frowned.

"You’re making a move against Serena?"

Sophia took a slow sip of whiskey.

"No."

She set the glass down.

"I’m making a move against everyone who thinks she has a chance."

Because this wasn’t about Serena.

This was about proving that Sophia Moretti was still the only ruler worth following.

And tonight?

She was about to remind the world why.

Marco’s heart pounded in his chest.

For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure who he was fighting for.

Sophia?

The woman he had followed through blood and fire... the one who had given him a purpose, only to test him at every turn?

Or Serena?

The woman who had been hidden in the shadows, waiting for her moment.

The woman who had Moretti blood running through her veins.

The woman who might actually win.

"You don’t have to answer now," Serena murmured, watching him carefully.

"But you do have to decide soon."

She stepped forward, voice quiet, certain.

"Because the longer you wait?"

Her lips curled.

"The less useful you are to either of us."

Marco exhaled slowly.

He had always believed loyalty was simple.

But tonight?

Tonight, it was the hardest thing he had ever faced.

Ethan stood across from Sophia, his patience running thin.

"You’re not thinking clearly," he said, voice sharp.

Sophia raised a brow.

"You think I’m losing control?"

Ethan exhaled.

"I think you’re reacting."

Sophia tilted her head.

"And what exactly should I be doing, Ethan?" she murmured. "Sitting back while my own blood tries to take what I built?"

Ethan clenched his jaw.

"You don’t even know if she wants it."

Sophia smirked.

"You don’t understand power, do you?" she whispered.

She took a slow step toward him, voice like steel.

"She doesn’t have to want it, Ethan."

Her lips curled.

"She just has to be a reason for others to doubt me."

Silence.

Ethan exhaled.

"And what happens when you win?" he asked.

Sophia didn’t blink.

"I keep winning."

Ethan’s stomach twisted.

Because that?

That was the problem.

Back at the safehouse, Serena stood in front of a room full of men.

Men who had once served Matteo.

Men who were waiting for orders.

Men who were now looking at her.

"I’m not here to ask for your loyalty," she murmured.

Her voice was calm, certain.

She wasn’t Matteo.

She wasn’t Sophia.

She was something new.

Something dangerous.

"I’m here to give you a choice," she continued.

Her gaze swept the room.

"You can keep waiting for someone else to take the throne."

She tilted her head.

"Or you can help me take it now."

Silence.

Then...

One man stepped forward.

Then another.

Then another.

Marco watched, his heart pounding.

Because this wasn’t just an uprising.

This was the beginning of something bigger.

And the worst part?

He wasn’t sure if Sophia could stop it.

Sophia wasn’t interested in waiting for Serena to make a move.

She had spent her entire life eliminating threats before they had the chance to grow.

And this?

This was no different.

She turned to Ethan, voice cold, measured.

"Find out who’s backing her."

Ethan frowned.

"Sophia... "

"Find out," she repeated.

Because Serena wasn’t building this alone.

Someone was helping her.

And whoever it was?

They were about to regret it.

Sophia Moretti had fought many battles.

She had won every single one.

But tonight?

Tonight, she had underestimated someone.

And when she finally found out who?

It would be too late.

Because Serena wasn’t just building an army.

She was being used.

And the real enemy?

The one neither Sophia nor Serena saw coming?

They were already in position.

Watching.

Waiting.

And ready to take everything.