Chapter 12 - The Phantom's Legacy
My grandfather arrived at the Moretti estate just before midnight.
He was flanked by twenty of his most elite Commission enforcers.
The old man looked incredibly frail as he sat down in Ricardo's private study.
He poured himself a glass of whiskey with a shaking hand and looked directly at me.
"Alejandro Vargas was supposed to be dead," my grandfather explained grimly.
"I ordered a massive hit on his compound the night your mother successfully escaped."
"We burned his entire empire to the absolute ground."
"But Alejandro is a phantom, Clara."
"He survived the fire, and he has spent the last twenty years rebuilding his army in the shadows."
Ricardo leaned against his heavy mahogany desk, his arms crossed defensively.
"If he is a warlord, why is he suddenly targeting a legitimate real estate family?" Ricardo asked.
"He does not care about your real estate, Ricardo," my grandfather sighed heavily.
"He cares about Clara's bloodline."
"I am stepping down as the head of the Commission next month due to my failing health."
"By mafia tradition, the absolute power of the Commission must pass directly to my only living heir."
My grandfather pointed a trembling finger directly at me.
"Alejandro does not just want to kill you, Clara."
"He wants to kidnap you, force you to claim the throne, and use your power to legitimize his cartel."
A freezing wave of pure terror washed entirely over my body.
I was not just a target for assassination.
I was the ultimate, priceless pawn in a global underworld war.
"I will never let him touch her," Ricardo vowed, his voice vibrating with absolute certainty.
"I will personally burn this entire city to the ground before I let a cartel take my wife."
My grandfather smiled sadly and shook his head.
"You cannot fight an invisible army, Ricardo."
"Alejandro has spies everywhere, even inside my own trusted ranks."
Before my grandfather could finish his sentence, the lights in the study violently flickered and died.
A massive, deafening explosion rocked the eastern wing of the estate.
The heavy wooden doors of the study blew inward, sending a massive cloud of dust and smoke into the room.
May you like
Alejandro Vargas was no longer a phantom in the shadows.
He was already inside our home.
