25.Chapter

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Dressed in tactical black, Isabella moved like a ghost through the industrial shadows of the harbor. Her disguise was flawless: short black wig, tinted lenses, and voice-altering comms tech. The task force had no idea she was the Balkan mafia leader they were tracking rumors about.

She scanned the steel warehouse perimeter. Her earpiece buzzed.

> “Suspect vehicle incoming. High probability it’s our guy.”

She signaled the team and melted into position behind a container.

But when the blacked-out car stopped and the door opened — her blood froze.

Lorenzo.

Her brother. Cold, precise, dangerous.

And here. In Boston.

He wasn’t supposed to be in the States. Not without telling Leonardo. Not without the Ferrari mafia clearing it. But he was here. Alone. Which meant one thing — he was hunting her.

A Breach of Fate

Lorenzo walked into the warehouse with silent intensity, checking corners. She moved fast, intercepting him before the rest of the task force could spot him. Pulling her mask slightly lower and changing her posture, she whispered:

Isabella
> “You're not supposed to be here.”

He stopped dead.

Eyes narrowing.

Voice low.

Lorenzo
> “...Angela?”

The air cracked with tension. Guns ready. Team waiting.

Isabella
> “No. Wrong girl,” she snapped, voice distorted through tech.

He took a step closer. She raised her Glock toward his chest.

Isabella
> “Leave now.”

But he didn’t flinch. Instead, his eyes filled with something terrifying — recognition. He saw past the mask. Past the armor. He saw his sister.

Lorenzo
> “No one else walks like that,” he whispered. “Not even ghosts.”

A Dangerous Choice

She pulled him into a dark corner, heart racing. If the team saw them, everything would collapse.

Isabella
> “You have two seconds to walk away before I shoot you in the leg and drag you out myself.”

Lorenzo
> “You think I care about the bullet?” he hissed. “You’re alive. You’re here. And you’re pretending to be someone else?”

Isabella
> “It’s not pretending if it’s survival.”

She was shaking — from rage, grief, confusion. But her grip didn’t falter.

Isabella
> “You can’t tell anyone. Not Leo. Not Mama. No one.”

Lorenzo
> “I won’t.”

Isabella
> “Swear on me.”

Lorenzo
> “I swear on the grave we never visited.”

Her hand dropped. Just a second. But it was enough. The grief broke through.

They didn’t hug. That wasn’t them. But their eyes said what words couldn’t.

She turned sharply.

Isabella
> “Leave. I’ll contact you.”

Lorenzo
> “They said you were dead,” he muttered. “But I knew no one could kill a Ferrari like that.”

And then he vanished — disappearing just like she did years ago.

Post-Mission Debrief

Back in her Boston penthouse, her hands trembled as she pulled off her gloves. Her dogs paced, sensing the storm inside her.

In her office, she poured a whiskey, stared at the mission board, and whispered:

Isabella
> “Well, shit.”

Lorenzo was smart. If he was here, Leonardo wouldn’t be far behind.

And the game of masks she’d built? Was about to shatter.

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