CHAPTER 1: THE MAN IN THE SHADOW
The hallway filled with chaos.
“Boss!”
Two men rushed forward, dropping to their knees beside Lucas Moretti. Another barked orders into a phone, calling for a private doctor. Lily’s mother grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back with trembling hands.
“What did you do?” she whispered in panic.
“I helped him,” Lily said softly, confused.
Lucas raised a weak hand.
“Wait…”
The entire hallway froze.
Even the armed men stepped back.
His eyes never left Lily.
“She stays,” he rasped.
That was all it took.
No one questioned him.
No one ever did.
But in the far corner, the man who had been watching stepped forward slowly.
Victor DeLuca.
Lucas’s oldest friend.
His most trusted partner.
And the only man in the room who didn’t look relieved.
He looked… angry.
“Lucas,” Victor said calmly, “you need rest. We’ll handle everything.”
But his eyes flicked to Lily.
Cold.
Calculating.
Lucas noticed.
Even half-dead, he noticed.
“Not… him,” Lucas whispered.
It was barely audible.
But it was enough.
May you like
Because for the first time in years—
Lucas Moretti didn’t trust his closest friend.
