Seoul. Hannam-dong.
A luxury hotel suite.
On the table:
a freshly printed contract, a gold-lined envelope.
Beyond the glass,
Namsan Tower's lights bled through damp mist; below, the driveway curved in headlight streaks from a government motorcade.
Luca Belloni, twenty-five.
Dark navy suit, silver-grey tie.
A Patek Philippe on his wrist caught the cold light.
He rolled an untouched whiskey glass between his fingers,
listening to the murmur of his bodyguard's earpiece.
"ETA five minutes. All security in position."
A small nod.
Tonight,
if he sealed this second supply contract with a senior Korean official,
his route would link Europe to Asia clean.
This wasn't just money—
it was a shield, and the key to closed doors.
Footsteps down the hall.
The door opened.
Power walked in, draped across a man's shoulders.
Luca smiled, took the handshake.
When the pen hit the paper, the air in the room shifted—
lighter, almost.
That night.
The ink still damp, Luca sat on the sofa, scanning the clauses.
The phone buzzed.
No caller ID.
"Father."
Alessandro Belloni's voice came low, weight in every syllable.
"There's a pair of journalists sniffing around your sector.
They're onto the route… your base of operations.
You aware of this?"
"…Yes. Warned them once before. Thought they'd back off."
A short, dry laugh.
"Refuse a Belloni warning twice… you know the cost."
"Yes."
"Then this stays at my level."
Click—
Silence,
except for the second hand ticking over the contract.
Luca lowered the receiver, face unreadable.
Couple days later.
Naples harbor.
Damp evening wind slid through the study's cracked window.
His secretary eased the door open.
"Sir, the report. The matter… handled.
Abandoned factory in Incheon, staged as an accident.
Bodies—disposed at sea."
Luca said nothing.
He walked to the window.
Sunset drowned in the water,
red bleeding across the waves.
He lifted a glass of wine, tilting it slow.
I gave them one chance.When the Black Lion moves… it's no longer mine to claim.
The wine swirled, dark red in the glass.
It looked like the sea swallowing the sun.