(MARCELLO'S POV)
The sound of the chaos fades behind me the faster I walk down the hallways.
From the second word reached me that Le Vipere Nere were on my grounds, I knew something was off.
It wasn't fear.
It was instinct.
They're not reckless. Salvatore didn't build his empire on impulse. If he invades my estate, during my auction, surrounded by my men, then he knows something I don't.
And that's what's been irritating me since the first gunshot.
The noise. The chaos. The smoke. It made it difficult to think.
To piece the puzzle together.
Because of Bianca's intel, I knew the Viperas knew about the Gilded Veil, the auction, and they went after our members.
I expected them to show up tonight.
But how?
That's the question that kept scratching at the back of my mind.
And I know this isn't just about the children.
It's about something else.
When I stood over Salvatore's son, bleeding at that woman's feet, something shifted. When I looked down at both of them—
