The cold gleam of steel reflected in Rachel's eyes as the Ricci enforcers took aim. The room was heavy with tension, every breath a calculated move, every heartbeat a countdown. She could feel the weight of the Crown of Nebet just behind her, locked away in the massive safe, and her heart pounded with the knowledge that they were so close to their goal—and yet so far.
Luca didn't flinch. His hand rested on the grip of his gun, eyes steady, unfazed. He was already calculating his next move, his mind a maze of options. The sound of approaching footsteps outside the vault room only heightened the sense of urgency.
"This is a mistake," Luca said, his voice low and venomous, yet oddly calm. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
The leader of the Ricci enforcers, a man in his early forties with salt-and-pepper hair and a scar running down his cheek, smiled darkly. "Oh, I know exactly who you are, Luca. That's why this ends tonight."
Rachel's gaze flicked between Luca and the guards, her mind racing. They were surrounded, and the tension in the air was nearly suffocating. But then, a cold resolve settled over her. She had learned from the best, and now, she would play her part.
Luca was right: they couldn't lose this. Not now, not when they were so close. But there was one thing they hadn't counted on—the fact that Rachel had a card up her sleeve. And it was time to play it.
"Luca," Rachel whispered, her eyes never leaving the men in front of them. "There's a third party in play. Someone tipped them off about the crown. The Ricci weren't the first to know."
Luca's gaze narrowed in confusion, but the realization dawned quickly. He glanced toward Rachel, his face a mixture of surprise and suspicion. "Who?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
Rachel swallowed, her mind racing. This was it. She had to make a decision.
"I think someone in your circle is working with them," she said, the words heavy with meaning. "The crown isn't the only thing they want. They want to control everything—your empire, Luca."
Luca's jaw tightened, but before he could respond, the Ricci leader laughed, a bitter, mocking sound.
"Is that so?" the man said, stepping closer. "It doesn't matter. In the end, you'll both be gone. The crown is already ours."
Luca's eyes flickered with a dangerous gleam, his grip tightening around the gun. "We'll see about that."
But then, without warning, the air shifted.
From the corner of the room, a shadow moved. One of the Ricci enforcers fell to the ground, blood pooling quickly around his body. It was a clean shot, swift and precise. The rest of the guards spun, trying to locate the source, but by then, it was too late.
A woman appeared from the shadows, her movements fluid, her dark hair cascading down her back. She wore all black, and the look in her eyes was one of calculated ruthlessness.
"Who the hell are you?" the Ricci leader barked, his gun now trained on her.
"Someone who's tired of cleaning up your mess," she said with a smirk, her voice as cold as steel.
Rachel's breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be.
"Jessica?" Luca's voice was a mix of surprise and wariness. "What are you doing here?"
Jessica, Luca's estranged sister and a notorious figure in the criminal world, stepped fully into the light. Her reputation preceded her—sly, cunning, and deadly. For years, she had been a shadow in the background of Luca's empire, working her own angles, carving out her own path.
"I'm here to take back what's mine," she said, her eyes narrowing.
The room froze for a moment. The Ricci leader clearly wasn't expecting this turn of events. "You're working with them?" he sneered, his eyes shifting between Luca and Alessandra.
Luca's face darkened, his gun still steady in his hand. "She's not working with anyone," he said, his voice hard. "She's here for the same thing we are—the crown."
"But why?" Rachel asked, her voice trembling with the weight of the moment. "Why would you—"
"I was the one who sent the tip to Ricci," Jessica cut her off, her eyes flashing with cold ambition. "I didn't want Ricci to have the crown. I wanted it for myself. And you, Luca, have been too blind to see it. You've always been too focused on your little kingdom to notice the real threat."
Rachel could barely process the words. Jessica had betrayed them? The realization hit like a punch to the gut. The sister Luca had trusted, the one person who could have been an ally in all of this, had turned against him for power.
Luca, however, didn't flinch. His eyes hardened, his voice low. "You've made a mistake, Jessica."
Without another word, Luca raised his gun, but Jessica was faster. She fired at him, but he dodged, just barely missing the bullet that whizzed past him. The Ricci enforcers saw their opening and rushed in, creating chaos.
Gunfire rang out, deafening in the vault room. Rachel ducked behind a pillar, her heart pounding in her chest. She had to act. She had to do something to change the tide.
She spotted the safe—the Crown of Nebet was so close, just beyond reach. Without thinking, she bolted toward it, ignoring the chaos unfolding around her. She had one chance, and she wasn't about to let it slip away.
Luca was focused on the gunfight, his back to the vault. Jessica had taken advantage of the distraction, but Rachel was faster. She grabbed the crown from its hidden compartment and slammed the door shut behind her.
As she turned, she found herself face to face with Jessica, who had managed to slip past the battle and cut her off.
"You think you're clever, don't you?" Jessica said, her voice dripping with contempt.
Rachel tightened her grip on the crown, refusing to show fear. "I'm not clever. I'm just here to survive."
Before Jessica could react, Luca was behind her, his gun trained on her. "This ends now," he said, his voice steady, though his anger was clear. "You don't get to destroy everything I've built."
For a long moment, the room was still, the tension thick enough to cut through. Rachel could feel the weight of the crown in her hands, its power now more symbolic than ever.
Jessica didn't move. Instead, she locked eyes with Luca, her expression one of resigned defiance. "You were always the favorite. But I was the better one," she spat. "You'll never win, Luca. The crown was never yours to keep."
Luca's finger tightened on the trigger. But before he could pull it, Rachel stepped forward, placing herself between the two of them. She wasn't sure why she did it. Maybe it was because, for the first time, she saw that Luca didn't need to destroy his sister to win.
"Enough," she said, her voice steady, but firm. "It's over."
Luca paused, his gun lowered, the tension in his body still palpable.
Jessica's eyes flickered, a faint glimmer of something close to respect—or maybe it was just fury—before she turned and disappeared into the shadows.