Hello dearies, welcome to another chapter my darlings
Enjoy
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Boredom, I discovered, was a far more insidious enemy than a sniper.
A sniper only tried to kill you once.
Boredom tried to kill you every second of the day.
It had been three days since the Gala.
Three days of Lockdown Protocol.
The Moretti Estate was impenetrable.
The gates were sealed, the perimeter was swarming with men carrying assault rifles, and the internet access was restricted to approved sites.
Dante wasn't kidding about the cage.
I spent the first day sleeping, recovering from the adrenaline crash.
I spent the second day exploring the library and avoiding Cassandra, who was still looking at me like I was a particularly interesting bacteria under a microscope.
By the third day, I was ready to climb the walls.
[ DAY 5 OF 7 UNTIL HEROINE ARRIVAL ]
[ CURRENT STATUS: RESTLESS ]
[ SYSTEM WARNING: INACTIVITY DETECTED. SKILL DECAY IMMINENT ]
"Skill decay?" I scoffed at the blue screen floating above my yoga mat.
"I'm in a high-security prison disguised as a mansion.
What skills am I supposed to be practicing? Lockpicking?"
I was in the estate's private gym, a glass-walled structure overlooking the manicured gardens.
I finished my set of planks, wiping sweat from my forehead.
The physical training was necessary.
The body Serena Rossi had left me was beautiful...soft curves, porcelain skin but it had zero endurance.
If I was going to survive long, I needed to be able to run for more than two minutes without collapsing.
[ STRENGTH: +1 ]
[ STAMINA: +1 ]
"Miss Serena?"
I turned.
Marco stood in the doorway.
He looked tired. Dark circles had formed under his eyes since the audit incident. He was terrified of me now, which was useful, but also a little sad.
"Yes, Marco?"
"The Boss is asking for you. He's in the study."
"Is he finally taking a break?" I asked, grabbing a towel.
Marco hesitated.
"No, Miss. He... he is not in a good mood. We lost a shipment at the docks an hour ago.
Customs raid. He's breaking things."
"And you want me to go in there and be the lightning rod?"
Marco flushed.
"I... I thought perhaps you could calm him down. He listens to you."
I sighed.
The Beauty and the Beast trope. The Beast gets angry, and the Beauty is sent in to soothe him.
It was a cliché, but it was also an opportunity.
"Fine," I said.
"Give me ten minutes to shower. And Marco? bring me a laptop.
A secure one. With full internet access."
Marco's eyes widened.
"The Boss said no unrestricted internet."
"Do you want me to go into the lion's den, or not?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow.
"I need tools if I'm going to work."
Marco struggled for a moment, weighing his fear of Dante against his fear of Dante's current temper.
"I'll bring it to the study," he whispered.
The study smelled of ozone and expensive scotch.
When I entered, Dante was standing by the window, his back to me.
His suit jacket was on the floor. His tie was gone.
The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, and his hands were braced against the window frame, gripping the wood so hard his knuckles were white.
On the floor, a crystal tumbler lay shattered in a thousand pieces.
"I told them not to disturb me," he growled, not turning around.
"Marco didn't disturb you. I did," I said, stepping over the broken glass.
I was wearing a simple black silk robe over my gym clothes, my hair still damp. I wanted to look vulnerable, softer than the business world he was fighting.
Dante turned.
His face was a mask of fury, but when he saw me, the edge softened just a fraction.
"Serena," he breathed, letting out a long sigh. "You shouldn't be in here. It's not safe."
"The door is locked, Dante.
Unless the desk intends to attack me, I think I'm safe." I walked over to the sidebar and poured a fresh glass of whiskey.
I walked to him and pressed it into his hand. "Marco says we lost a shipment."
Dante took the glass but didn't drink.
He looked at me with weary eyes.
"We didn't just lose a shipment. We lost the route," he said, his voice low.
"The Customs officials at Port 4 have been swapped out. New guys. Incorruptible. Or, more likely, bought by someone else."
" The White King?" I asked.
"Valetti doesn't have the reach to swap federal agents," Dante muttered, pacing back to his desk.
"This is clean. Surgical. Whoever is doing this knows exactly where our containers are. They are bleeding me dry, Serena.
If I can't move the product, I can't pay the lieutenants.
If I don't pay the lieutenants, loyalty evaporates."
He slumped into his leather chair, rubbing his face with his hands.
"I need a new route.
But setting up a new supply chain takes months.
I don't have months.
The Commission meets again in two weeks to finalize the territory lines."
I watched him.
This was it. The moment I had been waiting for.
In the original book, this was the "Docks Arc."
In the original timeline, Dante solved this by going to war...burning down the customs office and starting a bloodbath that drew the attention of the FBI.
It was a messy, brute-force solution that cost him millions.
I knew a better way.
"You don't need a new route, Dante," I said softly, sitting on the edge of his massive desk.
"You need a new cargo."
Dante looked up at me, frowning.
"What are you talking about? We move electronics and... other things. That's the business."
"That's the old business," I corrected.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Marco entered, looking like he was walking to the gallows.
He placed a sleek silver laptop on the desk, avoided Dante's gaze, and fled.
Dante looked at the laptop, then at me.
"I said no internet."
"And I said I wanted to be a partner," I replied, opening the laptop.
"Partners share information."
I typed quickly.
The System gave me the search terms I needed.
[ SEARCH QUERY: CHICAGO URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2026 ]
[ TARGET: "PROJECT BLUE-LINE" ]
[ STATUS: CLASSIFIED / PUBLIC RELEASE PENDING IN 30 DAYS ]
"Dante," I said, turning the screen toward him.
"Forget Port 4. It's burned.
The Feds are going to sit on that dock for the next six months."
"So? That's half my revenue."
"Look at this," I pointed to a map of the city's industrial district, specifically a run-down area called The Yards near the old meatpacking district.
"What do you see?"
"The Yards," Dante said dismissively.
"It's a wasteland. Abandoned factories, squatters, rusted tracks.
It's worthless."
"It's worthless today," I said, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"But I... have a feeling."
"A feeling?" Dante scoffed, reaching for his drink.
"I can't pay my men with feelings, Serena."
"My feelings saved your life twice," I reminded him.
He paused, the glass halfway to his lips. He lowered it slowly. "Go on."
"The city is choking on traffic," I said, spinning the logic I had constructed from the original plot.
"The Mayor needs a win before the election next year.
He's going to announce a new high-speed logistics rail line connecting the airport directly to the river."
I traced a line on the screen with my finger.
"The only viable path for that rail line goes right through The Yards.
Specifically, through these four blocks of warehouses."
[ SYSTEM ASSIST: PROBABILITY OF ROUTE - 98% ]
"If you own those warehouses when the announcement drops next month," I continued, "the City will have to buy them from you. Eminent domain.
But since it's a rush project, they'll pay a premium to avoid court battles."
Dante looked at the map, his business brain kicking in.
"How much of a premium?"
"Enough to wash your money clean," I said. "You buy the land now through a shell company—cash, cheap, because no one wants it.
When the City buys it back, it's legitimate government funds.
Clean capital. You can use that money to pay your men, buy new weapons, or invest in something that doesn't involve smuggling."
Dante stared at the map.
He was silent for a long time. I could see the gears turning.
He wasn't thinking about the money; he was thinking about the transition.
This was a move from Gangster to Tycoon.
"And the shipping?" he asked.
"Use the renovation of the warehouses as a cover," I suggested.
"Construction trucks moving in and out all day.
Who's going to check if a few crates of building materials are actually... something else?"
Dante looked up at me.
The anger was gone from his eyes, replaced by a sharp, calculating hunger.
"Where did you get this intel?" he asked quietly.
"The Mayor's office is a fortress."
I smiled, a slow, mysterious smile that I hoped looked elegant and not like I was terrified of being caught.
"I told you, Dante. I read.
I noticed that a certain construction company , one owned by the Mayor's brother-in-law started buying up small plots around the perimeter of The Yards last week. It's a pattern."
[ DECEPTION CHECK: PASSED ]
[ DANTE'S INTELLECT: IMPRESSED ]
Dante stood up.
He walked around the desk and stood between my spread knees, placing his hands on the desk on either side of me, trapping me.
"You are terrifying," he murmured.
"You sit in my gym, do yoga, and dismantle the city's zoning plans."
"I'm bored, Dante," I whispered, reaching up to straighten his collar.
"And a bored woman is a dangerous thing. You need to give me something to do, or I might accidentally take over the city myself."
He laughed, a genuine, deep sound.
He leaned down, his forehead resting against mine.
"You want a job?"
"I want a project.
Give me the seed money. Let me buy The Yards for you.
Let me set up the shell company."
Dante pulled back, looking into my eyes.
He was searching for deceit. He was searching for a trap.
But all he saw was ambition.
"It's five million dollars for the land," he said. "Cash."
"Chump change for the King of Chicago."
"If you're wrong," he said, his voice dropping to a low growl, "that's five million I can't use to fight the White King.
If you're wrong, we are vulnerable."
"I'm not wrong."
He studied me for another second, then nodded.
"Marco!" he bellowed.
The door cracked open instantly. Marco peeked in, looking relieved that no one was dead.
"Boss?"
"Get the lawyers. And get the account access keys." Dante pointed at me.
"Serena is handling the acquisitions for the South Side expansion."
Marco's jaw dropped.
"Miss... Serena?"
"You heard me," Dante said, turning back to the window, his posture relaxed for the first time in days.
"Do whatever she says. And get me a new glass."
[ MISSION TRIGGERED: THE LAND GRAB ]
[ OBJECTIVE: ACQUIRE 4 WAREHOUSE DEEDS IN "THE YARDS" ]
[ TIMELIMIT: 48 HOURS ]
[ REWARD: +50 BUSINESS ACUMEN, +10% MORETTI INFLUENCE ]
For the next two days, the study became my war room.
I didn't sleep much.
I was too busy navigating the labyrinth of shell corporations and property deeds.
With the System's [DATA PROCESSING] passive skill, I could read contracts faster than any lawyer.
I set up a company called "Phoenix Logistics." Clean. unassuming.
Dante watched me from the sidelines.
He pretended to be busy with the war against Valetti, but I felt his eyes on me constantly.
He was testing me. He was waiting to see if I would run with the money.
But I didn't run.
By Friday afternoon, the deeds were on his desk.
"Done," I said, dropping the file folder. "Four blocks.
Total cost: 4.2 million. I negotiated the squatters out with a few... incentives."
Dante opened the folder.
He flipped through the papers.
"You came in under budget," he noted.
"I'm frugal."
"And the construction permits?"
"Already filed. The trucks start rolling on Monday."
Dante closed the folder.
He looked at me, and the air in the room shifted. It wasn't just lust anymore.
It was respect.
"You really did it," he said softly. "You just legitimized a quarter of my operations in three days."
"I told you," I said, leaning back in the leather chair...his chair. "I'm an asset."
Dante walked around the desk.
He didn't pull me out of the chair.
Instead, he spun it around so I was facing him.
"You're not an asset," he said. "You're a weapon."
He leaned down, bracing his hands on the armrests.
"The White King sent a message today. They hit one of Valetti's clubs.
Burned it to the ground."
"They're attacking your enemies?" I asked, confused.
"I thought they were working for Valetti."
"So did I," Dante said grimly.
"But now it looks like they are clearing the board.
They don't want to work for the families, Serena. They want to replace the families."
My stomach tightened.
[ PLOT TWIST DETECTED ]
[ THE WHITE KING FACTION IS HOSTILE TO ALL ]
"If they take out Valetti," Dante continued, "I'm next. And with you sitting on this goldmine of land... you've just made yourself a very high-value target."
"I can handle myself," I said, though my voice lacked its usual confidence.
"I know you can." Dante reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small velvet box.
My heart stopped. Was this... a ring?
No. Too soon.
He opened it.
Inside lay a sleek, silver earpiece and a delicate choker with a small, red ruby pendant.
"It's a tracking device," he said bluntly. "And a panic button.
If you press the ruby for three seconds, every man I own will descend on your location."
He took the necklace and fastened it around my neck.
His fingers lingered on my skin.
The ruby felt cold against my throat.
"Wear it," he commanded. "Always."
"Is this my leash?" I asked, touching the stone.
"It's your insurance," he corrected. "Because in two days, the lockdown ends. We have to go to the Opera.
The Mayor is attending, and since you are now a major property owner in his district..."
He smirked, a cruel, handsome expression.
"...you need to go shake his hand."
[ MISSION UPDATE: THE OPERA HOUSE ]
[ TIME UNTIL HEROINE ARRIVAL: 2 DAYS ]
[ WARNING: THE HEROINE WILL BE AT THE OPERA. ]
I froze.
The Opera. Of course.
In the book, the Opera scene was where Dante met Her.
The True Heroine. Isabella Vane.
The innocent, violin-playing daughter of a ruined aristocrat.
She was supposed to catch his eye with her purity and her music.
And here I was, the Wicked mistress, about to walk right into the lion's den.
"I'd love to go to the Opera," I said, forcing a smile.
"I have just the dress."
Dante kissed my forehead.
"Good. Because the White King will be watching.
And I want them to see exactly who they are dealing with."
He straightened up.
"Phoenix Logistics," he mused, looking at the file again.
"Fitting name. You rose from the ashes of your father's debt."
"And I plan to keep rising," I promised.
But as Dante left the room to brief his men, I looked at the System screen.
[ UPCOMING EVENT: THE CLASH OF QUEENS ]
[ SERENA VS. ISABELLA ]
[ WINNER TAKES DANTE ]
I touched the ruby at my throat.
Isabella Vane might have the halo of a heroine, but I had a mafia army, a 300-chapter business plan, and a very expensive tracking device.
Let the music play.
Author's Note:
We are getting into the Business Management era! 🏙️
I hope you enjoyed the land plot. It's a classic trope...using future knowledge to buy land, but it works so well to establish Serena as smart, not just lucky.
And now... THE OPERA. 🎭
The Original Heroine is coming. Isabella Vane.
She is pure, she plays the violin, she cries pearls.
Basically, she is Serena's opposite.
How should Serena handle the meeting?
* Be mean to her? (Classic Villainess style)
* Ignore her?
* Hire her? (Business style!)
My sexy readers please support your shameless Author with power stones and collections.
A review is really appreciated.