Beneath the Shadows

Prologue

ANTONIO

The flickering glow of candlelight casts dancing shadows upon the walls of the underground room beneath my restaurant. I stand inside what looks like a crude dungeon, a stone alcove, off our main room, my face illuminated by the wavering gas-powered flames.

"It's said that blood is thicker than water," I begin, my voice echoing through the room. "But loyalty is a currency more valuable than gold. And yet, for all the years I've dedicated to this family, all the sacrifices made in the name of honor and duty, I've been repaid with betrayal and humiliation."

I pause, my hand tracing the rough edges of what appears to be ancient stones, my mind consumed by memories of past slights and injustices.

Above me, the Procession of the Saints, with all its pomp and circumstance, is about to start. My restaurant is filling with people unaware of what's about to occur beneath them.

"Valentino Comiso, my own flesh and blood," I continue, my voice tinged with bitterness. "He may wear the mantle of leadership, but his heart is black as coal. He's squandered the trust of our family. Tarnished the honor of our name, and for what? Power? Prestige? It no longer matters. His sins cry out for retribution, and I am the instrument of justice."

With each word, my resolve hardens, my gaze unyielding as I stare into the darkness ahead.

"And so, I intend to see Valentino pay for his crimes. No stone will go unturned, and no deed will be left unpunished. The time for reckoning has come, and I will be the architect of his downfall."

And with that solemn oath, I set in motion a chain of events that will forever alter the course of my family's legacy, plunging us into a darkness from which there will be no return.