She Stole the Plans I Hadn’t Written Yet

I burned my name out of every ledger and whisper-network in the city, the same name that once carried the weight of a million loyal associates and three generations of Valente respect.

Almost instantly, the territory lit up with speculation, men wondering aloud whether the Valente daughter had turned rat or been taken.

Then Bianca Corsetti, a daughter of the family muscling into our operations, sent word to me directly.

[Why would you walk away out of nowhere? Have you lost your mind?]

Even so, I closed every door behind me and went alone into the country to see the world for what it was.