Chapter 17: The Poisoned Apple
Six months passed. Six months of tense, suffocating peace that felt more like a lit fuse slowly burning toward a powder keg. Damiano had essentially locked the city down, controlling the docks, the unions, and the politicians with an iron fist, starving the rival families of their resources.
Inside the estate, however, it was a day of pure joy. It was Mia’s sixth birthday.
The gardens were transformed into a carnival, complete with a carousel, cotton candy stands, and a petting zoo. For one afternoon, the mafia soldiers put away their grim faces and played carnival games, trying to win stuffed animals for the boss's daughter.
Elena sat at a patio table, heavily pregnant with their second child, rubbing her swollen belly with a content smile. Damiano stood behind her chair, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder, his eyes scanning the perimeter with constant vigilance.
"Relax, mio re (my king)," Elena murmured, leaning her head back against his stomach. "The perimeter is secure. Let her have fun."
"I am relaxed," Damiano lied smoothly, though his eyes never stopped tracking the exits.
"Cake time!" Rafael announced loudly, carrying a massive, three-tiered pink cake out onto the patio. The crowd of soldiers and staff gathered around, clapping and singing as Mia ran up to the table, her eyes wide with excitement.
She blew out the candles in one big breath, prompting a roar of cheers. The head chef stepped forward, slicing the cake and handing the very first piece on a silver plate to the birthday girl.
Mia grabbed a fork, about to take a massive bite, when Rafael playfully snatched the plate away.
"Ah, ah, ah! Royal food taster goes first, princess!" Rafael joked, winking at her. He took the fork and took a large bite of the pink frosting, making a show of chewing it dramatically. "Hmm... delicious. Passed the test!"
He handed the plate back to a giggling Mia. But as Rafael stepped back, his smile faltered.
He blinked hard, shaking his head as if trying to clear a sudden fog. His hand flew to his throat.
"Rafael?" Damiano asked, his sharp eyes catching the subtle movement instantly.
Before Rafael could answer, his knees buckled. He collapsed onto the stone patio, his body immediately going into violent convulsions, white foam bubbling at the corners of his mouth.
"Rafael!" Elena screamed, covering Mia’s eyes and pulling her back away from the table.
Chaos erupted. Damiano was on the ground in a fraction of a second, rolling his underboss onto his side to keep him from choking.
"Poison!" Damiano roared, his voice echoing like thunder over the terrified crowd. "Lock down the estate! No one leaves! Medics, get the hell out here now!"
He looked at the pink cake, his blood turning to absolute ice. The poison wasn't meant for Rafael. It was meant for a six-year-old girl. The Commission had breached his fortress, and they had tried to murder his daughter.
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As the estate's private medical team rushed out with a stretcher, loading a fading Rafael onto it, Damiano stood up. The man who had spent the last six months playing the loving husband and doting father vanished completely.
In his place stood the devil himself.
