Chapter 22 - The Warning Written in Blood
Morning in Chicago began with brilliant sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Moretti estate, painting a flawless picture of tranquility. Little Sophia, now seven years old, was no longer confined to that tragic pink wheelchair. She sprinted effortlessly across the lush green lawn, her bright laughter echoing through the gardens as she threw a tennis ball for the massive Cane Corso named Bruno. Hannah sat on the wrought-iron bench beneath the old oak tree, gently resting her head on Luca's solid shoulder as they quietly watched their little angel. But that perfect moment was abruptly severed when Elias, the fiercely loyal head of family security, strode out onto the patio with a face frozen like a block of ice. In his hands, he carried a small, sealed wooden box that had just been anonymously delivered to the main gate. Luca immediately sensed the shift in the air; his piercing gray eyes hardened. When Elias opened the box, there was no bomb, and no stealthy photographs like the ones Arthur used to send. Instead, it contained a single glass syringe filled with a terrifying, luminescent green liquid—the exact same localized neurotoxin that Marcus Vance had used to paralyze Sophia's spine three years ago. At the bottom of the box was a neatly handwritten note: "The legacy of Obsidian never died. The Queen's crown is about to fall."
