Years Earlier...
The night sky glowed an eerie shade of red.
Flames consumed one of California's most powerful mafia estates, sending thick smoke high into the air. Broken glass covered the marble floors, bullets scarred the walls, and silence slowly replaced the sound of gunfire.
The war...
...was over.
The Riven Family had won.
Armed men spread across the ruined mansion, checking every room and every corridor.
No one celebrated.
In the mafia...
Victory always came with a price.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the halls.
At the center of it all walked Alessandro Riven.
His black suit was stained with blood and ash, yet his expression remained calm.
Unreadable.
One of his trusted men approached and lowered his head.
"Boss."
"The estate has been secured."
Alessandro's eyes swept across the burning hallway.
"Anyone left alive?"
The man hesitated before answering.
"...No, Boss."
A brief silence followed.
"Search again."
The order was simple.
No one questioned it.
"Yes, Boss."
The men immediately disappeared into different parts of the mansion.
Alessandro continued walking alone.
The only sound left was the crackling of fire.
Then...
A cry.
He stopped.
Another cry echoed through the hallway.
Soft.
Weak.
But impossible to mistake.
A child.
One of the soldiers looked around in confusion.
"...Boss?"
The cry came again.
Without saying a word, Alessandro turned and followed the sound.
The hallway grew darker with every step.
Broken furniture blocked the path.
Smoke filled the air.
The cries became louder.
Until...
He stopped in front of a nursery.
The wooden door hung from a single hinge.
Inside, the room had been almost completely destroyed.
Walls were cracked.
Furniture had been reduced to splinters.
Ash drifted through the air like snow.
Yet in the middle of the room...
A single cradle remained untouched.
Wrapped in a small white blanket, a tiny child cried softly, completely unaware of the destruction surrounding them.
Alessandro stood still.
The child slowly opened their eyes.
For a brief moment...
The crying stopped.
Neither of them looked away.
One of the soldiers finally caught up.
He looked inside the nursery before quietly asking,
"Boss..."
"...What should we do?"
Alessandro didn't answer.
Seconds passed.
The flames continued to roar outside.
Then, without taking his eyes off the child, he spoke.
"Leave."
The soldier blinked.
"...Boss?"
"I said..."
"Leave."
There was no anger in his voice.
Only an order.
One that could not be questioned.
The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances before quietly stepping out of the nursery.
The door slowly closed behind them.
Leaving Alessandro...
Alone with the child....
No one knows what happened inside that room.
A decision was made.
One that would remain buried for years.
And one day...
It would change the fate of the Riven Family forever.
Present Day
The towering iron gates of the Riven Estate slowly opened.
A black SUV rolled through the driveway before stopping beneath the grand entrance.
One of the guards hurried forward and opened the rear door.
A pair of polished black shoes stepped onto the marble.
Jack Riven.
His black dress shirt was stained with blood.
A fresh cut stretched across his left cheek, dried crimson trailing down to his jawline.
His hair was slightly messy, and despite looking exhausted...
He wore a small smile.
As if returning home covered in blood was no different from returning home after work.
The guards immediately lowered their heads.
"Welcome home, Young Master."
Jack gave them a small nod before walking inside.
The grand doors opened.
The mansion was as elegant as ever.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the entrance hall.
Maids quietly dusted antique furniture.
Butlers carried silver trays through the corridors.
Not a single person reacted to the blood on Jack's clothes.
No one gasped.
No one panicked.
In the Riven household...
This was simply another night.
The sound of heels echoed across the marble floor.
"Jack."
He looked up.
Standing at the bottom of the staircase was Zoe Riven.
Dressed elegantly in a black silk dress, she looked every bit the Queen of the Riven Empire.
She walked toward him with calm, graceful steps.
"Mom."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"You've returned."
"I have."
She stopped in front of him.
Without saying another word, she gently placed two fingers beneath his chin and tilted his face toward the light.
Her eyes carefully examined the cut across his cheek.
"The mission?"
Jack answered without hesitation.
"Completed."
"The target?"
"Eliminated."
"Witnesses?"
"None."
"The evidence?"
"Disposed of."
Zoe remained silent for a moment.
Her thumb lightly brushed the edge of the wound.
"You allowed someone close enough to touch you."
Jack let out a quiet breath.
"For a second."
Before Zoe could speak...
A deep voice echoed through the hall.
"A second..."
"...is enough to lose your life."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Every servant standing nearby straightened.
Jack looked up.
"Dad."
Alessandro Riven walked into the hall wearing a perfectly tailored black suit.
His expression was calm.
Cold.
Unreadable.
He stopped directly in front of Jack.
For several long seconds...
He simply looked at the cut on his son's face.
Then, without warning, Alessandro gripped Jack's chin firmly and pulled him closer.
His sharp eyes studied the injury.
"You let your guard down."
Jack didn't try to make excuses.
"...Yes, Dad."
"You were taught better."
"I know."
"You came home alive."
"Yes."
Alessandro's grip tightened ever so slightly.
"But you came home injured."
Silence.
Jack lowered his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
Alessandro's voice remained calm.
"Apologies don't erase mistakes."
"They prevent nothing."
Another long silence filled the hall.
Finally, Alessandro released him.
"Training room."
Jack already knew there was no point arguing.
"...Yes, Dad."
He turned to follow Alessandro.
Before he could take another step, Zoe gently straightened his collar and brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.
"The doctor will stitch your cheek afterwards."
Her voice remained soft.
"But first..."
She glanced toward Alessandro.
"...your father is going to remind you why a Riven never leaves an opening."
Jack sighed dramatically.
"I was hoping dinner came first."
For the first time that evening...
The corner of Zoe's lips lifted into a faint smile.
"I know."
Alessandro didn't even turn around.
"Walk."
Jack smiled helplessly.
"Coming, Dad."
He followed behind him.
The heavy doors of the training room slowly closed.
And the mansion once again fell into silence.
A hour later
The mansion was not unusually quiet.
The clock in the hallway struck midnight.
Almost an hour had passed since Jack disappeared into the training room.
The doors finally opened.
Jack stepped out with a fresh bandage across his cheek.
His shoulders ached.
His body felt heavy.
Training with Alessandro was never easy.
He quietly made his way downstairs.
The dining room lights were still on.
Jack frowned."...They're still awake?"
As he stepped inside, he found Alessandro sitting alone at the long dining table.
Dinner had already been served.
The food was still warm.
Alessandro looked up briefly. "Sit."
Jack pulled out the chair opposite him. "You waited?"
"I was eating."
Jack couldn't help smiling a little,"Sure."
Neither of them spoke after that.
The room was filled only with the sound of knives and forks against porcelain.
For a few minutes...It almost felt peaceful.
Then...
A knock echoed through the room.
One of the senior guards entered.
He lowered his head respectfully.
"Boss."
Alessandro calmly placed his fork down.
"What is it?"
"The East Harbor warehouse..."
The guard hesitated.
"...Something happened."
Jack looked up from his plate. "What happened?"
"Our patrol arrived thirty minutes ago."
"The warehouse wasn't damaged."
"It wasn't attacked."
Alessandro's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then?"
"It was empty."
Silence.
"The shipments?"
"Gone."
"The weapons?"
"Gone."
"The files?"
"Gone."
Jack frowned,"...How?"
"We don't know."
"No broken locks."
"No alarms."
"No bodies."
"It was as if someone walked in... and simply took everything."
Jack slowly lowered his fork.
Even he knew that didn't make sense.
The guard reached into his jacket.
"We found one thing."
He carefully placed a black envelope on the table.
"It was left in the manager's office."
"No fingerprints."
"No camera footage."
Alessandro picked it up.
He opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Only one sentence had been written.
Some secrets should have stayed buried.
Jack leaned forward slightly.
"...What secret?"
Alessandro read the sentence again.
His expression remained calm.
He folded the paper.
Placed it back inside the envelope.
Then looked at the guard.
"Keep investigating."
"Yes, Boss."
"If anything changes..."
"I want to know immediately."
"Understood."
The guard bowed before leaving.
The dining room fell silent once again.
Jack looked at his father.
"You think someone's threatening us?"
Alessandro looked at the envelope resting beside his plate."I don't know."
Jack nodded slowly.
If Alessandro didn't know...
Then whoever had done this was already dangerous.
Outside, the Riven Estate remained peaceful beneath the night sky.
Inside...
A game had begun.
Neither side knew the other's next move.
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