Chapter 178 – Raffaele POV
It's time.
It's the devil's hour literally—3AM—but it suits the Castellano way. Shadows. Secrecy. Deals inked in blood and whispered in hallways. I mean, the literal insignia is a snake.
We're using the entire parliamentary chamber tonight. Which, frankly, is overkill. But with the estate gone—thanks to Valentino and the need to put on airs? Here we are.
The room is massive and ornate, curved like an amphitheater. Dozens of carved seats rise up around a marble podium in tiers, filled with
every Castellano connection with a name is here, from all over the world. Moles in government positions. Military heads. Financial sharks. Even a few black-market moguls dressed in fine silk, pretending to be legitimate.
Thick with the scent of cologne, cigar smoke, and suppressed ambition.
I sit up straight. The leather of the chair creaks under me, but it may as well be pins and needles.
My suit feels like a coffin.
