Matteo and Leonardo entered the headquarters and found Marco and Giovanni waiting for them. Matteo said: "We escaped from work just to come here."
They all sat down together, then Giovanni spoke calmly: "We must make Francesco feel powerless. We have to get rid of Adriano, Francesco's right-hand man."
Marco asked: "And how, Father?"
Leonardo quickly interrupted: "I have important information about Adriano that could help us."
Everyone listened silently as he continued: "Adriano loves Maria, Francesco's daughter, very much and wants to marry her. He would do anything to win her favor."
Leonardo added: "Maria will turn eighteen tomorrow, and there will be a huge party held at the Altieri palace. I am invited to the celebration."
Matteo asked: "And what do we gain from all this?"
Giovanni broke his silence: "This information is indeed important, Leonardo. Since Adriano loves Maria that much, we will try to exploit that."
After a moment of thought, Giovanni said: "We will kidnap Maria and hold her in a remote abandoned place far from here so no one knows the location. Then we will drop hints about her whereabouts to lure Adriano, who will surely come searching for her. Once we trap him, we will kill him."
Matteo said with surprise: "The plan is brilliant but very dangerous. However, we can carry it out. Who's with me?"
Marco said: "We are all ready for the mission and will succeed in eliminating Adriano. But first, we need to figure out how to kidnap Maria. I will recruit some gang members between today and tomorrow to help us with the kidnapping."
Leonardo said: "I am well-known there, and I will tell the guards you are my friends so they allow you in. I will buy you some fine clothes so no one suspects you aren't nobles. The poor are not allowed into the noble district. Also, I will forge some entry cards, as entry is only allowed with those cards."
Giovanni said proudly: "You all seem to be in sync in your thinking, my sons. But don't forget, the plan will fail if each one of you doesn't carry out his role successfully."
Matteo replied confidently: "Don't worry, Giovanni. We will be trustworthy and united."
They spent a long time thinking over the execution and every step. After a while, Leonardo said: "We should go back to the shop now. The workday is almost over, and we need to be there so no one suspects we fled. Let's go, Matteo."
Matteo agreed and went with him to the shop. Then Matteo returned to his room, while Leonardo went to buy the clothes and later returned home as well.
Elsewhere, in a huge palace more like a museum the walls were covered with shining golden embroideries, and the water features in the gardens brought joy to the heart. Servants moved busily throughout the palace.
This palace was home to the greatest family on the island, the Altieris.
Inside the palace, specifically in its largest room, sat a stern man with long white hair, thick and merciless.
Francesco relaxed on the couch, thinking about something, when suddenly...
He heard a gentle voice near him say: "What are you thinking about, my love?"
Francesco straightened up to look at the beautiful woman who stole his heart and said calmly: "Nothing... I'm not thinking about anything, Victoria."
Victoria sat beside him and said: "Our daughter Maria will agree... of course she will agree to Adriano. He is not bad, and he loves her deeply. Plus, he is the crown prince."
Adriano was a handsome young man, harsh in character, despising the poor and considering them like locusts. He loved Maria and was her cousin, but Maria did not like him nor did she admire his personality.
Maria was a very beautiful girl, Francesco's daughter, who disliked class distinctions and treated everyone equally.
In the morning, Leonardo went to the shop and met Matteo, saying: "I bought the clothes yesterday and forged the cards. Now we will go to the headquarters."
Matteo and Leonardo went to the headquarters and found Giovanni waiting for Marco.
Marco was walking the streets, talking to people about the gang, and some were responding positively, while others refused out of fear of punishment if they were exposed.
After Marco arrived at the headquarters, he said: "I have prepared the people who will help us kidnap Maria."
Leonardo said: "And I brought the clothes and forged cards."
Matteo said: "Then everything is ready. Let's go now."
Meanwhile, in the Altieri palace, servants were preparing for the party that night, and the girls were getting Maria ready to look her best. And in the evening...
To be continued...