Queen Mafia*
*Chapter 5: Bloodlines and Betrayal*
The air in Naples was growing colder, and not just from the weather. Whispers of Sienna's ruthless move against Lorenzo rippled through the criminal underworld. Her name was no longer just mentioned in hushed tones — it was spoken with *fear*.
But fear came with a cost.
Back at the De Luca estate, Sienna stood in front of a large oil painting of her father. His sharp gaze looked down on her — stern, unreadable, proud.
"I'm doing it your way, Father," she murmured. "But I don't know how long I can carry this crown without losing myself."
Behind her, Aria entered. "We've intercepted a message. Someone's trying to contact the Russians — from inside our circle."
Sienna turned slowly. "Who?"
Aria hesitated. "Your cousin… Elena."
The name hit Sienna like a silent punch. Elena — the only family she still trusted. The one who cried beside her at her father's funeral. The one who held her hand when Marco's betrayal was discovered.
"No," Sienna said flatly. "Elena would never—"
"She was seen at the docks. The same night Marco escaped. Talking to a man we know works for Volkov."
Sienna's fists clenched. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.
"If this is true," she said coldly, "I want her brought to me. Alive."
***
That night, Sienna waited in the drawing room, surrounded by silence and shadows. Every tick of the antique clock grated against her skin.
The doors opened.
Elena was shoved inside, her hands bound, eyes red from crying.
"Sienna, please—"
"Why were you at the docks?" Sienna's voice was ice.
"I didn't help Marco! I swear!"
"Then what were you doing there?"
"I… I was meeting someone," Elena said, avoiding her cousin's gaze. "But it wasn't for Marco."
"Then who?"
Elena said nothing.
Sienna stepped forward. "I've killed men for less, Elena. If I'm not family to you anymore, say it."
Tears welled in Elena's eyes. "You are my family! But I'm tired of living in fear. Every day I'm watching my back, wondering if I'm next. I just… I just wanted out."
Sienna blinked. For a moment, her heart softened. "Out? There is no 'out' in this world, Elena. We were born into blood. We survive, or we perish."
"I never wanted this life," Elena whispered.
"Neither did I," Sienna replied. "But we don't always get a choice."
She turned to Aria. "Let her go."
Elena gasped. "You believe me?"
"No," Sienna said. "But I believe fear speaks louder than truth. If you ever meet another enemy again, even just to talk—know that I will hear of it. And next time, I won't be merciful."
Elena nodded shakily, then fled the room.
Aria raised an eyebrow. "Merciful?"
"She was a child when we were learning how to lie with a smile," Sienna said. "If she's guilty… she'll hang herself with her own secrets."
***
Outside the villa, in a black van parked under the moonlight, a man in a tailored suit spoke into a phone.
"Yes," he said. "She let Elena go. The Ratu still has a weakness."
He smiled thinly.
"That's all we need."
---
*End of Chapter 5*
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