Author's Note:
This introduction provides brief context on the main characters and the division of Mafia territories. While short, it is essential for understanding the world before the main plot begins.
The story is written in first person. However, this introduction is presented in third person.
Thank you for giving PASSION WITHOUT MERCY a chance.
*****
For decades, Italy has dominated the Mafioso underworld on a global scale. The reason this dominance has remained unshaken lies in the existence of three ruling families: the Corvino, the Romano, and the Moretti.
The Corvino family governs Sicily, the Romano family controls Campania, and the Moretti family rules Calabria. Territorial laws are enforced with ruthless precision, the most sacred of them being the No-Cross Policy. Without written permission, no family may enter another's territory- and such permission is rarely, if ever, granted.
Though an uneasy peace has endured for years, tension festers beneath the surface. It is a ticking bomb waiting for the smallest spark to detonate. Each family watches the others, patient and predatory, aware that in their world power outweighs blood, and loyalty bends easily under ambition.
With every level of dominance attained, the hunger for more intensifies. Greed, pride, and the thirst for control strip away all sentiment. To belong to one of the three families is to descend into the darkest depths of hell, and once claimed the only escape is death.
The Corvino family is currently led by Luciano Corvino. Despite his name, Luciano, meaning light, he embodies its absence. He is often whispered about as the devil incarnate. Whatever sin one can imagine, Luciano Corvino is capable of committing something far worse.
The Romano family is led by Paolo Romano. Though quieter and more reserved in their dealings, the Romanos are anything but weak- and underestimating them has proven fatal to many.
Lastly, the Moretti family is ruled by Lorenzo Moretti. Little is known about them, as they prefer to operate from the shadows, rarely drawing attention or making headlines.
But every rule eventually fractures when someone threatens to disrupt decades of carefully maintained yet fragile peace. The foundation of all three empires begins to crumble almost dragging everything down with it.