1.Sir, I Found Your Son in the Trash Bin by the Kitchen, the Maid's Little Girl Said

The rain continued to fall over the city, turning the asphalt streets into slick black mirrors reflecting the neon lights of the industrial district.

At 5:30 AM, a sleek dark sedan pulled into the alley behind an elite, private surgical clinic in the uptown district. The sign out front read St. Agnes Specialty Care.

Inside the second-floor office, Dr. Julian Vance sat at his mahogany desk, frantically packing stacks of cash, fake passports, and encrypted hard drives into a leather duffel bag. His hands were shaking so violently he could barely operate the zipper.

"Come on, come on..." Julian muttered to himself, sweat dripping from his chin onto his expensive silk tie.

Three hours ago, he had received a frantic, truncated text message from Isabella Cross: THE BABY IS GONE. GET OUT NOW.

Since then, every attempt to reach Isabella had gone straight to voicemail.

Julian zipped the bag shut, threw it over his shoulder, and reached for his coat. He turned toward the private rear exit door—and froze.

Sitting quietly in the leather armchair beside the door was Mateo, the Falcone consigliere.

Behind Mateo stood three tall men in dark trench coats, their hands resting inside their jacket pockets.

"Going somewhere, Doctor?" Mateo asked pleasantly, holding a small silver pocket watch in his gloved palm.

Julian dropped the duffel bag. His face turned the color of ash. "Mateo... I... I was just heading out on an emergency consultation call—"

"Save your breath, Julian," Mateo interrupted, closing the pocket watch with a sharp snap. "We know about the wine cellar. We know about the delivery. And we know about Don Victor Moretti."

Julian’s knees gave out. He slid down the wall, collapsing onto the carpet. "It wasn't my idea! I swear to God, Mateo, it wasn't my idea! Isabella paid me five hundred thousand dollars! She said Marcus would never find out! She said the child would be sent to an orphanage in Argentina!"

The shadow of a tall man appeared in the doorway behind Mateo.

Marcus Falcone stepped into the room. He walked with slow, measured steps, stopping directly in front of the kneeling doctor.

"Where is Victor Moretti right now?" Marcus asked, his voice flat, devoid of emotion.

"He's... he's at the waterfront estate in Eastport!" Julian babbled, tears leaking from his eyes. "He’s expecting Isabella to bring him the hospital birth certificate tonight! He wants to use the baby's DNA to claim legal rights over the Falcone northern shipping territory!"

Marcus looked at Mateo. "Isabella’s phone. Give it to him."

Mateo reached into his coat and handed a sleek smartphone to Dr. Julian.

"Call Don Victor," Marcus ordered. "Tell him the delivery was successful. Tell him Isabella is waiting for him at the old grain silo on Pier 42 with the paperwork. Tell him to come alone."

Julian looked up at Marcus’s terrifying face, realizing that his survival depended entirely on how well he performed in the next thirty seconds. "And... and if I do this? Will you let me live?"

Marcus stared down at him with cold, unblinking eyes. "Perform well, Julian... and I will let you leave this city alive."

With trembling fingers, Julian dialed the secure number. He held the phone to his ear, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.

After three rings, a deep, raspy voice answered. "Is it done?"

Julian swallowed hard, forcing his voice into a calm, professional tone. "Don Victor. Yes. The delivery went smoothly. Isabella has the documents and the proof of birth."

"Where is she?"

"She's waiting at the Pier 42 grain silo," Julian said, reciting Marcus's script perfectly. "She says Marcus is suspicious about a security breach at the mansion, so you need to come personally to finalize the handoff before he locks down the harbor."

A long silence stretched over the line. For five agonizing seconds, Julian thought the old mafia Don had realized the trap.

Finally, Victor Moretti let out a low laugh over the speaker. "Good work, Doctor. Tell Isabella I will be there in twenty minutes. The Falcone empire ends tonight."

The line went dead.

Julian let out a massive sigh of relief, handing the phone back to Mateo. "I did it. I did what you asked, Marcus! You promised!"

Marcus turned toward the door, walking out into the hallway without looking back.