Chapter 6 THE CLAN MEMBERS（2）
Aurora stirred.
Her body ached not in the sweet, dizzying way stories once described, but deep, raw, and bone-weary. Every inch of her felt sore, drained, like she'd been wrung out and left empty.
She blinked against the soft morning light seeping through the curtains.
Her throat was dry.
And then she realized she was still on the same bed.
Still naked.
But the cold metal around her wrist… was gone.
No more chain.
She lifted her arm slowly, wincing at the dull sting. A faint red mark lingered where the restraint had once sat.
The sheets beneath her were different. Clean. Crisp. Changed.
A bitter taste touched the back of her mouth.
Someone had cleaned up.
Someone had tucked her into fresh bedding while she lay unconscious, stripped of power.
Her eyes scanned the room slowly.
No sign of him.
Aurora tried to sit, but a sharp pain stabbed through her core, and she collapsed back into the pillows with a whimper.
She never expected her virginity be taken in thus brutal way, not the way she imagined it.
The stupid crush.
The secret love.
Gone.
Burned away in one brutal night.
She didn’t know who she was anymore.
Just that she wasn’t the girl she used to be.
Not after Matteo.
And certainly not after last night.
After a moment, she forced herself upright, one trembling foot at a time. She wrapped the edge of the blanket around herself and limped toward the vanity across the room.
She caught her reflection in the mirror.
Hair messy. Eyes dull and swollen. Lips bruised. Skin pale.
And then she saw it, just over her shoulder.
A dark red mark near the curve of her back, raw and tender.
Her fingers hovered near the mark, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch it.
"He's a monster. Can't believe I was once crushing on him, can't even tell Enzo about this"
With careful steps, she made her way to the bathroom, still wrapped in the blanket, her bare feet cool against the floor.
•••
THE MORETTIS EMPIRE*
The moment he entered the grand hallway of the Moretti Empire, every clan member and guard stood in silence. Their gazes dropped respectfully.
No one dared block his path.
But Matteo didn’t stop for anyone.
Not for the guards.
Not even when one of the clan members, standing at the foot of the staircase with arms folded, muttered, "It’s time"
Matteo just climbed the stairs.
His steps were cold and calculated, echoing like the march of death itself.
He pushed open the heavy oak doors without knocking.
Inside…
Don Salvatore Moretti lay propped against a mountain of pillows. His skin pale and sunken, mouth stained faintly with blood. The ashtray beside him overflowed. The room reeked of smoke, death…
His cough rattled the air like chains being dragged.
Still, he smoked.
Matteo stepped in without a word, eyes unreadable, jaw tense.
The Don turned his head weakly. His voice was hoarse but sharp.
"Close the door, boy. I don’t need the others watching me die"
Matteo did as told.
He approached slowly. No sadness. No pity. No softness.
Just silence.
"You’ve grown colder than I ever taught you" the Don chuckled bitterly, coughing hard. Blood touched his lips.
"Good"
Another pause. A sharp inhale.
"Cancer… they said. Long time ago. I never gave a damn. But it’s eating faster now. Finally winning"
He tried to sit up straighter, failed, then gave up.
"You listen to me, Matteo. I built this empire from blood. I carved it from men’s bones. But you… you’ll turn it into a goddamn kingdom"
Matteo said nothing.
"Take the clan," the Don rasped, voice cracking. "They're yours now. You give them fear. You give them loyalty. You never give them love. That was my mistake with your mother—"
"Don’t" Matteo cut in sharply. His jaw flexed.
The Don coughed again, weaker this time. Slower. His fingers trembled as he reached toward the nightstand.
He knocked something over. A photo.
Matteo ignored it.
"You’re a Moretti. And Morettis don’t cry. We conquer"
And then… he laughed once short, bitter and the sound ended mid-breath.
His eyes froze open.
Still.
Matteo didn’t flinch.
Didn’t blink.
He reached for the cigar still burning beside the body and pressed it into the ashtray.
Then, with silent precision, he picked up the Don’s old gun an engraved silver Beretta, kissed with dried blood at the grip.
He tucked it into his holster.
Turned.
And walked out of the room without looking back.
Ten people waited in the grand inner chamber. The most dangerous members of the Moretti empire.
Five men. Five women.
Each deadly in their own right.
ACE — Ice-cold. Tactical. Covered in black ink and silent fury.
BLADE — The youngest, wild-eyed, and always twirling a butterfly knife between gloved fingers.
ROCCO — Muscle. Ex-boxer. Built like a freight train with a crooked smile that never reached his eyes.
STORM — Sharp with explosives. The quiet genius, always in dark hoodies and combat boots.
AXE — The brutal one. Loved blood. Carried a steel axe on his back like it was part of him.
VIPER — Sensual and savage. A poison expert with dead eyes and red stilettos.
SCARLETT — Tall, elegant, but her gloved hands were known for strangling men silently.
SYLVIA — Hacker. Tech witch. Never smiled. Her glare could crack glass.
ROSA — Soft-spoken, lethal with blades. Loved slicing flesh like it was silk.
VIXEN — The seductress. Manipulated kings and spies alike. Beauty masking a black soul.
As Matteo stepped into the room, all ten stood at once.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They had heard the Don was gone.
And now…
Their new king walked among them.
Matteo’s eyes swept across the room.
Dead calm.
"You all know what just happened" he said flatly.
A few heads dipped. Others stayed still.
He walked to the center of the room, stood beneath the massive Moretti crest, a lion devouring a snake and pulled the silver Beretta from his coat.
He placed it on the table.
"My father built this empire with blood. I’ll burn the world to protect it" He glanced at each face, one by one.
"There’s a mission tonight"
A quiet ripple passed through the room.
"We’re retrieving something valuable. Or rather… someone"
His eyes narrowed, locked on Vixen.
"Elijah Varga. Arms dealer. Sits on millions in war weapons, and a drive full of classified contracts that could destroy nations. We need that drive"
Storm raised a brow. "We’ve tried to breach his firewalls before. They don’t just bite, they explode"
"Exactly why we’re not going through his systems" Matteo replied. "We’re going through him"
Vixen’s blood-red lips curved slowly. "He likes women. A little too much"
"Then we’ll give him what he likes," Matteo said coldly. "And take what we came for"
He circled the table like a general selecting soldiers for war.
"Scarlett. Vixen. Rosa. You’re going in"
Scarlett gave a short nod, emotionless. Rosa tilted her head with interest. Vixen grinned like she was already tasting the chaos.
"Ace" Matteo added, eyes flicking to him. "You’re backup. Hidden. Armed. If anything goes wrong, you get the girls out or burn the whole place down trying"
Ace gave a single nod, his eyes on Vixen.
"Sylvia, I want a live satellite feed and facial recognition ready. If anyone in that building breathes too loud, I want to know"
The hacker didn't look up from her tablet, already typing. "Done"
Matteo turned to Vixen last.
"You’re the entry"
She smirked. "Always am"
Viper secretly rolled her eyes.
"Good. Flirt with him. Drug him if you must. But don’t kill him unless I say so. He dies, and the entire Eastern syndicate retaliates. We want the drive, not a war"
"And if he touches one of us?” Rosa asked, her voice soft like silk but everyone in the room heard the blade underneath.
"Then make sure his last memory is regret" Matteo said coldly.
He leaned forward, both hands braced on the table.
"This mission is clean. Quick. Precise. No mistakes"
His gaze swept over all ten of them again.
"If Varga suspects a thing, he’ll disappear. And this empire doesn’t have time to chase ghosts”
Matteo stood tall again, lifting the silver Beretta off the table.
"Move out by sundown. Vixen wear something red. He likes red"
Vixen smirked. "So do I"
Matteo walked out of the chamber afterwards.
He he pulled out his phone, encrypted, Moretti-coded.
He tapped once.
A live feed popped up.
His security system connected directly to a hidden camera nestled within the chandelier of his private bedroom.
And there she was.
Aurora.
Curled up in the center of the massive bed. She was wearing his t-shirt, and his oversized black t-shirt swallowed her frame, slipping off one shoulder, revealing smooth skin and faint bruises he’d left behind.
She didn’t notice the camera.
Didn’t know she was being watched.
She looked soft… fragile.
Her legs were tucked under her, phone in hand, thumbs moving slowly like she was texting someone. Her brows furrowed as if whatever she was typing hurt more than she expected.
She paused. Lowered the phone.
Then hugged her knees and stared blankly at the wall.
Matteo smirked.
"Missing me already, piccola?"
His thumb hovered over the screen. He zoomed in slightly.
Her face filled the screen. Soft lips parted slightly, lashes brushing against flushed cheeks.
"Fuçk" he got turned on just by staring at her.
Meanwhile, Viper was watching him silently.
