Second Life: The Mafia Wife’s Cold Awakening Chapter 05

Second Life: The Mafia Wife’s Cold Awakening Chapter 05

Chapter 5 Ashes and Betrayal

After we snapped his leg, Lucian got real quiet.

Every day, he dragged that mangled limb through the warehouse, doing whatever grunt work he could still

manage.

Nobody talked to him. They scattered like he was carrying plague.

But I knew he hadn’t truly given up.

Behind his eyes, the hate still smoldered.

Just biding his time. Waiting for a bigger play.

Time flew by, and soon it was Christmas.

The entire city was bathed in a festive glow, with Christmas trees and twinkling lights everywhere.

The Vittori family threw a lavish Christmas bash. All the heavy hitters were there.

Dominic asked me to come. I passed.

I hate crowds. And something in my gut whispered-Lucian would make his move tonight.

Sure enough, chaos struck on the night of the party.

At two in the morning, I was asleep in my mansion when a sharp, urgent phone call jolted me awake.

The dock manager. Voice cracking. On the verge of tears. “Mrs. Ashford! Christ-the docks! Warehouse Three is burning! All of it!”

I shot upright. My heart slammed against my ribs.

“What happened? How the hell did it start?”

“Nobody knows! It just-it just went up! And… and Lucian’s gone!”

A jolt of dread struck me.

It was him. I knew it.

I threw on clothes, grabbed my guards, and flew to the dock.

From miles out, I saw it. The sky bleeding red. Smoke choking the stars.

The entire Warehouse No. 3 was a sea of fire; fire truck sirens wailed nonstop, but they couldn’t even get close due to the heat.

I raced to the edge of the fire, trembling with rage as I watched the flames roar.

A hundred million in munitions. The family’s biggest deal in half a year. Now just ash and smoke. Staggering.

“Where the f*ck is Lucian?” My jaw was wired shut.

“We tore the whole dock apart. Nothing.” The manager was sobbing. “And-several workers are missing too. All his guys. From the old days.”

Then it clicked.

He didn’t just torch the place. He took his loyalists with him.

He’d definitely defected to our rival-the Sorenzo family.

The Sorenzos and Vittoris had been bleeding each other for decades. They’d always wanted the docks. Never found an opening.

Now Lucian had gift-wrapped himself for them. They wouldn’t pass that up.

“Seal every exit. City-wide dragnet for Lucian and his crew.” I turned to Finch Marco. “And call the Don. Tell him everything.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Just then, my phone rang.

It was an Unknown number.

I picked up.

“Serafina.” His voice. Familiar and crazy. “You see the docks? Beautiful, isn’t it? This is just the opening act.”

“Lucian, you traitor!” I hissed. “You crawled to the Sorenzos? Aren’t you afraid the Don will have your head?”

“Afraid? I moved past fear a long time ago!” Lucian erupted into crazed laughter. “If I’m going down, I’m dragging every last one of you with me!”

“The Sorenzos already made me a deal. I torch the Vittori docks, they give me ten million. And they’re gonna help me kill you and Dominic!” His voice climbed higher. Wild.

“Three days. The Sorenzos hit everything. And I’ll be there—to cut your head off myself. Payment for everything you stole from me.”

With that, he hung up.

I clutched the phone, my hand shaking with rage.

Lucian had truly lost his goddamn mind.

For revenge, he’d sell out to the enemy. Burn the family he once swore to serve.

“Lucian.” My voice was quiet. “This time, no more chances.”