According to Vito, everything up until the point Atlas visited him in Novera was nothing more than business he didn’t care about. He simply wanted to screw Farah over for screwing him first — an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
That was the rule of the underground world.
It was rare for Vito to be the one who got hit first. Usually, he struck before anyone else could. But with Farah, it was the opposite. And so, out of pride and twisted logic, he refused to stop until she was the one crawling back to him.
But things changed when Atlas ca to see him, and other people began appearing afterward.
That eting with Atlas was like a door opening — one Vito hadn’t even known existed.
And suddenly, everything he had uncovered in Ravah started to interest him. After all, he had attacked the region of Ashkar while Farah was away. It was just that, being the psycho he was, he hadn’t paid much attention to the details he’d discovered — the brutal military training thods, the business dealings taking place, and everything else hidden beneath the surface.
With all the evidence and the not-so-subtle crumbs scattered around him, it didn’t take long for Vito to uncover the existence of the Secret Society, the five founding families, and the Church’s plans.
How did he know about the Church’s plans?
Well. Easy.
"You what?" Haji scoffed in disbelief, only for Vito to shrug.
"They pissed off too!" Vito threw his hands up while Haji paced dramatically in front of him. "That’s what happens when people piss off!"
"That’s a freaking church!"
"So what?" Vito tugged at his ear in irritation. "They look down on , I burn their church."
Yep. That was exactly what he did.
Vito got so annoyed with the people trying to recruit him into their so-called new world order that he responded by burning down one of their main churches. It even made international news, though it was covered up as an accident.
He would’ve loved it if they’d given him credit for it.
Even so, the incident proved to him that the people he was dealing with — who were apparently Farah’s bosses — were not lying. That was the only ti Vito truly began taking them seriously.
"So now I’ve got... forty-five minutes to answer," Vito blinked lazily, his face twisting in dismay. "Hell. That’s it? That only took us fifteen minutes? Haji, co on, man! You’re better than this. Waste more of my ti!"
Haji ignored the nonsense and continued pacing, massaging his temple. From what he understood, the Church wanted to recruit Vito to do their dirty work. And Farah was just a plant — soone embedded in the underground world for the Church’s operations.
"Those cunning bastards," Haji hissed. "They present themselves as holy and proudly claim they don’t control any nations, unlike the other founding families. But in reality, they’ve already taken root in the underworld."
Vito was a powerful force, but there were others like him. Farah, for instance.
"Right!" Vito suddenly exclaid, as if sothing had just occurred to him. "Have you heard of a woman nad Nathalie Zorken?"
"Huh?" Haji turned toward him. The surna Zorken was familiar — it was the twins’ last na.
And Nathalie... Haji knew that na well. She was a notorious madwoman within the Order. She had slaughtered Scarlet’s family.
"I know her," Vito said. "Well, barely. I t her once during a eting with Farah. From what I heard, Farah provided her with the soldiers she needed. Last I knew, they were looking for children to train."
He shrugged. "That was a long ti ago, though. I never heard anything about that deal again. I only ntioned it because of Zorken. You know — the Zorkens. The people whose boots you lick now."
Haji stilled. His breathing grew heavier as he stared down at Vito. His hands slowly curled into tight fists, eyes burning with restrained fury.
Before he could respond, the door suddenly burst open.
Both n snapped their heads toward the entrance.
Haji squinted, then his mouth dropped open.
"Scarlet?" he assessed her from head to toe in disbelief. This was not how he rembered her dressing before they’d parted ways.
As far as he knew, Scarlet had been disguised as a man. Now her long legs were on full display, bare feet against the floor, her upper body covered only by a furry coat — which did very little to conceal the rest of her.
"Holy—" he cut himself off when Scarlet dropped the man she had slung over her shoulder.
She huffed, eyes darting between Haji and the man lounging comfortably on the couch.
So, he did find him.
"Get in. Now."
She dragged Yuri inside and slamd the door shut. Holding the handgun she’d taken from one of his n, she strode toward Vito and pressed the muzzle against the back of his head.
"We need weapons," she demanded. "Weapons, ammunition, vehicles. Say yes — or I’ll blow your brains out."
"Whoa, whoa!" Vito raised his hands, though his face showed more surprise than fear. His widened eyes shifted to Haji. "Hold on a damn minute! I’m innocent."
Still stunned, Haji’s gaze drifted toward the other girl.
Yuri wore a similar furry coat, glamd up and stunning. Unlike Scarlet, she looked timid.
Haji blinked. Then blinked again.
He couldn’t help letting his gaze travel over Yuri from head to toe. When his eyes returned to her face, he blinked once more.
Scarlet arched a brow, catching him staring.
"Hey," she called coldly. "This isn’t the ti."
Haji cleared his throat and shook his head, pointing at Yuri. "This is..."
"Yuri," Scarlet answered curtly, turning her focus back to Vito. "Did you hear ?"
Vito frowned at Haji. "Haji, tell your girl to calm down—"
Scarlet silenced him with a warning shot on the wall before pressing the heated muzzle back against his skull.
"I don’t have much ti," she muttered, glancing at Haji. "We’re taking him back."
Haji opened and closed his mouth before shaking his head. "Not yet."
"Why?"
"Not until he makes that phone call." He pointed at Vito, eyes on Scarlet. "This guy’s on death row."
"Huh?"
Haji didn’t elaborate. He glanced at the clock, then back at Vito.
"Make the call," he said. "Tell them... you accept their offer."
Vito scowled. "What am I, a pushover?"
"Do it." Scarlet pressed the muzzle harder. "I’m not kidding. Don’t test ."
Vito rolled his eyes, his reluctance obvious. To be fair, he’d already planned to accept, as it aligned with his own sche. But he hated being ordered around.
He weighed which he disliked more. Then, he decided...
"Fine!" He smacked his lips and leaned back, shouting, "Vincent! Get the damn phone! Gotta call that nun!"
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