Chapter 6 - The Enemy Inside the Empire
The first thing Vincent Romano did after hearing about the message was not anger.
It was silence.
A dangerous silence.
Marcus stood across from him inside the private office, waiting for a reaction.
He expected shouting.
A command.
A threat.
Anything.
But Vincent simply stared at the message on the screen.
Stay away from him.
Three simple words.
Three words that carried a warning.
Someone wanted Celia afraid.
Someone wanted her to disappear.
And that meant one thing.
They knew she mattered.
Vincent slowly placed the phone on the desk.
“Find out where it came from.”
Marcus nodded.
“We’re already working on it.”
“And Celia?”
“She hasn’t told anyone.”
Vincent looked up.
“How do you know?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Because she’s still at work.”
That answer surprised him.
After receiving a threatening message, most people would panic.
They would run.
They would ask questions.
They would look for protection.
But Celia Jace was different.
She continued living.
As if fear wasn’t something she allowed to control her.
Vincent didn’t know if that made her brave or reckless.
Maybe both.
“She shouldn’t be alone,” Vincent said.
Marcus watched him carefully.
“You want security on her?”
Vincent didn’t answer immediately.
That hesitation said everything.
Because Vincent Romano had spent years making decisions without doubt.
But Celia changed the equation.
If he protected her too openly, she would know.
If he stayed away, she could be vulnerable.
For the first time in years, Vincent found himself afraid of making the wrong choice.
“Discreetly,” he finally said.
Marcus nodded.
“No one approaches her.”
“Correct.”
“And if there is a threat?”
Vincent’s eyes hardened.
“Remove it.”
Celia had spent her entire life learning how to survive uncomfortable situations.
Bad customers.
Difficult bosses.
Unexpected bills.
Lonely nights.
But she had never learned how to handle being watched.
Because that was what she felt now.
Watched.
She stood behind the counter at Mel’s Diner, pouring coffee while pretending everything was normal.
A customer complained about the temperature.
Someone asked for extra sugar.
A couple argued quietly near the window.
The world continued.
But Celia couldn’t forget the message.
You don’t know who he is.
The strange part was…
She knew they were right.
She didn’t know Vincent Romano.
Not really.
She knew the way he looked at his son.
She knew the way his voice changed when he was worried.
She knew he protected Leo.
But she didn’t know the other side.
The side people feared.
The side that made strangers send warnings.
“Celia?”
She looked up.
Her coworker, Hannah, stood in front of her.
“You okay?”
Celia forced a smile.
“Yeah.”
Hannah studied her.
“You’re doing that thing again.”
“What thing?”
“Pretending you’re fine.”
Celia looked away.
It bothered her how often people noticed that.
Maybe she wasn’t as good at hiding things as she thought.
“I’m just tired.”
Hannah sighed.
“You always say that.”
Celia smiled slightly.
“Because it’s usually true.”
But even as she said it, she knew something had changed.
Before Vincent and Leo entered her life, her problems were simple.
Work.
Money.
Rent.
Now she had stepped into something much darker.
Something she couldn’t fix with kindness alone.
That afternoon, Vincent arrived at the diner again.
This time, Celia was ready.
The moment he walked through the door, she immediately approached him.
“What are you doing here?”
Vincent looked at her.
“Having lunch.”
She stared.
“You came all the way here for lunch?”
“Yes.”
“You own restaurants.”
“I know.”
“Then why this one?”
A pause.
“Because you work here.”
Celia crossed her arms.
“That is not a normal reason.”
Vincent looked around.
“I’m beginning to understand normal is not your favorite word.”
Despite herself, she almost smiled.
Almost.
Then she remembered the message.
Her expression changed.
Vincent noticed.
Immediately.
“What happened?”
Celia looked surprised.
“Nothing.”
He watched her.
“You’re lying.”
She looked away.
“You always know?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Because you look at the door every few minutes.”
That stopped her.
She hadn’t realized she was doing it.
Vincent’s expression became serious.
“Someone contacted you.”
It wasn’t a question.
Celia was quiet.
Then she slowly reached into her pocket and showed him the phone.
Vincent read the message.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
He didn’t react.
That was what scared her.
He didn’t need to.
His anger was visible in the way he became completely still.
“Who sent this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you reply?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Celia looked at him.
“Good?”
“Yes.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Because whoever sent it wanted a reaction.”
“And you think ignoring them helps?”
“No.”
Vincent looked at her.
“I think keeping you safe helps.”
Those words surprised her.
“You’re acting like I’m part of this.”
Vincent was silent.
Then:
“You are.”
The honesty hurt more than she expected.
Celia looked down.
“I never wanted this.”
“I know.”
“Then why am I involved?”
Vincent looked at her.
Because the answer was simple.
Because his son loved her.
Because he trusted her.
Because Vincent himself had started caring.
But he didn’t say those things.
Instead, he said:
“Because you were kind to the wrong person.”
Celia looked confused.
“What does that mean?”
Vincent’s voice became quieter.
“It means my enemies don’t understand kindness.”
That night, Vincent returned home later than usual.
Leo was sitting in the living room.
Waiting.
Vincent stopped.
“You should be sleeping.”
Leo looked at him.
“You’re worried about Celia.”
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
“You’re seven.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I’m still right.”
For a moment, Vincent didn’t know what to say.
Children were supposed to ask simple questions.
Not understand emotions adults tried to hide.
“She’s safe.”
Leo looked relieved.
“Good.”
A pause.
Then:
“Papa?”
“Yes?”
“Are you going to make her leave?”
Vincent looked at him.
The question caught him off guard.
“Why would I?”
“Because everyone leaves.”
The sentence was quiet.
But it carried years of pain.
Vincent walked closer.
“Celia is not everyone.”
Leo looked up.
“You promise?”
Vincent sat beside him.
Promises were dangerous.
Vincent knew that.
Because promises created expectations.
But when he looked at his son, he understood something.
Some promises were worth making.
“I promise.”
Meanwhile, deep beneath the city, another conversation was taking place.
A man sat in a dark room overlooking Manhattan.
Adrian Vale.
He had spent years waiting.
Watching.
Planning.
And now Vincent Romano finally had something that could break him.
Not money.
Not power.
Not his empire.
Something much simpler.
Someone he cared about.
A man across from Adrian placed a photograph on the table.
Celia.
Working at the diner.
Walking home.
Laughing with Leo.
Adrian smiled.
“So this is the weakness.”
The man nodded.
“She doesn’t know anything.”
“Exactly.”
Adrian picked up the photograph.
“That makes her dangerous.”
The man looked confused.
“How?”
“Because people who know Vincent’s world expect danger.”
Adrian looked at Celia’s picture.
“But someone innocent?”
He smiled.
“They remind him what he is fighting for.”
A pause.
“And that makes him vulnerable.”
The next morning, Vincent received unexpected news.
Marcus entered his office.
“We found the person who sent the message.”
Vincent looked up.
“Who?”
Marcus placed a file down.
Vincent opened it.
And froze.
Because the name inside was not Adrian Vale.
Not an enemy.
Not a stranger.
It was someone from his own organization.
Someone who had stood beside him for years.
Someone who had earned his trust.
Vincent slowly closed the file.
“The enemy is already inside.”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
Vincent looked out the window.
For years, he had protected his empire from outside threats.
But he had forgotten the most dangerous enemies were often the ones invited through the front door.
And now, someone inside his own world had targeted his son.
Had threatened Celia.
Had crossed the one line Vincent never allowed anyone to cross.
Family.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
Only one sentence.
You can’t protect everyone, Vincent.
He stared at it.
Then deleted it.
Because whoever sent that message had misunderstood something.
Vincent Romano was not afraid of losing his empire.
He had rebuilt it before.
He was not afraid of enemies.
He had defeated them before.
But now they had touched the one thing that changed him.
The boy who made him human.
And the woman who reminded him that humanity still existed.
This was no longer about revenge.
May you like
It was about protecting the people who had become his family.
And Vincent Romano was ready to destroy anyone who threatened them.
