Chapter 3

Three days later, news feeds everywhere went wild. One headline read, "Corleone Famiglia Heirloom Case Solved! Thief Apprehended in Navoles City." The article included a photo of a copycat criminal with a lame leg, already in handcuffs. The Corleone famiglia had captured the wrong person. I scoffed out loud. What an idiot. A piece of trash who couldn't even tell genuine treasures from fakes didn't deserve to act in my name. Just as I was about to close the tab, my private phone—reserved exclusively for "business" communications—suddenly started vibrating. I had received a new message from an unknown number. It took an extraordinary person to have the guts to hire me, knowing I was wanted by Lucio. After reading the short message, I was stunned. "I have a big job for you—500 million Aurasian dollars to get me Don Corleone's ruby ring. You'll find further information attached." The message came with a few photos and lengthy instructions. The ring in question, apparently one of the treasures passed down within the Corleone famiglia, was inlaid with a ruby larger than a pigeon's egg. I'd heard that Lucio, the Don who was targeting me, only ever took it off when he showered. I stared at the numbers on the screen. 500 million Aurasian dollars. It wasn't five million or 50 million dollars—it was 500 million dollars. I couldn't help but giggle stupidly. With that money, I could live free and easy for three lifetimes. However, if I accepted the job and failed, I'd be in serious trouble. It felt as though an angel and a devil were perched on my shoulders. The angel urged me to run far away and not be fooled by the offer; the devil whispered that if I succeeded, I'd be hailed as a master thief, gaining financial freedom and a reputation that would last through the ages. As I was staring hesitantly at the 500-million-dollar offer, two pieces of industry gossip popped up in the encrypted channel. "Has the Thief Queen become a chicken ever since becoming wanted by Don Corleone?" "Don't you know that her father gave up the old trade after falling under the Corleone famiglia's thumb years ago? It looks like cowardice is a hereditary trait." The face of my father, Elio Rossi, flashed before my eyes. Chicken, coward… Every one of these insults struck me like a whip. I was shaking with anger. To this day, my father's name was stained by the shame of that one failure, but I now had the chance to avenge the insult. I poured myself a glass of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. The alcohol burned its way down my throat, taking my last bit of hesitation along with it. I was taking this job. Even if it really was a trap, I wanted to see what lay behind the trap. Either I'd rise to fame with 500 million dollars and ring in my pocket, or my corpse would become the industry's latest laughing stock. At 3:00 am, I sent a text message in reply. "I'll take the job. The deposit is half of the total, and we go by the same old rules." My cursor hovered over the send button for a second. Then, I clicked the mouse, and the message was displayed as delivered. I chuckled. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. What dangers had I, Elvira Rossi, never braved before? This time, I was hell-bent on getting both the ring and the 500 million dollars.