#Chapter 79 - Aurora’s Reckoning

Aldo News of the victory at the factory didn’t just spread verbally through the city—peace washed through it like a wave. Neighborhoods and parks that had once been the sight of nightly altercations now slept silently once more. The streets had cleared of bullet casings and debris. Even the Orlov villa hummed with a quiet sort of contentment in stark contrast to the muted tension that had coiled it in an iron spring for the past weeks. The battle had been more than a turning point—it had been a decisive end to the war. Marco was dead. His forces were decimated. Allies cut ties with the Morettis or fled the city to avoid the rampaging wrath of the Marcello family. My men took back territories we’d lost, gained new ones. Gained tentative new allies, too, as many of Moretti’s alleged friends turned tail to protect their lives and assets. Still, one thing remained unresolved. I stood by the large window in my borrowed study, staring out at the sprawling grounds of the villa.