Chapter 1 - The heavy oak door
The Castellano estate was a fortress of silent marble and towering glass, a place where the air itself felt heavy with unspoken authority. At the heart of this sprawling manor was the private office of Vincent Castellano. Tall, broad-shouldered, and fiercely intimidating, the late-forties Mafia Boss was a legendary figure. With his slicked-back dark hair, fair and rosy skin, and a face carved with unapologetic masculine strength, Vincent ruled his empire with frightening control. He was a man who demanded absolute perfection, down to his perfectly tailored black suit, pristine white dress shirt, dark tie, luxury wristwatch, and polished leather shoes. Nobody entered his office without an invitation. Nobody, except a two-year-old girl named Adeline Boudreaux.
Adeline was the estate maid’s daughter. Tiny, brave, and unusually observant for a toddler, she possessed soft light-brown hair and a fair, rosy complexion that made her look like a porcelain doll. Dressed in a simple blue dress and small white shoes, she wandered the quiet afternoon corridors with absolute calm, her small arms tightly clutching a worn stuffed green alligator. The alligator went everywhere she went.
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The heavy oak door to Vincent’s office was left slightly ajar, something that never happened. Adeline stopped, her small blue shoes silent on the expensive rug. She pushed the half-open door wider with one tiny hand, expecting to see the towering man working at his desk. Instead, the room was eerily quiet. She took a few steps inside and found Vincent slumped weakly behind his massive desk. His face was unusually pale, his breathing shallow, and one large hand was pressed tightly against his side. A cup of dark espresso had spilled across his desk when he collapsed, soaking a dark patch into the fabric of his white dress shirt.
Adeline tilted her head, her bright eyes filled with innocent concern. “Uncle Vin?”
