Page 64 of Until the Ink runs Crimson

We shake on it.

One more chain broken. And Zano? One step closer to ruin.

We step outside, followed by Renzo, and he shuts the door behind us. The drive to the penthouse is long, too long for my liking, but in the back of my mind, the conversation with Renzo plays out again and again. His words, that hint of hesitation before he gave in, and that final nod of acceptance. His allegiance is ours now, but there’s still work to be done. We need to break every chain Zano's built. The game has shifted. And now, it's time for a new king.

But we’ll get to that later.

Calista walks beside me, her expression unreadable, eyes distant, as if the weight of what just happened hasn’t quite sunk in yet. I give her time. We’ve seen too much blood together for me to force her to speak when she’s not ready.

When we enter the penthouse, we don’t waste time. I throw my coat on the back of the nearest chair and head for the liquor cabinet. One glass of whiskey. No hesitation. Calista, however, sets herself down at the desk where we’ve been working for the last few days, already pulling up encrypted files. Her mind’s already ahead of the game.

I watch her for a moment. I’ll never get tired of the quiet strength she radiates.

Lucrezia arrives soon after, her heels clicking against the floor as she steps into the study. She looks between Calista and me with a sharp gaze. I know she’s already aware of everything that’s happened—she always is. It’s one of the things I respect most about her. She’s never caught off guard.

"Everything go smoothly?" Lucrezia asks, her tone neutral, but I can tell she’s itching for details.

Calista looks up from the iPad in her hands, tapping her fingers against the screen. “He folded,” she says simply. “The bastard’s smart, but in the end, his greed won out.”

I take a step closer to her, resting my weight against the desk as I watch her. She's calm, collected, but I know the fire inside her hasn’t been extinguished. Not by a long shot.

Lucrezia raises an eyebrow. “You’ve earned your seat at this table, girl.” Her voice holds a note of approval, but it’s the kind of praise that comes with years of understanding how these things work. No one gets a free pass. Calista has earned this.

A grin spreads across my face as I cross my arms, my gaze never leaving her. I don’t have to say anything. I’ve seen enough to know.

“She’s not just a weapon,” I say, voice low but filled with admiration. “She’s a strategist. And my fiancé.”

I know things have changed between us. But this is a different kind of recognition. A recognition that goes beyond the usual power plays. I feel the heat of her gaze meeting mine, sharp and unwavering. There’s something deeper than just mutual respect between us. There’s an understanding that runs to the core of us both. I see the fire in her eyes, and I know she sees it in mine too.

We don’t speak. There’s no need to. We both know where we stand in this—together, unstoppable.

And then it’s time to get back to work.

We go through the motions of business, the formalities, but my mind keeps drifting back to that look. The way she moves, the way she operates. I’ve never met anyone like her. A woman who isn’t just a piece on the board, but the one pulling the strings. This is her war, just as much as it is mine.

Hours pass. The reports come in—one after the other. De Corsi’s operations are collapsing. Partners are defecting in droves. Zano’s house is crumbling under its own lies, its own corruption. And the whispers? They grow louder. The word is out. Zano’s time is up.

Calista’s eyes are glued to the screen, but she’s different now. There’s a shift in her posture. The intensity of the battle fuels her instead of wearing her down. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.

This war?

She’s the fire behind it.

And we’re not done yet.

"It's only just starting," Calista murmurs, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. She doesn’t look up. But I know she’s not just talking about Zano. She’s talking about everything.

I take another sip of whiskey, watching her with a mixture of awe and desire. This—this is the woman who’s going to change everything. I don’t need to say it out loud. It’s in the way we look at each other, in the silence that speaks volumes.

The war is no longer just fought with guns.

It’s fought with fire. With strategy. With people who know how to burn things down—and rebuild from the ashes.

The collapse of Zano’s empire is just the beginning.

And I couldn’t be more fucking ready for it.

As the sun sets behind the penthouse windows, the uncertainty of what’s to come looms over us. The end is near for De Corsi, but what comes after?

---