Rain hammered against the estate like bullets from the sky.
Inside the war room, every monitor glowed with flashing red signals as multiple armed convoys approached from different directions.
Adrian leaned over the tactical screen.
"Orlov's vehicles are five minutes out."
Another alert chimed.
"And the council forces?"
Valentina didn't even look at the screen.
"Three minutes."
Adrian turned slowly toward her.
"You intentionally called them to the same place."
"Yes."
"You realize that means they'll attack us first."
Valentina shrugged slightly.
"Not necessarily."
Alessandro watched the moving markers carefully.
"Explain."
Valentina's eyes gleamed faintly.
"They hate each other more than they hate you."
Elena crossed her arms.
"That doesn't mean they won't kill us anyway."
Valentina smiled slightly.
"That's why we prepared the battlefield."
Adrian looked confused.
"What battlefield?"
Valentina tapped another key.
The estate's security grid appeared on every monitor.
Dozens of automated defense systems lit up across the property.
Hidden turrets.
Motion-triggered barriers.
Armored gates.
Adrian's jaw dropped.
"Since when do we have all this?"
Alessandro answered calmly.
"Since she installed them yesterday."
Adrian turned to Valentina again.
"You modified our entire security system without telling us?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Valentina's expression didn't change.
"Because I knew tonight was coming."
The Storm Arrives
Outside the estate, engines roared as Orlov's armored convoy reached the outer gate.
Black SUVs lined the road like a wall of steel.
Dozens of armed men stepped out, weapons raised.
At the center vehicle, the door opened slowly.
Orlov stepped out into the rain.
His dark coat fluttered in the wind as he looked up at the massive estate.
"So this is where you're hiding."
Behind him, one of his lieutenants spoke.
"Sir, thermal scans show heavy defenses."
Orlov smiled faintly.
"Good."
He adjusted his gloves calmly.
"Destroy them."
At the same moment—
Another convoy arrived from the opposite side of the estate.
And another.
And another.
Within minutes, the entire property was surrounded.
Three mafia council families.
Orlov's private army.
And the De Luca estate in the center.
Adrian stared at the surveillance feed.
"This is insane."
Elena whispered,
"This is a war."
First Blood
The first gunshot echoed across the rain-soaked grounds.
But it didn't come from the estate.
It came from one of the council forces.
A sniper round tore through the windshield of one of Orlov's vehicles.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Orlov's men returned fire.
Bullets ripped through the night.
The council soldiers opened fire as well.
Within seconds, the battlefield exploded into violence.
Adrian watched the monitors in disbelief.
"They're killing each other."
Valentina nodded calmly.
"Exactly."
Alessandro folded his arms.
"You turned them against each other."
"Yes."
"How?"
"I leaked evidence that Orlov planned to eliminate the council tonight."
Adrian laughed once.
"You're evil."
Valentina glanced at him.
"Strategic."
Outside, the firefight intensified.
Explosions ripped through vehicles as rocket launchers fired across the property.
Smoke and fire filled the stormy night.
But the estate itself remained untouched.
Because none of the attacking forces had realized the trap yet.
The Ruthless Don Moves
Alessandro turned toward the door.
Adrian immediately noticed.
"You're not seriously going out there."
"Yes."
Elena stepped forward.
"You'll get killed."
Alessandro looked at her calmly.
"Not tonight."
He picked up a rifle from the weapons rack.
Adrian grabbed another.
"Well if you're going out there, I'm not letting you do it alone."
Elena frowned.
"What about the defenses?"
Valentina answered quietly.
"They're automatic."
Elena turned to her sister.
"You're staying here."
Valentina shook her head.
"No."
Elena's voice hardened.
"Yes."
For a moment the sisters stared at each other.
Then Valentina sighed.
"Fine."
But her eyes were already drifting back to the monitors.
Because she was still playing a different game.
The Estate Joins the War
Outside the main gates, Orlov watched the battlefield unfold with growing irritation.
His forces had expected a direct assault.
Instead they had walked into a chaotic three-way battle.
One of his soldiers approached.
"Sir, the council families are attacking us directly."
"Yes, I can see that."
Another explosion lit the night sky.
Orlov frowned slightly.
"This was supposed to be simple."
Suddenly—
A series of loud mechanical clicks echoed from the estate walls.
Orlov's head snapped upward.
Hidden gun turrets emerged from reinforced panels.
Then they opened fire.
Heavy machine gun rounds tore into every armed group outside the gates.
Council soldiers fell instantly.
Orlov's men dove for cover.
Within seconds, the battlefield became complete chaos.
Orlov's expression darkened.
"Clever girl."
Elena's Realization
Inside the war room, Elena watched the battlefield unfold on the screens.
Hundreds of armed men fighting in the rain.
Vehicles burning.
Bodies falling.
All orchestrated by her sister.
Elena turned slowly toward Valentina.
"You didn't just trap them."
Valentina didn't look away from the monitors.
"No."
"You planned an extermination."
Valentina finally turned.
"Yes."
Elena's voice lowered.
"Even if it means killing hundreds of people."
Valentina met her gaze evenly.
"They would have killed thousands."
Elena shook her head slightly.
"You're becoming just like them."
For the first time, Valentina's expression flickered.
"Maybe."
Then she said quietly,
"But someone has to end this."
The Don Meets His Enemy
Outside the estate gates, Alessandro stepped into the rain.
Adrian moved beside him, rifle raised.
Bullets echoed across the battlefield as they advanced through the chaos.
Orlov saw them immediately.
His eyes narrowed.
"So the wolf finally comes out."
He stepped forward through the smoke.
Both men stopped twenty feet apart in the rain.
The battlefield continued raging around them.
But for a moment, everything felt still.
Orlov studied him carefully.
"You've caused quite a mess tonight."
Alessandro's voice was calm.
"You started it."
Orlov smiled.
"Perhaps."
He gestured toward the burning vehicles around them.
"But you won't survive it."
Alessandro raised his rifle slowly.
"Neither will you."
Both men aimed.
The tension between them snapped like a drawn blade.
And the war finally reached its most dangerous moment.