The Mafia's Undoing-Chapter 170: Ghosts of the Past

Katherine handed me her phone, her hand trembling.

Her call log showed an unknown number, with a call duration of 47 seconds.

"She called. Her name’s Juliet, Victoria Sterling’s cousin."

"What did she say?"

"That her vendetta is just beginning and that she’s not playing games. She’s avenging Charles, Marie, and Victoria. Everyone we took from her."

My jaw clenched, damn it! Another threat, a new enemy from the Sterling family.

I immediately called Luca and then the FBI to activate the security protocols ASAP.

"We were finally safe," Katherine whispered. "Finally building something normal."

"We still are. We don’t let her steal that."

Timothy joined via video conference within the hour.

He had already pulled out Juliet Sterling’s file.

"Juliet Sterling, age 34. Victoria’s first cousin and daughter of Charles Sterling’s younger brother, Patrick Sterling."

"Where has she been?"

"After Victoria’s death, Juliet disappeared. We assumed she left the country; her last confirmed sighting was eighteen months ago in Buenos Aires, but the trail went cold."

"And now she’s back?"

"Apparently. We’re tracing the call and tracking financial movements. But Tony, she’s dangerous. Possibly more dangerous than Victoria."

"How?"

Timothy pulled up more files. "Juliet and Victoria were close growing up, cousins raised almost like sisters. But when Juliet’s parents divorced, her mother took her away, their contact became sporadic, remote communication only."

"But they stayed connected?"

"Yes. Their fathers, Charles and Patrick, ran the family business together. The girls maintained their relationship despite the distance."

"Victoria was public," Timothy continued. "Visible CEO and power player. Everyone knew her."

"And Juliet?"

"Shadow and an invisible worker. She handled the dirty work that Victoria couldn’t be publicly associated with. International connections, offshore accounts, and connections to organized crime in South America and Eastern Europe."

"So she’s smart, resourceful, and patient."

"And now, motivated by revenge for her uncle Charles, her aunt Marie, and especially for Victoria. They may have been separated, but they were still family."

I found Katherine in Rose’s nursery.

She was holding our daughter, rocking her with tears streaming down her face.

"This is never going to end, is it?"

"We don’t know what Juliet wants yet-"

"She wants revenge. For Victoria, for Charles, and for Marie. She said it herself on the phone."

"Then we deal with it. Like we’ve dealt with everything else."

"Rose just came home from the NICU three months ago. We were finally building something normal. Something safe. And now-"

"And now we protect that. We protect our family, but Katherine - we don’t stop living, and we don’t let fear win."

She looked at me, her eyes red from tears and exhaustion. "I’m so tired of fighting."

"I know. So am I, but we keep going. For her." I touched Rose’s head. "For us."

Luca implements the maximum security protocols.

Susan’s estate was on lockdown, with additional guards brought in and advanced surveillance systems installed.

No one entered or exited without biometric verification and FBI clearance.

"This feels like prison again," Katherine observed, watching guards patrol from the window.

"It’s temporary. Until we locate Juliet."

"And if we can’t?"

"We will."

But I’m not certain. Juliet’s been invisible for eighteen months. If she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be.

Rose was oblivious to the adult fear surrounding her.

She was playing with blocks, babbling, and trying to crawl. She was just living her baby life, being happy, innocent, and unaware.

"She doesn’t know," Katherine said softly, watching Rose play.

"And she won’t. We keep her innocent, protected, and happy."

"For how long?"

"Forever, if I can manage it."

Katherine was quiet before she spoke out. "You can’t promise that."

"No, but I can damn well try."

Despite the Juliet threat, we move forward with the launch of Marvin Ventures.

The press release went out, and it was officially announced.

Marvin Ventures: Founded by Tony Marvin and Katherine Marvin (née Blaire) - Equal partners investing in ethical and sustainable businesses.

The media coverage was immediate, and the financial press was excited.

Power couple enters venture capital world.

Marvin legacy takes new direction.

From mafia empire to ethical investing - Tony Marvin’s redemption story.

Katherine was nervous. "What if Juliet uses this to target our business?"

"Then we deal with it. But we don’t stop building our future because of threats; we’ve done that for too long. Now, it’s our time to live."

Elliot visited, his thesis nearly complete, and his graduation was in six weeks.

He and Jeff were already planning post-graduation life.

"I’m thinking of applying to psychology PhD programs. Either clinical psychology or maybe criminal psychology."

"That’s perfect for you," Katherine said, feeling genuinely proud.

"Or neuroscience. I’m still deciding. Jeff’s applying to law schools. We’re looking at cities where we can both pursue our goals."

"That’s wonderful, Elliot."

He noticed Katherine’s tension in his usual observant way.

"Don’t let Juliet steal your joy. You’ve earned this happiness. Fight for it."

"I’m trying."

"Try harder. You and Tony have survived everything. This is just another obstacle, one I’m sure you’ll overcome."

That night, Luca and I reviewed intelligence as we tried to anticipate Juliet’s next move.

"She could attack anywhere. Business, family, or Rose."

"So we protect everything."

"That’s impossible-"

"Then we prioritize. Rose first, Katherine second. Everything else is negotiable."

"And you?"

"I’m the target. If Juliet wants revenge, she comes for me. Let her, as long as Rose and Katherine stay safe."

Luca was quiet, then spoke out softly: "You’re willing to die for them."

"Without question."

That night, Katherine couldn’t sleep as she was scared.

I found her in Rose’s nursery watching our daughter sleep.

"I won’t let her hurt you or Rose. I promise."

"You can’t promise that-"

"I can and I will. Whatever it takes."

I pulled her close and kissed her in a gentle but reassuring way.

"Come to bed."

"I can’t sleep."

"Then don’t sleep, just be with me."

We made love, slowly trying to reassure each other.

It was not desperate or frantic but intense. It was us claiming and protecting.

My hands were on her body, memorizing and familiarizing myself all over again.

"You’re mine," I whispered. "Rose is ours. And no one, not Juliet, or anyone can take that away."

"Promise me." She moaned.

"I promise."

We connected completely. Our bodies and hearts, united against whatever comes.

We fell asleep tangled together, safe in each other’s arms.

At least for tonight.

By morning, there was an urgent call from Timothy.

"We traced Juliet’s call. It was a burner phone purchased with cash - dead end."

"Of course it is."

"But we found something else, her financial records. Juliet’s been moving money. These were large amounts to offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, and Singapore."

"How much?"

"Millions. And the transaction patterns suggest she’s hiring people and building a team. This isn’t just a personal revenge. This has been organized and planned."

"What’s she planning?"

"We don’t know yet. But Tony, she’s been preparing this for months. Maybe even longer, but this is bigger than we thought."

That afternoon, we received a package delivered to Susan’s estate.

The security cleared it. It was x-rayed and scanned, and we found no explosives and no biological threats.

It was addressed to Katherine without a return address.

She opened it carefully with Luca and me watching.

Inside was a photograph.

Katherine gasped and dropped it.

I picked it up.

It was Rose in her nursery, sleeping peacefully in her crib.

She was photographed through the window yesterday during her afternoon nap.

Someone was close enough to photograph our daughter even through the maximum security.

A typed note was attached to it.

Beautiful baby. It would be tragic if something happened to her. You took my cousin. Now, I’ll take your daughter unless you give me what I want.

Katherine was screaming and shaking. "How? How did they get close enough?"

Luca examined the photo and did a professional assessment.

"The telephoto lenses are of high-grade. It was taken from the ridge line, half a mile away, which was beyond our security perimeter."

"So they’ve been watching and waiting."

"What does she want?" Katherine asked, her voice beginning to break. "The note says give me what I want, but doesn’t specify."

I was already calling Timothy and pulling him back on video.

"We need to wait for her demands," Timothy said as he reviewed the note on his phone. "She’s establishing leverage and showing she can reach Rose. The next communication will be the actual demand."

"She wants me to suffer," I realized, with cold understanding spreading. "Like Victoria suffered, and like Charles and Marie suffered. She wants to take everything I love, starting with Rose."

Katherine collapsed into a chair, still staring at the photo of our daughter. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Our miracle baby, who survived being born at 24 weeks and who had fought through surgeries and infections.

She was now the target of a revenge plot.

"How do we protect her from someone who’s already watching?" Katherine whispered.

I didn’t have an answer.

But I knew one thing: Juliet Sterling had just made this personal.

And I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe.

Whatever the hell it took!