The war room hummed with the weight of history, dust clung to every surface like forgotten memories, and the faint scent of gun oil lingered in the air. Maps of New York City were pinned to the walls, marked with red lines and coded symbols only Anton Varga had understood. Luca moved through the space slowly, absorbing it all, his fingers trailing along the edge of a long wooden table littered with old photographs and weathered documents.
Sarah stood by the far wall, watching him carefully.
"You don't have to do this," she said quietly.
Luca didn't look at her. "Yes, I do."
She exhaled through her nose, folding her arms. "Then understand what you're walking into."
He turned to face her fully. "Start with the truth. All of it. I'm all ears."
She hesitated for only a second before stepping forward. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled open a drawer built into the wall. Inside was a small metal box. She lifted it out and set it on the table between them.
"This," she said, running her fingers over the lid, "is everything Anton left behind. Not just plans. Not just names. But the reason Rocco killed him."
Luca's jaw tightened. "And that is?"
She opened the box.
Inside was a single photograph, yellowed with age, edges curled. It showed three men standing outside a warehouse, their faces half-hidden in shadow. One of them was Anton. Another, unmistakably, was Rocco.
The third man was someone Luca didn't recognize.
But the moment he saw the man's face, something inside him shifted.
"Who is he?" Luca asked.
She stared at the photo for a long moment before answering. "That's your real father."
Silence fell like a hammer.
Luca blinked. "Wh... What?"
She looked up, eyes steady. "Anton raised you like his own. But he wasn't your blood."
Luca took a step back. "No... You're lying."
"I wish I was," she murmured.
Enzo, who had been silent until now, stepped closer. "Who was he?"
She swallowed hard. "A man named Giovanni Moretti. He was Anton's closest ally. And Rocco's greatest threat."
Luca shook his head. "No. That doesn't make sense. If Giovanni was my father, why would Anton take me in?"
She met his gaze without flinching. "Because Giovanni was murdered. Right after you were born."
Luca's breath came short and fast. "By who?"
She didn't hesitate. "Rocco."
Luca staggered back another step, his mind racing. His whole life, he had believed Anton was his grandfather, that his father had died in betrayal. But now...
Now nothing made sense.
She stood, moving toward him. "You deserve to know the rest."
Luca clenched his fists. "Tell me everything, and I mean EVERYTHING..."
She nodded once. "Very well, Sit down."
Luca and Enzo did.
She began slowly, voice heavy with memory. "Before the Varga Empire fell, there were three major families in New York, the Vargas, the Serras, and the Morettis. Your grandfather and Giovanni built an alliance, one that threatened Rocco's rise. He couldn't break them apart, so he did the next best thing anyone would do if they ever felt threatened, he eliminated the strongest link."
She looked at Luca. "Your father."
Luca's throat tightened. "How?"
"A fire," she said softly. "One that shouldn't have happened. They found his body in the ashes, but not yours. You were missing for days."
Luca's voice was barely above a whisper. "And Anton?"
"He found you first," she said. "Took you in. Raised you as his own. Told everyone you were Vittorio's son, it was his way of protecting you."
Luca sat back, stunned. "All these years… I thought I was fighting for my family. For revenge against the man who betrayed us. But...."
She reached across the table, placing her hand over his. "You are. Just not the one you thought."
Luca closed his eyes for a long moment.
When he opened them again, they were cold. Hard.
"What else did Anton leave me?" he asked.
She smiled faintly. "More than you can imagine."
She stood and walked toward a sealed door at the back of the war room. She placed her palm against a scanner embedded in the wall. A mechanical hiss sounded, then the door groaned open.
Inside was a vault filled with weapons, files, encrypted drives, and one final envelope.
This one bore his name.
Luca stepped forward.
This was no longer about vengeance.
It was about legacy.
And the war had only just begun.