The Gathering at Villa Rosa
The air inside the grand hall of Villa Rosa was thick with the scent of melted beeswax and aged oak.
E.g. ：I caught my fiancé and my maid of honor in our backyard, shattering my wedding day.
- 1、The Gathering at Villa Rosa
- 2、A Bet Built on Lies
- 3、The Wheel Turns
- 4、The Crown of Thorns
- 5、The Encircled Villa
For centuries, the estate had served as the private fortress of the D'Agostino family, tucked far away in the rugged hills of western Sicily.
On this humid autumn night, the heavy iron doors were locked from the inside to ensure total privacy.
Dozens of high-ranking family elders lined the perimeter of the room, their faces etched with decades of silent battles.
In the center of the marble floor stood a custom mahogany roulette table, illuminated by a low-hanging brass chandelier.
Matteo sat on one side of the green felt, his knuckles white as he rested his hands on the carved armrests.
Across from him sat his older brother, Antonio, whose calm composure seemed completely unfazed by the immense weight of the moment.
Their father had passed away six weeks prior, leaving behind a sprawling empire and a fractured bloodline.
Without an official successor named in the will, the internal strife had brought the family to the brink of open warfare.
Tonight was supposed to end the dispute once and for all.
A Bet Built on Lies
Matteo spent his entire life living in the long shadow cast by his older brother.
Antonio was always the favored son, groomed from childhood to take over the family's international shipping ports and vast real estate holdings.
However, rumors had circulated for months that Antonio had mishandled internal funds and lost the trust of the syndicate's board.
When Antonio proposed settling their leadership claim through a single spin of the roulette wheel, Matteo suspected a trap.
Yet, the tradition of the high-stakes game was an ancient family custom that neither brother could honorably refuse.
Antonio reached into his tailored suit pocket and placed a single obsidian chip onto the black seventeen.
He looked into Matteo's eyes and stated that a single spin of the wheel would decide who claimed total control of the family estate.
Matteo nodded slowly, believing his patience had finally paid off and his time to rule had arrived.
He placed his own silver chip directly beside Antonio's black marker to accept the terms of the wager.
The old consigliere stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he spun the polished wooden wheel in a counter-clockwise motion.
The Wheel Turns
The ivory ball rattled wildly against the metallic ridges as it spun around the outer rim of the track.
Every elder in the room held their breath, watching the motion of the sphere with absolute intensity.
Matteo felt his heart hammering against his ribs as the speed of the wheel began to decay.
He glanced at his older brother, searching for any sign of hesitation or regret in Antonio's dark eyes.
Antonio remained entirely motionless, his hands folded neatly over his chest with an unreadable expression.
The ball bounced violently off a bronze divider, skipping across several red numbers before settling into black seventeen.
A collective gasp echoed through the cavernous room as the wheel finally ground to a complete halt.
Matteo leaned back in his leather chair, a surge of overwhelming relief washing over his chest.
By the strict rules of their ancestral code, the victory was absolute and undisputed.
He had won the table, the title, and the vast fortune that came with leadership.
The Crown of Thorns
Without a word, the elders surrounding the table simultaneously bowed their heads in respect toward Matteo.
