As they passed through the city, Alex could not help but notice the magnificent buildings along with their most treasured possession, the luxury cars. He had always known Donatella Bianchi was a wealthy woman but hadn't quite anticipated the scope of the estate.
And then it came. An enormous mansion on the fringe of the city; high walls and heavily armed men guarded it.
Francesca took Alex around the mansion, showing him room after room, with lavish decorations and expensive pieces of art. The estate amazed Alex with just the expanse.
As he continued to walk, Francesca explained to Alex that Donatella had not left for him just the mansion but also her entire business empire. Completely bewildered, Alex thought that somehow it shouldn't be possible that such a fortune would be inherited.
But .when they reached the heart of the mansion, something made his blood run cold. There was a huge portrait of Donatella Bianchi hung on the wall, her eyes seeming to stare straight through him.
Francesca noticed and smiled at his reaction. "Donatella was a remarkable woman," she said. "She had a vision for the future and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve it."
Alex shuddered again. What had Donatella's vision been? And whatever it took?
When he took a look around the mansion, Alex realized that he was in this much more deeply than he had ever imagined. In fact, he was caught in a web of power and deceit that he wasn't sure he would ever be able to escape-from.
But he was going to try. He was going to get to the very bottom of the truth concerning Donatella's estate and the unknown forces that seemed to be moving him forward.
It was as he turned toward Francesca that he caught a look in her eyes that made his heart skip a beat. It was a glimmer of challenge, of danger.
"What next?" he asked her, voice firm.
Francesca smiled. "Next," she said, "we meet the other players."