Chapter 1

The Vitali mansion didn’t just sit on the hill; it loomed, a monolith of pale stone that seemed to swallow the afternoon light. My fingers twisted into the frayed cuffs of my hoodie, the fabric damp with nervous sweat. Every rumor, every whispered story about the man who lived inside those walls, crashed through my mind on a merciless loop. XavierVitali. The name alone was enough to ice the blood in my veins.