The Vineyard in Flames
The gunshot is still echoing when Alessandro collapses onto the dirt. Blood seeps into the soil, crimson against Tuscany's gold.
For a moment, the crowd is frozen, breathless. Then chaos shatters the silence.
"HE'S BEEN SHOT!"
"Murderer! It's Luca!"
"No—no, it was one of Marco's men!"
"LIES! Elena's lover brought this curse!"
Voices break into shrieks, fists fly, and the vineyard becomes a battleground.
---
Elena's POV
Her scream rips from her throat, raw and endless. "STOP! STOP THIS!"
But nobody listens. Rough hands shove her, someone yanks her hair, another spits, "Whore! You ruined this town!"
She stumbles, nearly falling onto Alessandro's bleeding body. His eyes flutter, lips forming her name—then rolling back, unconscious.
"Alessandro!" She presses her hands to the wound, blood coating her palms. But the world tilts violently around her. Stones are hurled, the farmhouse windows shatter in a rain of glass. Somewhere, the barn catches fire.
The vineyard is burning.
---
Luca's POV
Luca surges forward, rage snapping every bone in his body like dry wood. "WHO FIRED? WHO?"
His fists slam into the nearest man, then another. A worker swings back, striking Luca across the cheek. Blood spatters, sweat burns his eyes.
They're not listening. They're not following. His people. His land. His reputation. All crumbling.
"You want war?" he roars. "YOU'LL HAVE WAR!"
The mob answers with more violence.
---
Town Gossip – The Piazza
By nightfall, the piazza is a living storm.
"They say Elena killed him herself."
"No, no—Luca. He's protecting her!"
"Didn't you hear? Marco has evidence. They forged the land deeds. The STATE is coming."
"The vineyard will be seized. Mark my words, this is the END of them!"
And just like that, loyalties shift. Neighbors who once praised Elena's grace spit her name like venom. Workers who built Luca's empire whisper about defecting. The balance of power fractures under rumor's weight.
---
Marco & Isabella
In the shadows, Marco throws back his head and laughs.
"Beautiful," he says, watching the flames rise over the vineyard. "Better than any gamble I've ever played."
Isabella's smile is sharper than broken glass. "This is no longer about vineyards, Marco. This is about LEGACY. When the ashes settle, there will only be ONE name whispered in Tuscany—and it will not be Luca's."
But Marco, drunk on chaos, doesn't see her glance linger on the papers in her bag—proof of the forgery, yes, but also something more sinister. Something she has kept even from him.
---
Cinematic Spiral
The night turns cinematic, almost unreal:
– Torches flare as workers abandon their posts, dragging carts of grapes into the streets.
– Women scream, pulling children from the smoke.
– A group of drunk men overturn barrels, spilling wine into the dirt until the ground runs red.
– Horses panic, breaking from their stables, galloping through the crowd.
– Gunfire cracks again—one, two, three shots—but nobody knows from where.
The vineyard has become a WARZONE.
---
Elena Again
She kneels over Alessandro, screaming for help, but a hand yanks her back—rough, brutal.
It's one of Marco's men. His voice drips poison: "He's bait, signora. And YOU'RE the prize."
Before she can react, Luca barrels into them, tearing her free. But now it's no longer just a fight—it's a war for possession, for survival, for pride.
And Elena realizes: This isn't about her heart anymore. This is about POWER.
---
The Cliffhanger
The fire consumes the barn. The mob storms the farmhouse. Someone screams that the STATE has arrived—but no, it's worse.
A black car pulls up at the gates. Sleek. Official. Deadly.
A man in a dark suit steps out, flanked by armed guards. His voice cuts through the chaos like steel.
"By decree," he announces, "this land is no longer yours."
And then—he unfolds a document with a seal Elena has never seen before. Not the state. Not the police. Something higher. Something untouchable.
The crowd gasps. Marco's smile falters. Isabella grips her papers tighter.
Elena sways, the world spinning. What have we just stepped into?
Before she can answer, another gunshot BOOMS.
The screen of night splits with fire.