The Smiling Scapegoat of Velletra
By @john1208
Miro Vanzetti was born with a smile and a fortune teller’s curse: he was destined to bring catastrophic ruin to his bloodline. Terrified, his family locked him in the shadows while his golden-child twin, Gallo, stole every brilliant ether-blueprint Miro drafted. But Miro didn't surrender his life's work out of submission - he simply misunderstood the rules. Believing high society was an elaborate, interactive theater experience where his "bad luck" meant he was the designated comedic relief, Miro happily played the fool to keep the "show" running.
When he is unceremoniously banished at his grandfather's funeral for handing out festive balloons to mourners, Miro is scooped up by Donato Ferox, the city’s most feared billionaire. Donato mistakenly believes Miro is a Machiavellian mastermind hiding behind a sunny disposition. The story alternates between Miro - who cheerfully treats assassination attempts as escape rooms - and his brother's fierce rival, Cosima, who slowly realizes the terrifying truth of Miro's genius. When the Vanzettis' stolen patents inevitably fail, plunging them into bankruptcy, they must crawl back to the brother they discarded. But will Miro ever realize the deadly game is real, or will his unspoken, tragic affection for Cosima force him to finally break character?
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