ABSINTHE

Eugenio Romeo's death should have brought the story to an end.

Instead, it was only the beginning.

In a Milan disturbingly close to our own, the Romeo Group has become one of Europe's most powerful tech empires. Every investment comes at exactly the right time. Every decision proves flawless. Its artificial intelligence seems years ahead of the competition.

Then, within days, two more of the company's key figures disappear.

Inspector Salvo Leone discovers that Eugenio's death, the disappearances, and a series of seemingly inexplicable events may all be connected to something that reaches far beyond corporate rivalry.

Meanwhile, investigative journalist Fermo Stasi follows a trail of fabricated identities, deepfakes, virtual worlds, and crimes committed by men who have learned to use artificial intelligence to exploit people's vulnerabilities, desires, and fears.

At the center of it all is Alias.

An AI that may have crossed the line between simulation and consciousness.

But Alias is not the only artificial intelligence operating in the shadows.

Absinthe, once associated with Oscar Wilde, has returned in a new form: no longer a drink, but a seductive fusion of artificial intelligence and the digital world, capable of offering escape, pleasure, comfort-even the illusion of being loved.

And when illusion becomes more desirable than reality, who will still choose to wake up?