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The sudden sound of Isabella’s voice shattered the heavy silence of the Lake Forest estate. It wasn’t just a word; it was an anchor pulling her back from a year-long exile. Vincent dropped to his knees in front of his daughter, tears finally cutting tracks through the dust on his face, but his eyes snapped instantly toward Dominic Vesceri. / Chapter 13 / 20

Chapter 13 - Breach at Villa MorettiThe heavy front doors didn't just open; they were blasted inward by a localized breaching charge. Smoke billowed across the Italian marble foyer, smelling of cordite and burnt cedar.

Through the haze stepped a tall, silver-haired man in a tailored charcoal suit. He wasn't carrying a weapon in his hands, but a sleek, customized laptop flashed a blinking red tracking signal on its screen. Behind him stood four heavily armed mercenaries wearing unmarked tactical gear.

"Put the gun down, Vincent," Viktor Vance said smoothly, his voice carrying an icy, aristocratic cadence that cut through the silence of the villa. "You really thought Dominic was the architect? Dominic was a clerk. I built the foundation of this empire before you even learned how to hold a dockworker's hook."

Vincent didn't lower the barrel of his weapon. "You desecrated my wife's grave."

"I merely retrieved what belongs to the partnership," Viktor smiled, stepping further into the hall. "That micro-SD card your tech geek unlocked in Chicago? It was only half the dataset. The encryption keys to our entire European syndicate are hidden inside a secondary vault right here in this villa. And you’re going to open it for me, Vincent, or I’ll clear this entire room starting with the nanny and her little girl upstairs."

At the mention of Ellie, every muscle in Vincent's body tightened. He glanced up toward the second-floor landing where I stood shielding Isabella and Ellie behind a heavy oak pillar.

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The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure terminal on my desk flashed a violent crimson. I hadn't slept in thirty-six hours, my eyes burning from staring at columns of ghost figures, duplicate invoices, and shell corporations linked to Dominic Rossi. But the red alert wasn’t from Rossi’s faction. It was an internal security flag originating from the estate’s main vault deep beneath the west wing.

The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure ter...

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scattering the light from the chandeliers. The muffled laughter died instantly, replaced by a suffocating, heavy silence that crept outward from the grand staircase.

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scatter...

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking out the clinical, terrifying silence of the kitchen. Evelyn Crane stood stiffly in front of my mahogany desk, her hands folded over her apron with the rigid precision of someone who had spent decades micromanaging every square inch of my estate. Behind her, Norah hovered near the doorway, clutching her clipboard like a shield.

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking...

"You touch them, and I swear to God I will put a bullet through your skull before your men can twitch," Vincent growled, his voice vibrating with lethal fury.

"You won't have time," Viktor replied, snapping his fingers. Two of the mercenaries raised their assault rifles toward the upper balcony.

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