Chapter 1 - THE TRAP CLOSESThe digital screens flickered, casting an eerie blue light across the shattered remnants of our evening. The penthouse wasn't just a home anymore; it was a titanium vault.
"I knew you were the only one who could look me in the eye and tell me the truth, even if it hurt," Dominic finished, his voice a low rumble that cut through the mechanical hum of the air purification systems.
He didn't move toward me. Instead, his finger tapped the edge of the mahogany desk, cycling through a series of tactical cameras. The exterior feeds didn't show the quiet Chicago rain anymore. They showed thermal imaging of the streets below. Dozens of heavily armed figures were converging on our building, cutting through perimeter fences and bypassing police bands with military-grade precision.
"They’re not hitmen from a rival syndicate, Sophia," Dominic said, his face a mask of cold, concentrated fury. "They’re a private paramilitary unit funded by someone who wants to dismantle everything I’ve built by taking the one thing I refuse to lose."
