Chapter 14 - A Viper in the Cradle

The air turned to ice in my lungs. Sofia was free. And she wasn't just looking for revenge against Dante—she knew I was the mastermind who had framed her, ruined her family name, and stolen Dante’s empire out from under him.
Before I could issue an order to lock down the palazzo, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the stone corridor behind me. I reached into my clutch, gripping a micro-pistol, but when the figure stepped into the dim lantern light, it wasn't Viktor's security team. It was Dante.
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He stood twenty feet away, his expression completely unreadable, staring at Viktor kneeling before me and the high-tech encrypted comms unit clipped to my designer gown. The quiet, devoted house-husband was gone; standing before me was the merciless tyrant who had once ruled Chicago with an iron fist.
"Viktor," Dante said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he pulled a heavy gun from his suit jacket. "The last time I saw you, you were a high-ranking lieutenant in my uncle's inner circle. What are you doing kneeling in front of my wife?" Viktor looked at me in absolute panic, but I raised my hand slightly, signaling him to stay silent. The moment of truth had finally arrived.