Chapter 14 - Confessions in the Dark
The heavy silence in the master suite was suffocating. Alina Caruso—who had run the Rickai household with iron discipline for fifteen years—stood paralyzed, her hands tightly clutching the edge of the silver tray.
"You built an empire on blood, Dante," Alina said, her voice dropping its usual deferential tone, turning hard and bitter. "You think you can just retire from the underworld because a toddler smiled at you? The Consortium doesn't forget. They don't forgive. And they made an offer I couldn't refuse."
"An offer," Dante repeated, his voice dangerously low as he closed the distance between them step by step. "How much did they pay to sell out the only home you've ever known?"
"It wasn't about money," Alina snapped, tears finally pricking the corners of her eyes. "My nephew... they took him, Dante. In Marseille. They said if I didn't provide the security codes to the lower perimeter, they'd send him back to me in pieces. What would you have done if it was Sophia?"
The question hung in the air like a physical weight. Dante stopped three feet from her. He looked at the woman who had watched him grow into the ruthless figure he had become—a woman who was essentially family, driven to betrayal by the very same brutal underworld he ruled.
"You should have come to me," Dante said quietly. "There isn't a debt I couldn't clear, or a man I couldn't reach in Marseille."
"It's too late," Alina whispered, shaking her head. "They're already inside the perimeter."
As if on cue, the emergency red lights in the hallway began to flash in a silent, frantic rhythm. The master control panels beeped furiously. Viktor’s voice broke through the secure earpiece in Dante’s ear, laced with adrenaline and urgency:
“Boss! Multiple breaches on the northern terrace! They bypassed the silent alarms using the codes Alina leaked. They’re moving toward the master wing right now!”
Dante didn't hesitate. He drew his silenced pistol from his holster, flicked off the safety, and turned to Lena, who was clutching Sophia tightly in her arms near the bed.
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"Lock this door behind me," Dante ordered, his dark eyes locking onto Lena's with fierce, unyielding intensity. "Do not open it for anyone unless you hear my voice saying three words: The storm passed. Understand?"
Lena nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Be careful, Dante."
