Chapter 8 - Caught in the DenThe green light on the flash drive blinked rapidly as the secure files downloaded from the mainframe. Alessandro’s heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. Ninety percent... ninety-five percent...
"Looking for your inheritance, cousin?"
Alessandro froze. The flash drive slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the plush Persian rug.
He turned slowly. Dominic stood in the doorway of the private study, leaning against the doorframe with a casual, terrifying ease. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket; his white dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the faint scars of an old knife wound. In his hand, he held a glass of scotch, the ice cubes clinking softly.
"Dom," Alessandro stammered, his face draining of all color. "I—I heard a noise. I was checking the perimeter for you. Security has been lax—"
"Security is fine, Alessandro," Dominic interrupted, his voice a low, level purr that promised unspeakable violence. "The only breach is standing right in front of me."
Alessandro backed up against the desk, his hands brushing the open safe. He realized instantly there was no way out. The guards outside the hallway were Dominic’s loyalists—men who would slice a throat without blinking if the boss so much as crooked a finger.
"You're going to ruin everything over a kid's fairy tale?" Alessandro spat, his mask of polite subservience finally shattering into bitter rage. "You were weak! You were supposed to die in that dark room! I earned this empire!"
Dominic took a slow sip of his scotch, his dark eyes fixed on his cousin with chilling detachment. "You didn't earn anything, Alessandro. You just waited for me to bleed. But you forgot one fundamental rule of the jungle."
May you like
Dominic stepped forward, the floorboards groaning slightly under his heavy tread.
"Never underestimate a lion who has finally remembered how to love."
