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The silence in the VIP wing of Manhattan General wasn't just quiet; it was suffocating. / Chapter 4 / 6

Chapter 4 - The Betrayal Within the Inner Circle

Blood splattered across the wet asphalt. Victor stumbled back, his civilized facade dropping as he drew a hidden pistol. But Dante was faster. Despite his agonizing injuries, he shot Victor directly through the hand, sending the old man’s gun clattering into the puddles.

Dante stepped forward, his boots pressing down on Victor’s shattered fingers. "Where is my son, Victor?"

Victor laughed, a wet, choking sound. "You think I'm the only one who wants your blood, Dante? Look around you. Who do you think gave my men the security bypass codes for your hospital room? Who do you think told us about the nurse?"

Dante’s eyes narrowed. A sudden realization struck him, a cold dread that had nothing to do with his physical wounds.

"Marco," Dante muttered.

Behind them, the sound of a gun cocking echoed through the alley. Mara turned slowly. Marco, the trusted family bodyguard who had served Dante for a decade, was standing there. His shoulder wound was bleeding, but his weapon was raised—and it was aimed directly at Dante’s chest.

"I'm sorry, Boss," Marco said, his voice devoid of emotion. "The Armand family offered me a seat at the high table. The Bellaro family is old-fashioned. You got soft the moment you fell in love with a commoner and had a bastard."

"He is not a bastard," Mara spat, stepping in front of Dante, using her own body as a shield. "He is the legitimate heir, and you are a coward."

"Step aside, nurse," Marco warned. "Or you die first."

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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...

"She won't have to," a sharp voice cut through the rain.

Vivienne Armand walked into the alleyway, flanked by four more heavy-hitters. But she didn't look at Dante with love or longing anymore. She looked at him with pure disgust. "Did you really think I loved you, Dante? I wanted the throne. And since you won't give it to me willingly, we will take it by force. Starting with your little secret in the basement."

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