Chapter 7 - The Final Chess MoveThe vault beneath the Romano mansion was a windowless, concrete tomb. The heavy steel door locked with a resounding THUD, leaving Nina in total darkness, save for a single flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling.
She fell to her knees on the cold concrete, weeping violently. How could this happen? She had saved his life! She had risked everything!
Hour after hour dragged on. Nina lost all track of time. Her mind raced through every interaction she’d had since arriving at the mansion.
Sophia.
The old cook. The day Nina had heard Alexander paying off Sophia’s medical bills... Marcus had been standing in the shadow of the hallway, watching Alexander with an expression of pure disdain. Nina remembered it clearly now. Marcus had looked at Alexander not with loyalty, but with disgust. Soft. That was the word Castellano had used.
At 4:00 AM, the heavy steel locks of the vault door turned. The door swung open with a slow, metallic groan.
Marcus Hale stepped inside, holding a glass of water and a silenced pistol.
"You really were impressive, Nina," Marcus said, closing the door behind him. "For an amateur, you played your hand remarkably well."
"It was you," Nina said, her voice hollow, standing up to face him. "You’ve been embezzling from Alexander’s accounts. You framed me to cover your tracks."
"Embezzling? No. I built this empire!" Marcus spat, his calm persona cracking, revealing a manic spark in his eyes. "Alexander's father was a king. Alexander turned into a pathetic philanthropist! Giving millions away to cooks, to orphanages, to street trash! He was ruining the business! Moretti offered me 50% of the entire East Coast if I helped him take Alexander down."
"And Castellano?" Nina asked.
"Castellano was stupid. He was greedy," Marcus sneered. "I used him to poison Alexander. When you interfered with the pill swap, you ruined the timeline. So I had to pivot. Frame you, kill Castellano, and take total control of the estate as Alexander's sole power of attorney."
"Alexander will figure it out," Nina said bravely. "He’s smarter than you."
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"Alexander is grieving," Marcus laughed dryly, raising his pistol. "He genuinely believed you cared for him. Finding out you were a 'traitor' broke what was left of his heart. And in five minutes, when I tell him you tried to escape and I had to put you down... he won't even ask to see the body."
Marcus cocked the hammer of the gun. "Goodbye, Nina."
