Chapter 8 - The Queen’s GambitCLICK.
Marcus blinked. He pulled the trigger again.
CLICK.
The gun didn't fire. Panic flashed across Marcus's face as he pulled the magazine out—only to find it completely empty.
"Looking for these?"
A deep, commanding voice echoed from the dark hallway outside the vault.
Marcus froze.
Alexander Romano stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in a tailored black suit, leaning slightly on a gold-topped cane, but his eyes were blazing with absolute, ruthless fury. In his left hand, Alexander held the brass bullets he had emptied from Marcus's gun.
Behind Alexander stood six heavily armed guards, their submachine guns aimed directly at Marcus’s chest.
"Alexander..." Marcus stammered, his face draining of all color. "I... I was just interrogating her—"
"Save your breath, Marcus," Alexander interrupted, his voice dropping like an anvil. "Did you really think I believed those amateurishly forged bank statements? Nina doesn't even know how to set up a proxy network, let alone transfer money to the Caymans."
Nina let out a ragged breath, tears spilling down her cheeks as she realized the truth. It was a trap.
"You locked her up to protect her," Nina whispered.
"I locked her up to force you to reveal yourself," Alexander corrected, stepping into the vault and standing between Marcus and Nina. "I’ve known about your offshore accounts with Moretti for six months, Marcus. I just needed to know if you had the courage to try and put a bullet in me yourself."
Marcus dropped the empty gun, his knees shaking. "Alexander... please. We’ve been brothers for fifteen years!"
"Brothers don't put arsenic in my tea," Alexander said coldly. He turned to his lead guard. "Take Marcus to the docks. Make sure Moretti sees what happens to men who break their oaths to the Romano family."
"No! Alexander! NO!" Marcus screamed as the guards dragged him kicking and screaming down the corridor, his voice fading into the depths of the mansion until total silence returned.
Alexander turned around slowly to face Nina. The coldness in his eyes melted away, replaced by an intense, overwhelming warmth. He dropped his cane, stepped forward, and pulled her tightly into his arms.
Nina buried her face in his chest, weeping in sheer relief, smelling the familiar scent of cedar and rain on his jacket.
"I'm sorry I had to make you think I betrayed you," Alexander murmured softly into her hair, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. "I had to make Marcus believe he had won."
"You... you really believed me?" she sobbed.
"I believed you the moment you stayed by my bed when you could have run," Alexander whispered. He lifted her chin, looking deeply into her eyes. "You said you loved me."
Nina blushed, nodding timidly. "I do."
A slow, breathtaking smile touched Alexander Romano's lips—a smile no one in the underworld had ever seen him give.
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"Then let's give the city something to talk about," Alexander said softly, placing his hand over hers. "Starting tomorrow, you aren't the housemaid anymore, Nina. You are the mistress of this house."
THE END
