Chapter 2 - Blood and Loyalty“Step away from her, Mother,” I growled, slowly rising to my feet while keeping my body positioned directly between Grace and the doorway. I kept my hand hovering near my weapon. “You’ve crossed a line there is no coming back from.”
My mother let out a cold, humorless laugh that echoed off the stone walls.
“A line? I am protecting this family, Dante. For thirty years, I have kept the Rossi name feared and respected across Europe. I built this empire with your father’s blood, and I will not let a nameless girl from a broken family tear it down from the inside.”
“She is my wife! And that is your grandchild inside her!” I shouted, my voice bouncing off the low ceiling.
“That child is an heir to the Rossi syndicate, not a sentimental pet,” my mother retorted, her eyes narrowing as she gestured slightly to the two enforcers behind her. They stepped forward into the cell, blocking the only exit. “You were supposed to stay in Europe, Dante. You were supposed to let the rival families take care of you, or at least keep you busy long enough for us to handle this cleanly. But you just had to be the hero.”
Panic flared in Grace’s eyes from behind me. She clutched her swollen stomach, whimpering softly.
“Dante... they poisoned my water... they told me every day that you sold me out...” she whispered, her voice breaking.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. My mother hadn’t just imprisoned my wife; she had systematically tortured her psychologically, trying to break her spirit so completely that she would either surrender the child or die trying. And she had almost succeeded.
“You drugged her. You lied to me. You used my absence to run your own sick little regime,” I said, stepping forward, every muscle in my body coiled for violence. “And you thought you could just sweep her under the rug.”
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“I didn't think, Dante. I knew,” my mother said calmly, raising her chin. “And right now, you have a choice. You can either stand aside and let us finish what should have been done weeks ago, or you can join her in this concrete box forever.”
The enforcers drew their weapons. The trap had snapped shut, but my mother had underestimated one vital thing: a cornered Rossi heir is far more dangerous than a dutiful son.
