Chapter 7 - The Final ShowdownThey burst through the heavy front doors of Blackwood Manor just as the basement exploded in a towering column of fire and black smoke. The shockwave threw them onto the wet grass outside.
Alessandro covered Sophia with his body, taking the brunt of the falling debris.
Rain showered down upon them, extinguishing the embers on his coat. He looked down at Sophia. She was shivering, but her eyes were clearer now, the fog of the drugs slowly receding in the cool night air.
"Alessandro..." she cried softly, clutching his coat. "Ruth... Annie... where are they?"
"Annie is safe, Sophia. I promise you," he said, kissing her forehead. "Ruth... Ruth protected her until the end."
Sophia buried her face in his chest, weeping tears of four years of stolen grief.
Suddenly, the crunch of gravel sounded behind them.
Alessandro stood up, shielding Sophia.
Emerging from the burning wreckage of the mansion was Julian. His suit was scorched, half his face covered in soot and blood, dragging one leg as he held a heavy revolver with both hands.
"You... you took everything from me..." Julian rasped, his voice insane and wild. "Father loved you... Sophia loved you... even the damn kid chose you! I built this empire!"
"You didn't build anything, Julian," Alessandro said coldly, stepping forward. "You were a parasite living off the blood of this family."
"Then we die together!" Julian shrieked, raising the revolver.
FLASH!
A single gunshots split the night air.
Julian froze. He looked down at his chest, where a small red hole had appeared over his heart. His eyes widened in shock. The revolver slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the gravel. He collapsed forward, motionless.
Alessandro turned.
Standing fifty yards away, holding a high-powered sniper rifle, was Marco. He lowered the weapon and nodded once.
May you like
"It’s over, Boss," Marco said softly over the radio link. "The threat is eliminated."
Alessandro closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath of the rain-scented night air. For the first time in four years, the crushing weight in his chest felt lighter. The nightmare was finally over.
