Chapter 4 - The Strike
"Don't move, Duca!" the lead Romano soldier snarled, shifting his weapon toward Marco.
Serena immediately ducked behind her men, her fear instantly vanishing, replaced by cold triumph. "Did you really think I came to this estate unprepared, Lorenzo? My brothers have fifty men outside the iron gates right now. The moment I give the word, they take this house."
I didn't move an inch. The barrel of the gun was pointed directly at my heart, but I didn't feel fear. I felt an icy, blinding clarity that I hadn't possessed in months. The poison had dulled my senses, but the truth had restored them.
"You forgot one thing, Serena," I said softly.
"What's that?" she sneered.
"This is my house."
I made a subtle hand gesture behind my back—the same signal I had used for fifteen years to command my inner circle.
From the dark hidden corridor behind the library bookshelf, two of my heavy enforcers stepped out silently, suppressed pistols drawn. Before the Romano soldiers could even register the movement, two quiet pops echoed through the room.
The two guards dropped instantly to the floor. The lead soldier turned in panic, but Marco moved with lightning speed, disarming him and slamming his head against the heavy oak desk, knocking him cold.
Serena gasped, stumbling backward into the corner, horror washing over her face as she realized how completely she had failed.
"Take her downstairs," I commanded Marco, stepping over the fallen guards. "And tell the men at the front gate to eliminate every Romano soldier waiting outside."
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"No! Lorenzo, please!" Serena begged, falling to her knees, clutching at my trousers as tears ruined her mascara. "I loved you! I was forced into this by my brothers! Please!"
I looked down at her with pure disgust, kicking her hand away from my shoe. "You didn't love me. You loved the throne. And now you can share a cell with your brothers."
