Chapter 9: The Silence Broken
"Get away from my daughter!" Hannah screamed, her voice a raw, terrifying roar as she lunged into the room.
Russo spun around in shock, but before he could raise his weapon, Matteo burst through the main door like a battering ram. The sheer force of his entry shattered the door frame.
Russo fired a shot, the bullet grazing Matteo’s shoulder, but Matteo didn't even flinch. He closed the distance in a split second, grabbing Russo’s wrist and twisting it until the bone snapped with a loud, sickening crack. The gun clattered to the floor. Matteo delivered a brutal knee to Russo’s ribs, sending the syndicate criminal crashing through the drywall, unconscious and broken.
Meanwhile, Elena grabbed a letter opener from the desk, her face distorted with manic greed, and tried to rush toward Lily.
But Hannah intercepted her. Hannah tackled Elena to the floor, pinning her arms down with an adrenaline-fueled strength that left the sophisticated villainess completely helpless.
"You are not a mother!" Hannah hissed, her face inches from Elena’s. "You are a monster. And if you ever look at my child again, I will personally ensure you never see the light of day!"
Marco and the remaining guards flooded the room, securing the perimeter and clicking heavy handcuffs onto a weeping Elena and a broken Russo.
Matteo dropped to his knees in front of Lily, his hands trembling as he quickly cut the ropes binding her. The moment her hands were free, Lily didn't cry. Instead, her fingers flew with an incredible, emotional speed as she signed to both of them:
May you like
I wasn't scared! I knew you would find the signal! I knew Papa and Hannah would come!
Hannah wrapped her arms around Lily, sobbing uncontrollably, burying her face in the girl’s neck. Matteo threw his massive arms around both of them, his tears falling silently onto Lily’s golden hair. The white marble quarry, once a place of cold death, was now filled with the warmth of a family that could never be broken.
