Chapter 4 - The Fall of the Engagement
Vivien backed up until her spine hit the rotting wood of the cottage wall. Her pristine beige coat was splattered with mud from the door frame, her hands shaking so violently she could barely keep her balance.
"Alexander... wait! Listen to me!" she stammered, holding her hands up in front of her face. "It's not what you think! Marco... Marco forced me! He threatened my father’s bank! He told me he would ruin the Romano family if I didn't help him!"
I didn't answer her. I didn't even look into her lying blue eyes.
I walked past her, pulled a small hunting knife from my belt, and severed the heavy ropes binding Sophia’s wrists and ankles to the chair.
The moment the ropes snapped, Sophia collapsed forward. I caught her under her arms, lifting her gently into a standing position.
"Alexander..." Sophia sobbed, clutching my coat sleeves with her bruised, raw hands. "Emma... my baby... they told me—"
"Emma is safe," I whispered softly, wiping a tear from her bruised cheek. "She's sitting in my car right now, drinking milk, waiting for her mother."
Sophia let out a loud, shuddering cry of pure relief, her head resting against my chest for a brief second before she looked up at me with wild, wide eyes. "They stole the master ledgers, Alexander! Marco has the digital keys to the Panama accounts on his personal drive. He’s liquidating Duca Holdings right now!"
"I know," I said.
I turned back to Vivien. She was slowly creeping toward the side entrance, her eyes darting toward her silver Mercedes parked outside.
"Move another inch, Vivien," I said without raising my gun, "and I’ll put a bullet through your knee."
She froze instantly, a sob escaping her throat. "Alexander, please... we were going to be married in three weeks! Think about our families! Think about the reputation of Duca Holdings!"
"The wedding is canceled," I said coldly.
I reached out, grabbed her left hand, and ripped the half-million-dollar diamond engagement ring off her finger. The sharp platinum setting cut a thin red line across her skin, but she didn't dare scream.
I tossed the diamond ring onto the muddy floor at Sophia’s feet.
"You traded your dignity, your honor, and your humanity for Marco’s lies," I said to Vivien. "And in ten minutes, you will trade your freedom."
I pulled out my phone and dialed the direct line to the Special Agent in Charge of the New York FBI Financial Crimes Division—a man who owed my late father his career.
"Agent Miller," I said into the phone as it connected. "This is Alexander Duca. I have a major corporate espionage, kidnapping, and interstate financial fraud case for you at Port 4. Bring federal warrants for Marco Rossi and Vivien Romano."
Vivien sank onto her knees in the mud, weeping hysterically, her hands covering her face as the cold reality of her destruction settled over her.
I took Sophia’s hand. "Come on, Sophia. Let's go see your daughter."
We walked out of the cottage into the pouring rain.
As we approached the black SUV, the front door clicked open. A tiny head wrapped in a oversized blanket popped out into the rain.
"Mommy?" Emma’s small voice called out through the sound of the wind.
"Emma!" Sophia shrieked, breaking away from me and throwing herself onto the gravel driveway.
Emma scrambled out of the car on her bare feet, hurling her small body into her mother’s arms. They collapsed together into the grass, sobbing, hugging, kissing each other’s wet faces in the dark morning rain.
I stood beside the SUV, watching them, feeling a warm, powerful surge of purpose washing away the dark betrayal of the night.
I pulled out my phone once more and looked at the clock.
5:15 AM.
Marco Rossi was sitting in my private study at Duca Holdings in Jersey City, waiting for the Panama transfers to finalize at six.
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He thought he had won. He thought I was dying in a dark cellar.
"Get in the car, Sophia," I said, opening the rear door for them. "We have one final stop to make."
