2025-03-31 01:45:04Sanchez swirling his drink with an air of satisfaction, leaning back on his chair. "niña,you are not enjoying this moment" he mused, his voice sounding silky like a sharp blade. "This ought to be a joyous and memorable night for you."
Elena curls her fingers in her palms. "Joyous?" she repeated snortingly, the word forcefully past the lump in her throat. Sanchez’s gaze flicks to Alejandro, who watches the conversation with mild amusement while standing close to the fireplace with a glass of whiskey in hand. "You are betrothed to my son at last. A perfect match fatefully designed." Fate. Elena had a sickening feel. "Tell me it isn’t true." She turns to her father hoping he refutes the claim. Capello rubbing a hand over his face exhaled deeply. He looked older and more fragile tonight this can’t be the man she knew growing up with lots of admiration for "Elena—” No reply Capello hesitated; slowly nodded in affirmation “it was decided a long time ago while you were still a child.” The truth sank in like a stone dropped in a river. Her whole life had been a pawn. She was traded before she could even speak. Alejandro with a smirk in his face “come on now Princesa,you must have known” sips from his glass of whiskey with his eyes staring at her. She could barely control her fury. "Known?" she hissed. "You think I dream of spending my life shackled with you?" He had a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes but Sanchez cut in before he could respond. "It is your father's debt cleared off,and it's not up for any debate nina” He chuckled “That is my father's burden to bear, not me,” she quickly snapped. There was quick silence in the room. Sanchez’s expression darkened and Alejandro’s smirk widened as he leaned against the mantel, expectantly watching the scenario as a spectator in a gladiator match. Elena had always feared Sanchez, but her heart pounded and she refused to look away. She understood the weight of his power, but tonight—, her fear burned into something sharper and her courage rose like the morning sun. "Choose with your words carefully ,niña," Sanchez said softly. "I don't know how to be patient." Capello’s, hands trembling against the table, with a husky and shaky voice "She’s still young,Amico. Please she needs time to—" "Quiet," Sanchez rudely interrupted. "She needs to understand what is served on the table." Alejandro steps forward closing the gaps in between them. "You ought to be grateful," he murmured, with a low tone. "You are given to me not just anybody but me- you know you would have been given to nobody with no class ." Elena’s stomach irritably twisted. “ I find you annoying and disgusting,” she spat. Alejandro’s jaw dropped. "You don't speak to your fiance like that" "You will never be my fiancé," she shot back. "You’re just my captor." There was tense silence between them, the heavy doors of the lounge sprung open interrupting Alejandro from retaliating. It was Dino walking in. The attention of the room shifted. The air felt different . Dino’s presence came like a rolling storm that is cold, but dangerous.He is dressed in black with a broad shoulder that is tense,his dark eyes swept over the scene cutting across the faces in the room before landing on Sanchez. With his calm voice “you summoned me”, but Elena knew better. "Sit." Sanchez lazily gestured to the seat beside Alejandro. Dino remained standing still as he wasn't pleased with that gesture. Sanchez said “we were just discussing the engagement of Elena to Alejandro, don’t you think? it's a perfect match.” while carefully watching him. There it was in his eyes- Elena saw. A shadow of anger, buried deep; as his gaze locked with hers, and in a spring of the moment, she knew: he wasn't in support of this and he hated it all as much as she. But he didn't say a word. He turned his gaze to Sanchez. "I believe you didn’t call me here for that." Sanchez smirked. "No I didn’t." Tension steams up in the room Dino’s fists curled beneath his suit, with his expression unreadable and unpredictable. Sanchez leaned forward, with an amusing tone. "Your mother finally spoke up,by telling me the truth." Elena saw the smallest flicker of unease in Dino’s face. "Truth about what” he asked. Taking a slow sip of his drink before answering.Sanchez exhaled deeply from his nose. "Truth that I didn't father you." The words hit the walls of the room like a gunshot. For the first time, Dino lost his balance a bit. A gloss of shock spread on his face before he masked it with a cold of indifference. Alejandro let out a subtle chuckle. "You needed to see his face when he found out,” he said mockingly. " Playing the loyal comrade all these years and you weren’t even blood." Elena caught her breath. Sanchez stepped closer to Dino. "Your mother lied," he said. "She gave herself to a bodyguard. And you?" He sneered. "You are nothing but a low life creature." Dino’s fingers twitching at his side couldn't speak. Sanchez tilted his head towards him. "I dare you Say something." But Dino didn’t. Elena felt tightening in her chest. She had seen Dino beatdown men twice his size, had watched him encounter danger without blinking, but tonight—tonight, she saw something else. Betrayal and lies And it hurts. Sanchez’s eyes widened. "You remain loyal to this family, Dino," he said. "As you have always had,you will continue to protect Alejandro." Dino’s jaw tightened. Alejandro grinned amusingly. "That’s right, hermano. Nothing changes, the status quo remains." Dino’s eyes quickly snapped at him as sharp as a blade. "You’re wrong," he said quietly. Alejandro’s grin faded. Dino turned toward the door. "Where do you think you’re going?" Alejandro called, his voice laced with anger. Dino stopped before stepping out. He glanced back, meeting Alejandro’s gaze with quiet rage and fury. "Yes you have his blood," Dino said, voice calm, "but you can never be the man he hopes for." And then he walked away. Elena's pulse pounds as she watches him go. She always knew Dino was different. But tonight, there is a paradigm shift. Something can't be undone from what is now existing.
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Chapter 37
Dino sat across from Sanchez in the dimly lit study, the air between them charged with unspoken threats. A chessboard sat between them, though neither had touched the pieces.Sanchez studied him with the sharp eyes of a predator. “You understand what’s at stake, don’t you?”Dino didn’t blink. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”A slow, approving smile spread across Sanchez’s face. “Good. Then you won’t hesitate when I give you your first task.”Dino’s fingers flexed beneath the table. He had expected this. Now came the real test.Sanchez leaned forward, his voice dropping. “There’s a man in Naples causing problems for me. I want you to get rid of him.”Dino kept his face neutral. “You have plenty of men for that. Why me?”Sanchez chuckled. “Because I want to see if you have the stomach for real power.”A direct hit.Sanchez was testing his willingness to kill in cold blood.Dino’s mind raced. If he refused too quickly, Sanchez would suspect him. If he accepted too easily, he might be forc
Chapter 36
The silence hung like smoke—thick, cloying, poisonous.Sanchez’s offer still echoed in the air, and everyone was waiting for Dino to flinch. To hesitate. To betray that flicker of doubt.He didn’t.His hand moved with purpose, and as he clasped Sanchez’s, time seemed to freeze. The gesture was simple, but the implications rippled like a shockwave.This was no alliance.This was a war declaration—signed in the presence of devils.Their handshake was short. Measured. Calculated.Cold.It wasn’t just Dino accepting a test. It was Sanchez daring him to fail.“You’ll be tested,” Sanchez said, his voice low and smooth. “Every moment. Every room you walk into. Every word you speak.”“I wouldn’t expect less,” Dino replied. The faintest smirk pulled at his lips, but his eyes were ice.Sanchez studied him for a moment longer. The silence was broken only by the soft drip of Alejandro’s blood onto the marble floor.Alejandro’s breath came in ragged bursts; fury coiled beneath his skin like a ratt
Chapter 35
The handshake was a declaration.Dino watched as Capello sealed his deal with Sanchez, his fingers gripping Elena’s wrist like she was nothing more than a bargaining chip.For a split second, the world around Dino faded.He had come here to end this.But Capello had changed the rules.Elena’s eyes met Dino’s, wide with confusion, then betrayal. He was here. Why wasn’t he stopping this?Because if he moved too soon, everyone would die.Dino clenched his jaw. Not yet.Not until he knew exactly what game was being played.---A Son BetrayedAlejandro was still on the ground, panting, clutching his bleeding shoulder.His father—**his own flesh and blood—**had turned on him.The warehouse lights flickered as Sanchez’s men repositioned, their guns lowering now that the hierarchy was restored.Sanchez turned away from Alejandro as if he were nothing more than an afterthought.“You’ve served your purpose,” he murmured.Alejandro’s breathing shook.“Screw you,” he spat, voice hoarse. “I bled f
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The night air was thick with tension.Dino crouched behind an abandoned car, his heartbeat steady despite the chaos unfolding before him. His earpiece crackled to life.“We have a problem.”Vincent’s voice was sharp and controlled.Dino had already seen it. Capello had arrived.Not as a hostage. Not as a victim.But as a player. Armed, standing tall, his men flanking him.Dino exhaled slowly.This wasn’t part of the plan.Capello wasn’t a fighter—he was a businessman. Yet here he was, stepping onto a battlefield like a man with nothing left to lose.Dino’s eyes flicked to the warehouse where Sanchez and Alejandro were locked in their silent power struggle.And inside? Elena.Still in danger.Dino couldn’t afford distractions.But Capello’s presence changed everything.---Inside the WarehouseAlejandro’s fingers curled into a fist, his wounded arm throbbing.“You’re making a mistake,” he hissed.Sanchez chuckled, his eyes gleaming. “Am I? Or are you finally realizing you were never me
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The warehouse was silent—except for the faint hum of electricity in the flickering overhead lights.Alejandro stood frozen, his usual smirk wiped clean from his face.Across from him, the one man he never expected to see again stepped forward.Sanchez.His father.A man everyone believed was either dead or permanently exiled from the criminal world.Alejandro’s grip tightened around his gun. His fingers twitched, but he didn’t raise it yet.“You should be rotting in some gutter,” Alejandro spat, his voice sharp.Sanchez chuckled, slow and deliberate, stepping further into the room. His men fanned out behind him, weapons raised, taking control of the space.“I taught you better than this, Alejandro,” Sanchez mused. His deep, gravelly voice sent a shiver down Elena’s spine. “You’re slipping.”Elena watched every movement between the two men, her mind racing.This was new. Unexpected.Alejandro had always been ruthless. But Sanchez? He was the monster who created him.Alejandro took a sl
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The air inside the dimly lit warehouse was thick with tension. The scent of gasoline and burnt wood still clung to Alejandro’s clothes from the docks.He sat on the edge of his desk, slowly rolling a cigar between his fingers, his face unreadable. He wasn’t just angry. He was calculating.Elena knelt on the floor, wrists tied behind her back, her breathing slow but steady. She refused to show weakness.Alejandro took a slow drag of his cigar, exhaling smoke as he studied her.“You know, querida,” he murmured, “Dino thinks he’s winning.”Elena didn’t answer.Alejandro chuckled, pushing off the desk. He crouched in front of her, gripping her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him.“He’s wrong.”Then he gestured toward the shadows near the doorway.Footsteps echoed.Elena’s stomach twisted as a figure stepped forward.A man—tall, lean, wearing a dark suit—his face eerily familiar.Her breath caught.Capello.Her father.Elena’s world tilted.She shook her head, refusing to believe it.