2025-03-31 01:59:28There was a distant hum of music fading from the ballroom, drowning beneath the pounding of Elena’s heart. Alejandro’s grip on her wrist was possessive with a silent declaration of control. Guests whispered around them, their glances shifting between the two. Some watched with amusement and discomfort.
But none of them would dare intervene. “I see you were distracted,” Alejandro said, tilting his head as he murmured. His voice was soft and teasing, but Elena knew better. There was calculation with no warmth in his words. “Thinking about him?” Elena kept her expression blank as her stomach twisted. She didn't want him to see the effect he had on her. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, with an even tone. Alejandro's thumb brushing over her palm with a smirk on his face. The touch was a mockery of affection but gentle. “I felt your hesitation and your mind somewhere else as I held you.” He whispered. She forced herself to meet his gaze as she tightened her chest. “You’re drunk.” He smiled. “Not drunk but observant.” His fingers trail her arm in a feather-light yet suffocating fashion. “And I observe that you’re still struggling with something you lost long ago.” A chill ran down her spine. Alejandro had always been cruel, but this was different. He wasn’t just tormenting her—he was ripping her apart gently. And then he said it. “You should’ve made more inquiries about your mother.” The world tilted. Elena caught her breath, her body going rigid. Not Dino. Not escape. Her mother. The mother whose absence was no longer just an accident. Something inside her cracked with a flood of memories rushing in. The silent warnings. The whispers she had ignored. She had spent years nursing the notion that her mother’s death was just a cruel twist of fate. But if it were true, why was Alejandro bringing it up now? Why was it important all of a sudden? Her ears heard her heartbeats roaring. She needs to be calm and not react, else he would know. So she calmed her breath. “What are you talking about?” Alejandro’s smirk widened. “Ah, finally. The curiosity.” He leaned in, lowering his voice in a calm whisper. “You know curiosity is a dangerous thing, and it makes you desperate, Elena.” She needed answers as she dug her nails into her palm. She lets a flicker of vulnerability seep into her voice as she speaks gently. “Tell me, if you know something.” Alejandro's eyes flickered in amusement as he studied her. He is loving this—dangling information just out of reach, seeing her beg for it. “Sanchez never told you everything.” He sips from a glass of wine he took from a passing waiter. Elena’s stomach dropped. Tilting his head, Alejandro settled the glass. “He hid secrets from your father and you.” Elena swallowed. “What secrets about my mother?” Alejandro, feigning pity, exhales. “The reason she really died.” Her vision dimmed. All these years she spent mourning her mother, believing she was just another case of casualty in a tragic world. But now, Alejandro was shattering that illusion beneath the glow of the chandelier in the hall room. And Sanchez was behind it. Her fingers trembled. “Why are you telling me this now?” she demanded. Alejandro smirked. “Because I enjoy watching you squirm.” As he brushed his fingers on her cheek, she fought the urge to recoil. “And because I know you’ll spend the rest of the night wondering how your life has turned out, how much of your life was a lie.” She hated him for the momentary power he held over her. And she hated herself for wanting to know more. Alejandro pulled back slightly, “You’re shaking.” as he studied her like a cat toying with a bird. Elena clenched her jaw. “You are deliberately keeping things from me.” Alejandro tilted his head in amusement. “You assume I have all the answers.” “Don’t you?” She challenged me. His smirk widened. “Maybe.” She snapped, losing patience. “Alejandro. If you know something, tell me,stop playing games with me.” Alejandro exhaled, All in due time,with a tone savoring her frustration. She couldn’t breathe. He had put her on a leash, leading her faster and deeper into a web of secrets. She had to get away from him. “Elena.” With a soft voice again, but dangerous in its quietness. “Do you think Dino can save you from me?” Her throat tightened. Alejandro closing in on her, his lips brushing against her ear. “Dino has no idea what he’s up against.” Elena struggles to stay still in order not to react. Alejandro chuckled, stepping back. “If you must, you can run to him. But when the truth is eventually out, he won't look at you the same way, I promise.” The breath left her lungs. Alejandro’s with a slow and cruel smile. “Some things can’t be undone, Elena. Once revealed… it changes everything.” Then he turned while she stood alone on the balcony. Her hands clenched into fists. She had to find out the truth. Before it was too late. --- Dino sat in his apartment in a dim glow, his mind brewing a storm of thoughts. With an untouched glass of whiskey sitting beside him, forgotten. Elena was still with Alejandro. And something was wrong. His thoughts were snapped by a knock on the door. Sergio entered with a grim expression. “We found something.” Dino straightened. “What?” Sergio, moving closer, tossed a folder onto the table. “This name kept popping up in Sanchez’s old records.” Dino opened it—and froze. Elena’s mother. His pulse pounded. “What in the world is this?” Sergio hesitated. “She made payments. Large ones. Right up until she died.” Dino inhaled sharply. “Payments to who and why?” Sergio’s jaw tightened. “There is a shell account connected to Sanchez; that's where the payments go into.” Dino’s world tilted. Elena’s mother must have been involved in something; she was just a victim.” And Sanchez perfectly covered it up. Dino’s fists clenched. Elena lived in a house full of liars and murderers; Alejandro had her trapped and now had the final piece of the puzzle. He wouldn’t let her be swallowed by their secrets. Dino stood. “We move tonight.” --- Back at the Balcony Elena is breathing fast, the weight of the conversation crushing down on her. Alejandro has confirmed what she feared—her mother’s death wasn’t just an accident. Now he was holding the truth over her head. She needed to get to Dino. She needed to find out about Sanchez’s past record; now Alejandro wants to use it against her. She made a silent vow as she gripped the rail on the balcony. She would not be controlled. Not by Sanchez. Not by Alejandro. Not by anyone.
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The ballroom felt like a prison for Elena despite the glittering chandelier. Every clink of a champagne glass, every polite smile, just tightened the invisible chains she felt placed on her by Alejandro. She had tried to escape his grip, as his fingers rested boldly and possessively on the small of her back, knowing fully he would never let her go easily.With a silky and firm voice. “You’re tense. Elena. Relax.” Alejandro spoke.She forced a smile. The feel of his palm against her spine made her skin crawl. She wanted to shove him away and scream that she would never be his. But with his men blended in the crowd, she was surrounded as they were watching her every move.Her eyes darted across the room, searching for an exit. She needs to leave now, because this might be her only chance.At that moment, her gaze met Capello’s, her father. He stood by the bar, watching her with guilt in his eyes and a drink in his hand. He knows. Something twisted inside her.He knows what Aleja
Burn Loot Chapter 9
Wealth and power radiated in every corner of Sanchez’s grand hall, but to Elena, it felt like a gilded prison.Alejandro hosts another extravagant party, a well calculated display of his control over her fate. Her father,Capello,lingered near the bar, silent reminder of his betrayal looms as he avoids her gaze.Alejandro was already behind Elena who tried to disappear into the crowd. “Enjoying the night?”His voice, smooth yet laced with menace, sent a chill through her. She turned away, but his grip tightened around her wrist. “Don’t walk away from me.”“I don’t belong to you.” She yanked free, her pulse pounding.His eyes darkened. “You will. Accept it, or I’ll make you.”Before she could react, she spotted Dino.Dino’s Silent FuryDino stood at the edge of the room, his presence commanding even in the shadows. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with quiet rage as he locked onto Alejandro.Alejandro hesitated, loosening his grip. Even he feared Dino.Dino’s voice w
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The night air carried the acrid scent of gunpowder as gunmen closed in from the trees.Bullets ripped through the wooden walls of the cabin, shattering glass and sending splinters flying.Dino pressed Elena against the floor, shielding her as Sergio fired back. “We’re sitting ducks here!” Sergio growled.Enzo Moretti, his face pale, clutched his side where a bullet had grazed him. “Sanchez won’t stop! He knows I know too much.”Dino’s jaw clenched. “We move. Now!”A Fight in the DarkSergio lobbed a smoke grenade through the broken window. As thick gray fog consumed the cabin, Dino pulled Elena up and guided her toward the back door.Enzo struggled to keep up, his breath ragged.A gunman appeared in the clearing—Dino took him down with a swift elbow to the throat, twisting his gun away before knocking him unconscious. Another came from behind. Dino spun, delivering a brutal side kick to his ribs, then a finishing blow to the temple.Elena grabbed a discarded pistol, her hands steady a
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Chapter 40
Dino moved through the darkness like a phantom.Alejandro’s compound was a fortress—a sprawling estate lined with motion sensors, armed guards, and surveillance cameras. Breaking in undetected was impossible. But slipping in like a ghost? That was a different game.Dino had studied the blueprints. A hidden maintenance tunnel ran beneath the estate, leading to an old service entrance. It had been abandoned for years.Alejandro thought it was forgotten.He was wrong.Dino crouched behind a cluster of trees, his earpiece crackling with Tomas’s voice.“You’re clear to move. The guards just changed shifts.”Dino didn’t hesitate. Silent. Precise. Deadly.He sprinted across the open ground, reaching a rusted metal hatch embedded in the earth. With a practiced motion, he yanked it open and dropped down into darkness.The tunnel smelled of damp earth and decay. A perfect place for ghosts.And tonight, Dino was one.---Elena’s DesperationElena sat on the cold floor of her room, staring at the
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The gunshot echoed through the night.Dino didn’t flinch. Years of training had sharpened his reflexes, his instincts honed to react before thinking. He dropped low, rolling behind a parked SUV as the bullet smashed into a side mirror, shattering it into glittering shards.He could hear footsteps advancing—confident, measured. His attacker wasn’t afraid.“Come out, Dino.” The voice was smooth, taunting. “Hiding won’t change the inevitable.”Dino’s mind raced. Who was this? He had recognized the face in that fleeting moment, but it didn’t make sense. The betrayal was too close, too personal.Peering from behind the SUV, he caught a glimpse of the figure—a familiar silhouette in the moonlight.Sergio.Dino’s breath tightened. His most trusted man.His closest ally.Betrayal had never burned this deep.“Why?” Dino’s voice was steady, but inside, his blood boiled.Sergio exhaled a humorless chuckle. “Because I was never really yours to begin with.”Dino shifted slightly, his fingers curli
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
chapter 34
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
Chapter 33
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
Chapter 32
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.