The devil's heir
974 Words
The first gunshot was followed by another.
Then another.
The busy street dissolved into chaos.
People screamed and ran in every direction, abandoning shopping bags and umbrellas as they searched for cover. Car horns blared while drivers desperately tried to escape the gridlock.
Isabella stood frozen.
She had never heard real gunfire before.
Dante reacted instantly.
He caught her wrist and pulled her behind the nearest SUV just as another bullet shattered the café window across the street.
"Stay down," he ordered.
"I—I don't even know you!"
"You don't have to."
His voice remained remarkably calm despite the hail of bullets striking the armored vehicles.
"You only have to trust me."
She shook her head.
"People don't usually ask strangers to trust them while they're being shot at."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Dante's mouth.
"Fair point."
He tapped a small device clipped to his jacket.
"Lucien."
A voice answered immediately.
"The rooftop shooters have been identified. Three suspects. Security Team Bravo is moving."
"Keep Isabella safe."
"That's your job."
Dante ended the call.
Without another word, he removed his suit jacket and draped it over Isabella's shoulders.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Protecting you."
"It's just a jacket."
"It isn't."
Only then did she notice how unusually heavy it was.
Bullet-resistant fabric.
Her eyes widened.
"You expected this."
"I hoped I was wrong."
Another volley of gunfire echoed across the street.
One of Dante's security officers shouted from behind another vehicle.
"Route's clear!"
Dante opened the SUV door.
"Get in."
"I'm not going anywhere until you explain what's happening."
"You can ask every question you want."
He looked toward the rooftop where another flash of gunfire erupted.
"But not here."
Reluctantly, Isabella climbed inside.
The convoy sped away seconds later.
---
Rain continued to fall as the vehicles crossed the city.
No one spoke for several minutes.
Finally Isabella broke the silence.
"Who wants me dead?"
Dante looked out the window before answering.
"Someone who believed you disappeared forever."
"And why would they care?"
"Because you're the only surviving member of the Romano family."
She laughed nervously.
"That's impossible."
"Is it?"
"I grew up in an orphanage."
"I know."
"I've worked in a café since I was twenty."
"I know."
"I've never even met my parents."
"I know."
She frowned.
"You keep saying that."
"I've spent years learning everything I could about you."
The words should have sounded comforting.
Instead, they unsettled her.
"You've been watching me?"
"Protecting you."
"There's a difference."
"Not always."
She folded her arms.
"I still don't know who you are."
"My family owns De Luca Global."
"The technology company?"
"Among other things."
She had heard the name countless times.
De Luca Global built ports, satellites, research facilities, hospitals, and renewable energy systems across the world.
It was one of the largest corporations on the planet.
"You expect me to believe the CEO of a multinational company personally came looking for a waitress?"
"No."
"I expect you to believe I came looking for Isabella Romano."
---
The convoy entered a private road surrounded by towering pine trees.
Iron gates slowly opened.
Beyond them stood an estate unlike anything Isabella had ever imagined.
The mansion overlooked a lake, its glass walls glowing warmly against the storm.
Security cameras tracked every movement.
Drones quietly patrolled the skies above.
"This isn't a house," she whispered.
"It's headquarters."
The SUV stopped beneath the entrance.
Several employees hurried forward.
None of them appeared surprised to see Dante.
But every one of them stared at Isabella.
An elderly woman pushed through the crowd.
The moment she saw Isabella, tears filled her eyes.
"My sweet girl..."
She stopped herself before embracing her.
"I'm sorry."
"You remind me of someone."
"Who?" Isabella asked softly.
The woman smiled sadly.
"Your mother."
Before Isabella could respond, Dante spoke.
"Maria."
The woman nodded.
"I've prepared the east suite."
"Thank you."
As Maria walked away, Isabella turned to Dante.
"She knows me."
"She knew your family."
---
Minutes later, they entered a spacious library.
Floor-to-ceiling books lined the walls.
A fire crackled in the stone fireplace.
Dante walked to a large portrait hanging above the mantel.
It showed a smiling couple holding the hands of a little girl.
Isabella stopped breathing.
The little girl looked exactly like her.
"No..."
She stepped closer.
"My necklace..."
The child in the painting wore the same silver pendant.
"Who are they?" she whispered.
Dante answered quietly.
"Alessandro Romano."
He pointed to the man.
"Your father."
Then to the woman.
"Sofia Romano."
"Your mother."
Isabella felt the room spin.
"This can't be real."
"It is."
"My parents died."
"They did."
"I was told it was an accident."
Dante's expression darkened.
"It wasn't."
Silence settled over the library.
After a long moment, Isabella looked at him.
"If they were murdered..."
"Why was I spared?"
Dante walked toward the window overlooking the rain-soaked estate.
"Because someone risked everything to save you."
"Who?"
He turned.
"Your uncle."
"And where is he now?"
"I've been asking that same question for twenty-three years."
Before Isabella could say another word, the library doors burst open.
Lucien hurried inside, his usually calm expression replaced with urgency.
"Dante."
"What happened?"
"We intercepted an encrypted transmission."
"From whom?"
Lucien placed a tablet on the desk.
A single sentence glowed on the screen.
THE HEIR HAS BEEN FOUND. PHASE TWO BEGINS TONIGHT.
The room fell silent.
Dante's eyes hardened.
He looked at Isabella.
"I was hoping we'd have more time."
"What does Phase Two mean?"
Before he could answer, every light in the mansion suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Somewhere deep inside the estate...
An alarm began to ring.
Slow.
Loud.
Relentless.
And then a voice echoed through the emergency speakers.
"Security breach. Lockdown initiated."
Isabella's heart pounded.
She had escaped one nightmare.
Only to walk into another
- Writer
