CHAPTER THREE
2368 Words
Another gunshot tore through the mansion.
Elias flinched.
Adrian immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his body with his own.
“Stay behind me.”
Elias's heart was pounding so hard he could hear it.
“What is happening?”
“An attack.”
“I can see that!”
Adrian glanced at him.
Even in the darkness, Elias could see the faintest trace of irritation in his eyes.
“Then stop asking questions and listen.”
Footsteps thundered through the hallway.
Someone shouted.
“Boss!”
Adrian raised his gun.
“Report.”
A man's voice came from outside the room.
“They breached the east entrance. We have men moving toward the main hall.”
“How many?”
“At least fifteen.”
Adrian's expression didn't change.
“Lock down the west wing.”
“Already done.”
“Get everyone to the underground level.”
A pause.
“And you?”
Adrian glanced at Elias.
“I'll handle this.”
The guard disappeared.
Elias stared at Adrian.
“You're staying here?”
“No.”
“Then where are we going?”
Adrian walked toward the door.
“You're coming with me.”
Elias followed.
“Why?”
“Because if they came here for you, they'll search every room until they find you.”
“And you think they'll just ignore you?”
Adrian looked over his shoulder.
“They're afraid of me.”
“Apparently not enough.”
For the first time, something almost resembling amusement touched Adrian's face.
“Apparently not.”
They stepped into the hallway.
The mansion was chaos.
Security personnel rushed from one corridor to another. Someone was shouting orders. The sound of gunfire echoed from the eastern wing.
Elias's hands trembled.
He had never been around a gun in his life.
Now there were dozens.
Adrian grabbed his wrist.
“Stay close.”
Elias looked down at their hands.
Adrian's grip was firm but not painful.
He quickly pulled his hand away.
“I can walk by myself.”
“Then keep up.”
They moved down the hallway.
Suddenly, a bullet struck the wall beside Elias's head.
BANG!
Elias froze.
Adrian immediately pulled him against the wall.
“Down!”
Elias crouched.
Another series of shots rang through the corridor.
Adrian leaned around the corner and fired twice.
Silence.
Elias stared at him.
“You... you shot them?”
Adrian looked back.
“They were shooting at you.”
“That doesn't make it better.”
“It wasn't supposed to.”
Adrian grabbed Elias's hand again.
This time Elias didn't argue.
They ran.
---
They reached a large staircase.
“Down,” Adrian ordered.
Elias followed him.
They descended quickly.
The further they went, the quieter everything became.
Finally, Adrian opened a heavy steel door.
Behind it was an enormous underground room.
Elias stopped.
“What is this?”
“A safe room.”
It looked nothing like the room Elias had imagined.
There were several computers, shelves filled with documents, medical supplies, weapons locked behind glass, and enough food and water to survive for weeks.
Several armed men were already there.
A woman Elias recognized from earlier stood beside the main computer.
“Is everyone accounted for?”
Adrian nodded.
“Lock it.”
The woman entered a code.
The massive door closed.
CLANG.
Elias exhaled.
For the first time that night, he felt like he could breathe.
Then he remembered something.
“Adrian.”
Adrian turned.
“What?”
“My uncle.”
Adrian's face became unreadable.
Elias stepped closer.
“You said he died.”
“Yes.”
“Did you see him?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
Adrian was silent.
Elias's suspicion grew.
“How do you know my uncle is dead?”
“One of my men was at the scene.”
“Who?”
“Luca.”
Elias remembered the man from the alley.
“Where is he?”
Adrian's eyes shifted toward the door.
“He didn't make it here.”
Elias's stomach dropped.
“What do you mean?”
“He was hit during the attack.”
“Is he dead?”
“We don't know.”
Elias looked around.
Everything was becoming more confusing.
“Then maybe my uncle is still alive too.”
Adrian didn't respond.
Elias grabbed his arm.
“You need to go back.”
“No.”
“You can't just leave him!”
“Elias.”
“He might still be alive!”
Adrian turned toward him.
“Your uncle was shot three times.”
Elias's eyes filled with tears.
“You don't know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
Adrian's voice softened slightly.
“Because I was the one who found him.”
Elias froze.
“You...”
“I found him before my men arrived.”
Elias stared at him.
“Then why didn't you save him?”
Adrian looked away.
“He asked me not to.”
Elias shook his head.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“He knew he was dying.”
“No.”
“He told me to find you.”
Elias's breathing stopped.
“What?”
Adrian reached inside his coat.
He pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
“He gave me this.”
Elias took it with trembling fingers.
He unfolded it.
There was only one sentence.
PROTECT ELIAS. HE MUST NEVER LEARN THE TRUTH FROM THEM.
Elias stared at the handwriting.
It was his uncle's.
His tears finally fell.
“He knew.”
Adrian didn't say anything.
“He knew they were coming for me.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Adrian looked directly into his eyes.
“From your inheritance.”
Elias frowned.
“My inheritance?”
Adrian nodded.
“The Moretti family wasn't just a wealthy family.”
“What were they?”
Adrian took a breath.
“They were one of the oldest criminal families in Europe.”
Elias laughed nervously.
“No.”
“It's true.”
“My father owned a business.”
“He owned several businesses.”
“Restaurants.”
“Those were the legal ones.”
Elias stared at him.
Adrian continued.
“The Moretti family controlled ports, shipping routes, casinos, and weapons networks. They had influence across several countries.”
Elias's face went pale.
“My father was a mafia boss?”
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
Finally:
“Yes.”
Elias stepped backward.
“No.”
“Elias—”
“No.”
He shook his head repeatedly.
“My father wasn't like that.”
“You were six when he died.”
“I remember him.”
“Then you remember the man he wanted you to see.”
Elias wiped his tears.
“What happened to them?”
“Your parents were betrayed by someone inside the family.”
“Who?”
“We're still looking for him.”
“And my uncle?”
“He helped your parents escape with you.”
Elias stared at him.
“You mean...”
“Your uncle wasn't your biological father.”
Elias's heart sank.
“I know.”
“He raised you because your parents trusted him.”
Elias looked down.
Everything he knew about his childhood was suddenly falling apart.
“My whole life was a lie.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“No.”
Elias looked at him.
“Your life wasn't a lie.”
“Then what was it?”
“A protection.”
Elias laughed bitterly.
“That's supposed to make me feel better?”
“No.”
Adrian's voice was quiet.
“But it might keep you alive.”
A sudden alarm sounded.
Everyone in the safe room turned toward the monitors.
The woman at the computer frowned.
“Boss.”
Adrian walked over.
“What?”
“We have a problem.”
She brought up the security system.
One camera after another went black.
Adrian's expression hardened.
“They're inside.”
Elias looked around.
“What?”
The woman shook her head.
“That's impossible. The lower level is completely sealed.”
Adrian stared at the screen.
“No.”
He walked closer.
“They didn't breach the safe room.”
He pointed at the monitor.
“They're using the old tunnels.”
The woman's face went pale.
“There haven't been tunnels in use for twenty years.”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
“They were sealed.”
“Exactly.”
“Then someone opened them.”
Silence.
Elias suddenly felt cold.
“Someone inside this mansion?”
Nobody answered.
Adrian looked at the security team.
“Check every entrance.”
A man stepped forward.
“We have another problem.”
Adrian turned.
“What?”
“We can't contact the men outside.”
“Why?”
“The communication system has been disabled.”
Adrian's eyes darkened.
A traitor.
Someone had helped the attackers.
And that person was already inside.
---
Elias stood near the wall, trying to process everything.
His family.
His father.
The mafia.
The attack.
The envelope.
His uncle's death.
None of it made sense.
He looked at Adrian.
“Why are you helping me?”
Adrian stared at him.
“Because I promised your father.”
“That can't be the only reason.”
Adrian said nothing.
Elias moved closer.
“You've been watching me, haven't you?”
Adrian's silence answered him.
“For how long?”
“Years.”
Elias's eyes widened.
“You've been watching me for years?”
“To make sure you were safe.”
“Without me knowing?”
“Yes.”
“That is completely insane.”
“Probably.”
Elias stared at him.
“You knew where I lived?”
“Yes.”
“You knew where I studied?”
“Yes.”
“You knew about my job?”
“Yes.”
Elias looked horrified.
“You're a stalker.”
One of the guards looked down, clearly trying not to laugh.
Adrian shot him a warning look.
The guard immediately became serious.
Elias folded his arms.
“I don't like you.”
“I know.”
“You're arrogant.”
“I know.”
“You're controlling.”
“I've been told.”
“And you're terrifying.”
Adrian's lips almost curved.
“Good.”
Elias glared at him.
“That wasn't a compliment.”
“I didn't take it as one.”
Before Elias could respond, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then everything went completely dark.
The room fell silent.
Adrian immediately pulled Elias behind him.
“Everyone stay where you are.”
A sound came from somewhere behind the shelves.
A metallic click.
Adrian turned.
“DOWN!”
Gunfire erupted.
The room exploded into chaos.
People shouted.
Elias dropped to the floor.
Adrian grabbed him and pulled him behind a steel table.
“Are you hurt?”
Elias shook his head.
“No.”
“Stay here.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find the person who did this.”
“Adrian—”
But he was already gone.
Elias crouched behind the table.
He heard footsteps.
Then a scream.
A body hit the floor.
The lights suddenly came back.
Elias looked up.
Adrian stood across the room.
His shirt was torn slightly at the shoulder.
Blood stained his sleeve.
Elias immediately stood.
“You're hurt.”
Adrian looked down.
“It's nothing.”
“You're bleeding.”
“I've had worse.”
Elias approached him.
“Sit down.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me?”
“Sit.”
Nobody in the room moved.
Elias pointed at a chair.
“You're bleeding all over the floor.”
Adrian stared at him for a moment.
Then, surprisingly, he sat.
The woman brought a first-aid kit.
Elias took it.
“You can leave.”
Adrian looked at him.
“What?”
“I said I can do it.”
Elias opened the kit.
“Fine.”
He carefully cleaned the wound.
Adrian watched him silently.
Their faces were closer than they had been before.
Elias could feel Adrian's eyes on him.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Then stop staring.”
Adrian looked away.
Elias continued wrapping the bandage.
His hands were shaking slightly.
Adrian noticed.
“Are you afraid?”
Elias didn't look at him.
“Yes.”
“Of me?”
Elias paused.
Then he answered honestly.
“Not right now.”
Adrian looked at him.
For a brief moment, something passed between them.
Something neither of them understood.
Then the woman at the computer spoke.
“Boss.”
Adrian stood.
“What?”
“We recovered something from the attacker.”
She held up a small device.
Adrian took it.
His expression changed the moment he saw the symbol engraved on it.
The same silver crown.
The same snake.
The symbol from the envelope.
Elias stepped closer.
“What does it mean?”
Adrian stared at it.
Then he looked at Elias.
“It means this wasn't an attack.”
“What?”
Adrian's voice became dangerously quiet.
“It was a warning.”
Elias felt a chill.
“A warning for who?”
Adrian looked directly into his eyes.
“For the heir.”
Elias swallowed.
“What heir?”
Adrian didn't answer.
Instead, he walked toward the locked door.
Behind them, one of the monitors suddenly turned on by itself.
A video appeared.
Static.
Then a man's face.
Older.
Scarred.
Smiling.
Elias stared at the screen.
The man looked directly into the camera.
“Hello, little Moretti.”
Elias froze.
The man's smile widened.
“I've been waiting twenty years to meet you.”
Adrian's expression became murderous.
The man continued:
“Your father stole something from me.”
He leaned closer to the camera.
“And now, my dear Elias, you're going to give it back.”
The screen went black.
Nobody spoke.
Elias slowly turned toward Adrian.
“What did my father steal?”
Adrian stared at the dark screen.
Then he looked at Elias.
“The throne.”
To be continued...
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