Chapter 4:Blood on the Marble Floor
865 Words
Chapter 4: Blood on the Marble Floor
The first gunshot shattered the grand entrance.
Glass exploded inward as masked men poured through the smoking gates, their rifles raised. Security alarms echoed throughout the Romano estate, mixing with the frantic shouts of guards rushing to defend the mansion.
Alina’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.
She had never heard real gunfire before.
Now it was everywhere.
Dante stood perfectly still for a single second, his eyes scanning every entrance and hallway.
“Enzo!” he barked.
His head of security appeared almost instantly, already holding an assault rifle.
“The east wing has been breached, Boss. We’ve secured the staff, but at least a dozen men made it onto the grounds.”
Dante’s expression remained unreadable.
“Protect the civilians.”
“And you?”
“I’ll deal with the rest.”
Enzo hesitated.
“You’ll need more men.”
“I only need loyal ones.”
Without another word, Dante turned to Alina.
“You’re coming with me.”
“I’m not hiding while people are dying!”
“You are because they’re here for you as much as they’re here for me.”
Before she could argue, another explosion rocked the mansion. Dust drifted from the ceiling, and the lights flickered.
Dante took her hand—not gently, but firmly—and led her through a hidden door behind a bookshelf.
Alina stared in disbelief.
“A secret passage?”
“My family built this estate over a century ago. It has more secrets than most cities.”
The narrow corridor was dimly lit, its stone walls cool beneath her fingertips. They moved quickly until the passage opened into a security room filled with monitors showing nearly every corner of the estate.
On one screen, Alina saw black-clad gunmen exchanging fire with Dante’s guards.
On another, a luxury car burned near the entrance.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
“It’s war.”
Enzo’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Boss, we’ve captured one attacker alive.”
“Bring him to the interrogation room.”
Minutes later, Dante entered a reinforced chamber beneath the mansion. Alina stayed near the doorway, despite his order to remain behind.
The captured attacker was bruised but defiant.
Dante dismissed everyone except Enzo.
“Who sent you?”
The prisoner laughed.
“You already know.”
“Lorenzo De Luca.”
The man smiled.
“He says your empire is finished.”
Dante crouched until they were eye level.
“Tell Lorenzo something for me.”
“What?”
“He should have come himself.”
The prisoner’s smile faded.
He lunged suddenly, producing a hidden knife from his sleeve.
Before Alina could scream, Dante twisted the man’s wrist. The blade clattered to the floor, and Enzo restrained the attacker.
Within seconds, it was over.
Dante looked at the knife thoughtfully.
“He wanted to die before talking.”
Enzo nodded grimly.
“That means he knows something valuable.”
Dante rose to his feet.
“Search every vehicle. Every phone. Every weapon they left behind.”
As they exited the room, Alina finally spoke.
“Does this happen often?”
“No.”
“What makes this time different?”
Dante looked toward the security monitors.
“They attacked my home.”
His voice was quiet.
“In our world, that’s a declaration of total war.”
Later that evening, the mansion fell into an uneasy calm. Broken windows were boarded up, injured guards received treatment, and the estate buzzed with preparations for whatever came next.
Alina found Dante alone on the balcony overlooking the gardens.
“You haven’t rested all day.”
“I will.”
“When?”
“When this is over.”
She folded her arms.
“You carry everything by yourself.”
“It keeps everyone else alive.”
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Alina said, “I still don’t agree with what you do.”
“I know.”
“But today…” She looked toward the damaged gates. “Your men risked their lives to protect innocent people.”
“They follow my orders.”
“Then maybe there’s more to you than the man I saw in that alley.”
For the first time since meeting her, Dante allowed himself the faintest smile.
“And maybe,” he replied, “there’s more courage in you than you realize.”
Before either of them could say another word, Enzo hurried onto the balcony.
“Boss.”
“What is it?”
“We found something in one of the attackers’ vehicles.”
Enzo handed him a sealed envelope.
Inside was an old photograph.
Dante’s eyes widened.
The picture showed two young men standing side by side.
One was Dante’s late father.
The other…
Alina gasped.
It was her father.
Written across the back of the photograph were five chilling words:
The past always collects its debt.
A cold silence settled over the balcony.
For the first time, Alina realized her family’s connection to the Romano empire wasn’t a rumor.
It was real.
And whatever had happened years ago was about to change both of their lives forever.
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