Chapter 3: Blood in a Diamond CagePart 3
675 Words
Chapter 3: Blood in a Diamond Cage
Part 3
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The room was small. Windowless. Clean, but not warm.
At exactly 10:00 a.m., Celeste opened the door.
“You have ten minutes,” she said.
No emotion. No sympathy. Just the clock.
Elena stepped in.
And saw him.
Zane sat on the edge of a narrow cot, head down, wrists bruised. But he was alive.
“Zane,” she whispered.
He looked up — and she nearly broke.
His eyes were the same. Tired, scared, but still sharp. Still him.
“Lena…”
She rushed to him, wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t flinch, but he didn’t hug her back either.
“What have they done to you?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Not yet.”
She pulled back to look at him.
“I’m going to fix this,” she said.
“How?” he asked. “You’re in deeper than I am.”
---
She tried to smile, but it cracked.
“I’m working with him.”
Zane laughed bitterly. “With Damian?”
“Because I had no choice.”
“That’s what Mom said. Right before she died.”
The words hit like bullets.
“Zane…”
He stood, pacing now. “You think you’re smart? Brave? You signed your life over to a man who kills loyalty faster than he rewards it.”
“I did it for you.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re my brother.”
“And you were our family’s last hope. Now you’re his.”
---
A knock at the door.
“Two minutes,” Celeste called.
Zane’s face changed.
Panic. Urgency.
“Listen to me,” he said quickly. “He’s hiding something. About Dad.”
“Dad’s dead.”
“No,” Zane said. “He was seen. Two weeks ago. Damian knew.”
Elena’s heart nearly stopped.
“What are you saying?”
Zane stepped closer, lowered his voice.
“I think Dad was working with him. I think Mom found out. That’s why she—”
The door opened.
Time was up.
Celeste waited, stone-faced.
Zane stepped back.
And Elena did the hardest thing she’d ever done.
She walked out.
---
Back in her room, she sat on the floor, knees to her chest, head spinning.
Her father was alive?
Her mother was murdered?
And Damian… had known all along?
She didn’t cry.
She couldn’t.
Because grief was a luxury she could no longer afford.
---
That night, Damian came to her room.
He didn’t knock.
Didn’t ask.
He just entered, closed the door, and stood there watching her.
“You saw him,” he said.
She didn’t speak.
“I gave you what you asked for.”
She looked up, cold. “You gave me a lie.”
“No,” he said. “I gave you a moment. The only kind you’ll ever get in this world.”
She stood, fists clenched. “You knew my father was alive.”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I owed you nothing.”
Her voice cracked. “He’s my father.”
“And he was my partner,” Damian said. “Until he betrayed me. Until he disappeared with millions in dirty assets and left your mother to take the fall.”
Elena’s chest tightened.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
He stepped closer, his voice low and cruel.
“Maybe your mother wasn’t a hero. Maybe your father wasn’t a victim. Maybe you’re just the last pawn in a game that was never meant for you.”
She slapped him.
Hard.
But he didn’t flinch.
He just smiled — slowly.
“Good,” he whispered. “Now you’re ready.”
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👉 Part 4 of Chapter 3 (Final Part) coming next:
Damian makes Elena an offer: power or pain
Zane is moved… and vanishes again
The first assassination attempt happens — but the target isn’t who you expect
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