The Terminal Tumor

Chapter 2 The Hero's Welcome

(Dante's POV)

Every light in the Moretti estate was on when Elena and I returned. She held my arm as we crossed the hall. She was safe. The exchange had worked.

I reached into my coat for the pills Sienna always put in the inner pocket before a long night. My fingers found the empty silk lining. The ache behind my eyes had already started.

She was probably in the penthouse suite at The Grand, running up my bill to punish me. Fine. I would cut off her access to the family accounts. A few days later, she would come back, as she always did.

When we entered the grand hall, my capos and soldiers stood and cheered. "To the Don! To Lady Elena!"

Elena flinched, pressing closer to me. "Don't call me that," she whispered, her eyes wide and fearful. "That's Sienna's title."

"Sienna gave up her titles tonight," I said. The room went quiet.

Later, Elena stood at the window in my study while the last guests left. "I don't feel safe, Dante. Not while she's out there. What if she comes back?"

"She won't get past the gates without my permission," I assured her.

"But in the house, I feel exposed. Sienna's suite is the most secure room, isn't it? It has its own elevator and a direct line to the security hub."

The suite was the safest room in the estate. "You'll stay there tonight. I'll have the staff move your things."

She twisted her fingers together. "But it's her room. Her things are there. It feels wrong."

"Nothing in this house is hers unless I say it is." I unlocked my desk and took out the ornate silver master key. It opened Sienna’s private study, the medical wing, and the family’s digital archives. Only the mistress of the estate carried it.

The senior men still in the room looked at the key. They knew what it meant.

I put it in Elena's palm. "This house is yours now. You're safe here."

Her eyes filled. She hugged me, and the private phone on my desk vibrated. Only a handful of people had that number.

"That'll be her." I stepped away from Elena. "Ready to apologize."

I answered it. "What do you want?"

For a moment, the line was quiet. Then Victor Petrov spoke.

"Moretti. A courtesy call. There was a fire in the basement where your wife was being held. An accident."

My hand tightened around the phone. Sienna had staged plenty of scenes, but this was low even for her.

"Put Sienna on the phone, Victor. Her little games are over."

"There is no one to put on the phone. Sienna Moretti is dead. The fire department is here. Do you want to claim what's left of the body?"

I laughed. "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic."

I ended the call. She would fake her death just to make herself the victim.

I turned back to Elena. "Don't worry. It's Sienna throwing another tantrum."