Chapter 9 - Midnight

Dante hit the floor.

Pulled Serena with him.

Shots tore into the windows.

Someone screamed.

Patricia.

Then Luca’s voice from the hallway.

“Cavali!”

Dante fired toward the muzzle flash near the desk.

One of Carlo’s men fell.

The study erupted.

Furniture overturned.

Glass shattered.

Serena crawled behind the sofa.

Dante moved toward her.

Carlo appeared through the darkness.

Dante saw the outline of his gun.

Too late.

Serena did not.

She grabbed a heavy lamp.

Swung.

The lamp struck Carlo’s wrist.

The gun fell.

Dante tackled him.

They hit the floor.

Carlo drove an elbow into Dante’s ribs.

Dante struck back.

Years of hatred were available.

So was a loaded weapon three feet away.

Carlo reached for it.

Dante caught his arm.

Carlo laughed.

“You think she loves you?”

Dante slammed him against the floor.

“She already answered that.”

Carlo’s face twisted.

He reached for a knife.

Serena shouted:

“Dante!”

Dante moved.

Luca fired once.

The knife fell from Carlo’s hand.

Carlo collapsed.

Alive.

Bleeding from the shoulder.

Dante looked at Luca.

“Police.”

Luca nodded.

“Already coming.”

Vincent stood near the desk.

One of his guards had surrendered.

The other was wounded.

Arthur sat against the wall.

Patricia was unharmed.

The clock on the study wall changed.

12:00.

Midnight.

Nobody spoke.

The trust condition had technically been reached.

But so had the end of Vincent’s plan.

Dante looked at Serena.

She looked at him.

Three years of marriage.

Three years of fear.

Three years of silence.

And one minute after midnight.

Vincent whispered:

“You don’t understand what you’ve destroyed.”

Serena turned toward her father.

“No.”

She looked at Dante.

“I understand what you did.”

Then back at Vincent.

“And what I’m done protecting.”

Police sirens rose below.

Vincent stared at his daughter.

“You would testify against me?”

Serena’s eyes filled.

“Yes.”

Patricia stepped beside her.

“So will I.”

Vincent looked at his wife.

She did not look away.

Arthur whispered:

“I will too.”

Dante almost laughed.

May you like

[COMPLETED] “GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DRESS! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT AN OLD SEAM...

[COMPLETED] At the Mafia Boss's Engagement Party, I Served His Hungry So...

[COMPLETED] The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Tried to Dismiss His Father’s Loyal...

The empire had not fallen because an enemy army arrived.

It had fallen because everyone Vincent thought would remain afraid stopped being useful at the same time.