Chapter 8 - The Midnight Confrontation in the Study

The clock on the mantelpiece struck eleven.

Downstairs,

the guests were still confined to the drawing room,

entertained by a rotating cast of musicians and catered appetizers.

None of them knew that the estate was now a war zone.

Gabriel had quietly mobilized his most trusted loyalists,

positioning them around the perimeter of the mansion.

The heavy oak doors of the study creaked open.

A tall,

immaculately dressed man stepped into the room.

Marcus Caruso.

He wore a custom charcoal suit,

his silver-streaked hair combed back with military precision.

A warm,

disarming smile graced his handsome face.

“Gabriel,

my dear cousin,

” Marcus began,

his voice smooth as silk.

“What is this absurd rumor about the gates being locked?

The attorney general is waiting for my arrival in the city.

”

Marcus stopped dead in his tracks as he saw me standing beside the mahogany desk.

The warm smile vanished instantly.

His eyes narrowed into cold,

calculating slits.

“Elena,

” Marcus murmured,

testing the name on his tongue.

“I thought the fire department took care of you years ago.

”

“You thought wrong,

Marcus,

” I said,

stepping forward.

“Arson leaves a lot of evidence if you know where to look.

”

Marcus did not flinch.

Instead,

a slow,

condescending chuckle escaped his lips.

He turned his gaze toward Gabriel.

“You brought a dead man's wife into your own home,

Gabriel?” Marcus asked,

shaking his head in mock disappointment.

“Have you gone soft in your old age?”

“I haven't gone soft,

Marcus,

” Gabriel said,

stepping out from the shadows of the fireplace.

May you like

[COMPLETED] She waited ten years for her fiancé, but the night she marri...

[COMPLETED] Five Years After My Mafia Husband Chose Another Woman, He Me...

[COMPLETED] I CALLED MY HUSBAND 18 TIMES WHILE OUR SON WAS DYING. EIGHT...

“I've just been waiting for you to walk right into the trap.

”