Chapter 7 - The Traitor Revealed
Alessandro didn't call out,
didn't waste his breath on a man he already knew was dead.
He took the stairs,
his heart hammering against his ribs,
his lungs burning with the effort.
He reached the third floor just as the elevator doors began to open.
Dante stepped out,
his gun held low,
his eyes scanning the hallway for the nursery.
He didn't see Alessandro until it was too late.
The boss slammed into him,
tackling him to the ground with a force that knocked the wind out of both of them.
They rolled across the carpet,
trading blows in a brutal,
unstructured fight.
Dante was younger,
faster,
but Alessandro was fueled by a rage that was decades in the making.
"Why?"
Alessandro growled,
pinning Dante’s arm behind his back.
"How much did the Bianchis pay you?"
Dante spat blood onto the floor,
a twisted smile on his face.
"It wasn't just the money,
Alessandro."
"You've gone soft."
"A man who kneels for a child is no longer fit to lead."
"They promised me the city if I delivered the girl."
"The girl?"
Alessandro asked,
his grip tightening.
"Emma is just a child."
"She's the heir,
you fool,"
Dante hissed.
"Sophia Bianchi’s son died in the womb,
but her daughter lived."
"Emma is the last of the Bianchi line."
"As long as she breathes,
your claim to the city is contested."
Alessandro felt a cold,
hollow sensation in the pit of his stomach.
Emma wasn't just a housekeeper's daughter.
She was the queen of his enemies,
and he had been raising her in his own home.
He looked at Dante,
at the man who had been his right hand,
and saw only a parasite.
He didn't hesitate.
He snapped Dante’s neck with a single,
sharp movement,
the sound echoing in the empty hallway.
He stood up,
his breath coming in ragged gasps,
and walked to the nursery door.
He pushed it open and saw Emma sitting on the floor,
playing with a set of wooden blocks.
She looked up and smiled,
unaware of the blood on his hands or the war that was raging outside.
"You're back,"
May you like
she said.
"Did you finish the story?"
