Chapter 4 - The Blood Wedding
The war didn't stay outside the gates.
Seraphina Duca was not a woman who took rejection quietly.
She had figured out that Dominic’s heart wasn't in the union,
and she had followed the trail of high-end medical equipment being delivered to a "vacant" estate.
On a Tuesday evening,
while Dominic was in the city finalizing the seizure of the Duca ports,
the world exploded.
Meline was in the nursery,
folding tiny white onesies,
when the first explosion rocked the house.
The sound of gunfire shattered the peace of the woods.
"Ma'am,
we need to move!"
her lead guard screamed,
grabbing her by the arm.
The Duca enforcers had breached the perimeter.
Meline was rushed through a hidden tunnel in the basement,
her heart hammering against her ribs so hard she feared for the baby.
"Dominic!"
she cried out,
but the signal in the tunnel was dead.
When they emerged in a small clearing half a mile away,
they were met not by Dominic’s men,
but by Seraphina herself.
She stood by a black SUV,
holding a suppressed pistol,
her face twisted in a mask of beautiful,
pure hatred.
"The little art girl,"
Seraphina spat,
leveling the gun at Meline’s stomach.
"The liability that ruined a billion-dollar merger."
"My father is going to hang Dominic from the Sears Tower,"
"but first,"
"I'm going to make sure his legacy ends right here."
Meline stood her ground,
her hands shielding her child.
"You think he'll ever love you after this?"
Meline asked,
her voice surprisingly steady.
"He already hates you,
Seraphina."
"If you pull that trigger,"
"he won't just kill you."
"He will erase your entire bloodline from history."
Seraphina’s finger tightened on the trigger.
"I'm willing to take that risk."
A shot rang out,
but it didn't come from Seraphina’s gun.
A bullet tore through the air,
hitting the ground at Seraphina’s feet.
Dominic emerged from the trees,
his suit torn,
his face covered in blood and soot.
He didn't look like a boss;
he looked like a demon.
He had a rifle leveled at Seraphina’s head.
"Drop it,"
he roared,
the sound echoing through the trees like a thunderclap.
"Or I will end this war right now."
Seraphina looked at the man she had wanted to marry and saw only death.
She dropped the gun.
Dominic’s men swarmed the clearing,
securing the area in seconds.
Dominic didn't even look at the prisoners.
He dropped his weapon and sprinted to Meline,
pulling her into his arms.
"Are you okay?"
"Is the baby okay?"
he gasped,
checking her for injuries.
Meline clutched his shirt,
sobbing with relief.
"We're okay,"
she whispered.
"We're okay."
Dominic looked back at Seraphina,
his eyes cold and final.
"Take them away."
"The Duca family is finished."
May you like
"Tonight,"
"Chicago belongs to my son."
