Chapter 7 - The Night the Costa Empire BurnedThe exchange took place at the old shipyard.
Tessa arrived alone.
Dominic waited.
Beatrice stood beside him.
“Good girl.”
Tessa stared.
“Let her go.”
“After the archive.”
“I don't have it.”
Dominic smiled.
“You do.”
He walked toward her.
“You always did.”
Tessa's expression hardened.
“You hurt my family.”
“You survived.”
“My sister survived because she hid from you.”
“Yes.”
“You killed my father.”
“No.”
Tessa froze.
“I didn't.”
Dominic smiled.
“Your father was alive when I left.”
“Then who killed him?”
“Your mother.”
Tessa's eyes widened.
Dominic had planted the lie.
But why?
To keep Tessa afraid.
To make her blame herself.
Damian arrived.
Guns raised.
Dominic laughed.
“You couldn't stay away.”
Damian stepped forward.
“Let my mother go.”
“Come get her.”
Gunfire erupted.
Chaos.
Tessa ran toward Beatrice.
Damian fought through the guards.
Paul covered them.
Lillian moved from the opposite side.
Tara activated the archive remotely.
Screens across the shipyard lit up.
Every secret Dominic had ever hidden appeared.
His network.
His crimes.
His betrayals.
His control.
The entire city would know.
Dominic stared at the screens.
“No.”
Damian smiled.
“You lost.”
Dominic shot the equipment.
But it was too late.
The files were already released.
Police vehicles arrived.
Federal agents.
News helicopters.
Dominic was surrounded.
He looked at Damian.
“You'd destroy your own family.”
Damian answered:
“No.”
He looked toward Tessa.
“I finally saved it.”
Dominic was arrested.
The Costa organization collapsed.
Men who had feared Damian for years started surrendering.
Businesses were frozen.
Accounts seized.
Politicians disappeared.
The empire was over.
And Damian had never felt freer.
Tessa found him after midnight.
They stood outside the burning shipyard.
“You did it.”
“We did.”
She shook her head.
“I didn't.”
“You survived.”
“So did you.”
She smiled.
“Barely.”
He took her hand.
“Stay.”
She looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because I don't know who I'll be tomorrow.”
She smiled.
“Maybe that's the point.”
They kissed.
This time, there was no danger.
No alcohol.
No blood.
May you like
No desperate escape.
Only choice.
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