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Vincente raises a hand, silencing her. “And her new master will do that for her. We need her in one piece, remember?” He fixes me with a cold, calculating gaze. “After all, she’s our most valuable asset.”
As their discussion continues, the truth hits me. I’m nothing more than a bargaining chip to them—a prize to be sold to the highest bidder.
Something about Vincente is bothering me. Where have I seen him before? I take a closer look at his face.
Suddenly, a vivid flashback assaults my senses.
I see it all again—the closet door being wrenched open, my mother’s terrified face as she’s dragged out by a younger version of the man now standing before me. His features are unmistakable, even with all the years that have passed.
And then, the door closing, leaving me alone in the darkness as the sound of her screams faded away. When the closet door opened again, my mother was gone, and Vincente stood there, his eyes cold and unyielding as he stared me down.
The realization hits me like a punch to the gut. “You…” I whisper, my voice trembling. “You killed my mom.”
Vincente pauses before he crouches down before me, an odd smile playing on his lips. His smile then widens, a twisted sense of satisfaction in his gaze.
“Yes, my dear Alexis. I killed your mother.” He leans in closer, his breath hot on my face. “And now, as you’re about to be sold off to a very rich man and leave this country forever, it’s only fitting that you should know the truth. Damian’s father never ordered the hit against your mother. It was me.”
My heart races, a whirlwind of emotions flooding through me. Rage, grief, and a bone-deep terror grip me as the full weight of his confession sinks in. All this time, the man responsible for my mother’s death had been right under my nose. And even worse, Damian trusted this man.
“And even better,” Vincente continues, his eyes gleaming with malice. “It was I who eliminated my own brother, sister-in-law, and niece to pave the way for my rise to power. It was too easy.”
I stare at him, utterly shocked by this revelation. The man who had taken everything from me is now poised to take even more. My child, my life with Damian—all of it is in jeopardy because of Vincente’s twisted machinations.
“How could you?” I whisper, my words laced with anguish and disbelief. “Damian trusted you, and you betrayed him like this?”
Vincente lets out a cruel laugh. “Damian is a fool, just like his father. They’re both weak, unfit to lead this Family.” He leans in close, his breath hot on my face. “But with you out of the picture, I’ll have Damian right where I want him. And soon, I’ll be the one calling the shots.”
The realization of Vincente’s endgame sends a chill down my spine. He had orchestrated all of this—from my mother’s murder to the attack at the mansion—all of it in a twisted bid for power. And Damian, the man I love, is completely unaware of the danger that lurks so close to him.
Before I can even process it, I feel a sharp pain in my neck, and the world around me begins to blur. Vincente’s face swims before my eyes, his twisted smile the last thing I see before darkness claims me.
As consciousness slips away, one thought echoes through my mind—I have to get back to Damian. I can’t give up, not when my baby’s life is at stake. But with Vincente and Scarlett closing in, I have never felt more helpless.
The last thought that crosses my mind before the world goes black is a fervent prayer that somehow, some way, Damian will find me in time.
30
DAMIAN
My world descended into a waking nightmare ever since Alexis was taken, and I’m losing my fucking mind. The agonizing uncertainty of not knowing where she is or whether she is even alive is slowly driving me mad.
I can barely sleep or eat, my mind consumed by the horrific scenarios playing out on a loop—Alexis being tortured by Scarlett, being sold to some faceless man who takes her away forever, her blank, lifeless eyes after the sale, her spirit gone and only a hollow shell remaining.
I had stormed The Brotherhood’s headquarters, desperate for answers, but it was completely abandoned. The eerie silence and emptied room only fueled my rage and despair. I interrogated their captured soldiers, but they either genuinely knew nothing or refused to talk.
In my unraveling state, I couldn’t hold back. With my own hands, I ended their lives, slitting their throats as they pleaded for mercy.
Fucking coward.
The act provided no solace, only a momentary release from the all-consuming anguish threatening to shatter my sanity.
Alexis’s disappearance has broken something deep within me. The cool, level-headed strategist is gone, replaced by a feral, single-minded creature driven solely by the need to find her, no matter the cost.
As days pass, I teeter dangerously close to the edge, unsure whether I will ever be whole again. All I can see are her lifeless eyes, her spirit snuffed out, and it’s destroying me from the inside.
And I can’t stop blaming myself. I never should have gone to that lunch with Uncle Vinny. I should have had Alexis spirited away to another safehouse. It’s obvious now that Vinny figured out exactly who Alexis was the moment he saw her in the house.
But how could he allow the slaughter of our own people? How could he team up with The Brotherhood? This is a betrayal I will never forget.
