Chapter 7 - THE BLACK WIDOW
Back at the estate, Serena was frantically packing a duffel bag with stacks of cash and jewelry. She had tried calling Marcus five times. Every call went straight to voicemail. The silence from the pier was deafening. She knew, with the chilling instinct of a survivor, that the plan had failed.
She zipped the bag shut, her hands trembling, and threw on a heavy coat. If she could make it to the private airstrip, she could disappear to Europe before Dominic ever made it back.
She opened her bedroom door and froze.
Dominic was standing in the hallway, leaning casually against the doorframe. His suit was ruined, splattered with blood and smelling of cordite and ocean salt. The cold, dead look in his eyes made Serena’s heart stop.
“Going somewhere, darling?” he asked smoothly.
Serena stepped back, her bravado failing her. “Dominic... I... Marcus forced me. He threatened me! He said if I didn't help him, he would kill me and then kill you. I did it to protect us!”
Dominic didn’t yell. He didn’t strike her. He simply walked into the room, took the heavy duffel bag from her trembling hands, and tossed it onto the bed.
“You always were a terrible liar, Serena,” he said softly. He pulled out the small black recorder from his pocket—the one she had planted under his desk—and hit play.
“He trusts me completely. Men are so easy when they think with their hearts.”
Serena’s own voice filled the room, sealing her fate. She fell to her knees, sobbing, begging for mercy, clutching at his bloodied trousers.
“I loved you!” she screamed. “I did love you, Dom!”
“You loved the power,” Dominic corrected, stepping back so she couldn't touch him. “But in my world, power comes with a price.”
Tony walked into the room, flanked by two large men.
“Take her,” Dominic ordered, not looking at her anymore.
“Where, boss?” Tony asked.
“Somewhere she will never see a diamond or a dollar bill again. The world she came from before I made the mistake of lifting her out of it.”
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As Serena was dragged screaming down the hallway, Dominic stood alone in the grand, empty bedroom. The silence was absolute. He had won. He had survived.
But he had never felt so entirely alone.
