Chapter 3 - SHADOWS AT THE GATES
The estate plunged into darkness as the main power grid was slashed. Backup generators kicked in a second later, bathing the grounds in an eerie, blood-red emergency light. I pulled a sleek, suppressed Glock 19 from the hidden compartment under my desk and chambered a round. The metallic click echoed sharply in the room.
"Stay here," I commanded Serafina, gesturing to the reinforced steel door of my office. "Lock it. Do not open it for anyone but me or Marco."
Serafina rushed to the sofa, scooping a groggy Mia into her arms. The child whimpered, burying her face in her mother's neck. "Lorenzo," Serafina called out just as my hand hit the doorknob. "The man who let them in... the man who orchestrated the massacre..."
"Tell me," I growled.
"It was your uncle. Carlo."
The name struck me like a physical blow. Carlo. My father’s trusted brother. The man who had mentored me, who sat on my advisory board, who had poured a drink with me just two nights ago. The betrayal tasted like ash in my mouth. My vision blurred red for a fraction of a second before the cold, calculating mind of the Duca empire’s head took over. I didn't just want them dead anymore. I wanted to erase them from existence.
I stepped out into the hallway, Titan flanking me, a silent shadow of lethal intent. Gunfire erupted from the east wing—the dull thuds of suppressed weapons clashing with the deafening roar of my guards' shotguns.
I moved through the corridors with the familiarity of a predator in its den. Three men in tactical gear rounded the corner, rifles raised. Before they could aim, I fired twice. Two dropped instantly, blood blooming on their Kevlar-reinforced helmets. The third hesitated, and Titan launched himself forward, a hundred pounds of muscle and teeth taking the man down by the throat.
"Marco, status!" I barked into my earpiece as I advanced.
"They're heavily armed, Boss. Professional mercenaries. They’re making a push for the central staircase. They know exactly where your office is."
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"Hold the line. I'm flanking them," I replied.
Carlo had sent an elite hit squad to silence the only witness to his treason. He thought I was soft, that the years of corporate legitimacy had dulled my edge. He was about to find out why the underworld still whispered my name with terror. I was the devil, and they had just broken into hell.
