Chapter 10
The barrage of heavy gunfire outside the mansion escalated into a deafening roar, shaking the very foundation of the luxurious estate. The cascading crystal chandeliers flickered ominously, casting erratic, strobe-like light across the gilded ceiling moldings. Vanessa clamped her hands over her ears, screaming in sheer terror as she realized the massive explosion meant her Moretti allies were not staging an ambush—they were walking into a slaughter.
"What did you do?!" Vanessa shrieked over the noise, sinking to her knees in her beautiful satin gown, utterly defeated.
"Did you believe my men would show mercy to intruders?" Ethan asked, his voice cutting through the chaotic noise with terrifying clarity. He turned his broad shoulders away from her, completely dismissing her existence, and walked back toward the head of the table.
Lucy stood trembling near the champagne velvet chairs, still holding the weapon she had taken from the guards. She looked at Ethan with a mixture of absolute awe and deeply ingrained fear.
"Lucy, will you escort my wife to the reinforced safe room in the east wing?" Ethan asked, his perceptive eyes softening as he looked at the beautiful, terrified maid. "Will you ensure she is fed and kept warm?"
"Yes, Mr. Blackwell," Lucy nodded fiercely, handing the gun back to Ethan. "I will protect her."
Ethan took the weapon, slipping it seamlessly into the waistband of his trousers. He crouched beside Claire, who was watching the chaotic scene with exhausted, frightened eyes. He reached out, his tattooed hand gently cradling her softly heart-shaped face.
"Will you trust me to finish this?" Ethan asked quietly, his forehead resting gently against hers.
"I never stopped trusting you, Ethan," Claire whispered, leaning into his touch, finding her strength in the man she loved. "Come back to me."
"Have I ever broken a promise to you?" Ethan asked, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead.
He stood up, helping Claire to her feet. Lucy gently took Claire’s arm, supporting the frail woman’s weight, and guided her toward the heavy double doors, leading her away from the violence and back into the safety of the mansion's core.
Ethan watched them disappear down the corridor. He was alone in the grand dining room with the woman who had orchestrated months of pure agony. The gunfire outside was beginning to wane, a clear sign that his men were brutally securing the perimeter.
He slowly turned back to Vanessa. She was shivering on the floor, staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes. The engagement ring she wore sparkled mockingly in the firelight.
"Are you ready to pay the toll for your ambition, Vanessa?" Ethan asked, withdrawing the heavy firearm from his waistband.
The heavy walnut doors suddenly burst open behind him, splintering wood flying across the room. Two bloodied, desperate Moretti enforcers stumbled into the dining room, raising their assault rifles toward Ethan’s back.
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Ethan didn't flinch. His cold, observant eyes remained locked on Vanessa.
"Shall we see how they fare against me?" Ethan asked into the silence, raising his weapon as the darkness of the mafia war finally flooded into the light.
