Chapter 7 - The Bloodline
Victor froze, his hand slipping from Juliet’s neck.
Standing in the doorway was Matteo Caruso.
He was covered in rain and stone dust, his jacket torn, blood dripping from a small cut on his temple. But his eyes were not human—they were the eyes of an enraged predator protecting his pride.
Before Victor could react, Matteo crossed the room in a single leap.
He grabbed Victor by the collar of his suit and hurled him across the bedroom with effortless, terrifying force. Victor crashed into the heavy oak desk, shattering the wooden legs, before tumbling onto the floor in a broken heap.
Juliet lay on the carpet, coughing violently, gasping for air.
Matteo dropped to his knees beside her, his large hands gently cradling her face, his eyes filled with agonizing concern. "Juliet! Look at me! Are you okay?"
Juliet took a deep, shuddering breath, nodding weakly. "I'm... I'm okay. Nico... is he safe?"
"He's safe. Dominic has him in the vault," Matteo assured her, his voice trembling as he kissed her forehead. "You did amazing, sweetheart. You saved him."
Groaning in agony, Victor dragged himself across the floor toward the dropped revolver, his bloodied hand reaching for the steel frame.
Matteo stood up slowly, stepping over to Victor’s trembling form. With cold, methodical precision, Matteo placed his heavy boot on Victor’s hand, crushing his fingers against the floorboards.
Victor shrieked in agony. "Matteo! Please! We... we were brothers! Your father loved me!"
"My father trusted a snake," Matteo said, his voice dropping into a register so dark it chilled the air in the room. "You stole from my family. You terrorized my son. You tried to murder the woman I love. And you killed Elena."
Victor looked up from the floor, his face pale with mortal terror. "It was an accident! She was going to ruin everything!"
"Your life ended the moment you laid hands on Juliet," Matteo declared calmly.
Matteo didn't pull his gun. He raised his hand, signaling the two large, dark-suited syndicate enforcers who stepped into the room behind him—Dominic and Marco, his most loyal lieutenants.
"Take him down to the cellar," Matteo ordered, his eyes never leaving Victor's pitiable form. "Ensure he turns over every offshore access code to our legal team. Then... hand him over to the Chicago family. They have an old score to settle with him regarding the port lands."
Victor’s eyes widened in absolute horror. Being handed over to the Chicago syndicate was a fate far worse than a quick bullet.
"No! Matteo! Please! Shoot me! Just shoot me!" Victor screamed as Dominic and Marco dragged him out of the room by his arms, his pathetic cries fading down the long hallway until silence returned to the mansion.
Matteo turned back to Juliet.
He walked over, bent down, and scooped her up into his broad arms, lifting her off the floor as if she weighed nothing at all.
Juliet wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the crook of his warm shoulder, letting out a long, weary sigh of relief.
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"It's over, Juliet," Matteo whispered against her hair, carrying her down the hallway toward his own private quarters. "The shadows are gone. Nobody will ever hurt you or Nico again."
As he laid her down gently on the king-sized bed in his master suite, wrapping a soft warm blanket around her shoulders, the heavy rain outside began to lessen, giving way to the faint, pale glow of dawn breaking over the horizon.
