Chapter 6 Unexpected visits

A single gunshot cracked through the silence, sharp and deadly.

The mansion erupted into chaos. Alarms blared, red warning lights flashed, and heavy footsteps thundered through the hallways. Armed guards rushed into position, barking commands into radios as they searched for the intruder.

Dante stormed through the corridors, his face a mask of cold fury. His men had been trained to prevent this exact situation, yet somehow, someone had slipped in unnoticed.

The weight of his gun felt familiar in his palm as he moved with deadly precision. His mind raced with several thoughts, who the hell had dared to step foot inside his home uninvited?

"Search every corner of the estate,make sure nobody leaves or enters." he ordered, his voice sharp. "I want this bastard found alive."

A traitor had let them in. That much was certain.

Someone inside these walls had betrayed him.

Elena~

Elena sat stiffly in her enormous bed, her heart pounding against her ribcage. The gunshot still rang in her ears, a sharp reminder that she was trapped in a world far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Her fingers clutched the silk sheets, her breath uneven. What was happening?

Then-a knock.

She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Miss Elena," a deep voice called from the other side of the door. "Stay inside. The estate is on lockdown."

Her pulse raced. Stay inside? Like a prisoner?

The irony almost made her laugh. She had run away from one cage, only to end up in another.

After searching for long hours in a futile attempt to get the intruder, Dante's gut told him exactly where to go.

His office.

He moved swiftly through the dimly lit halls, his gun at the ready. As he pushed open the door, his instincts were confirmed.

A dark-clothed figure was rifling through his desk drawers.

Dante didn't hesitate.

He pulled the trigger.

The bullet whizzed past the intruder's head, shattering the glass window behind them. The figure jerked back, realizing they had been caught.

"Step away," Dante's voice was low, dangerous. "Now."

The intruder hesitated for a split second,then bolted.

Dante fired again. Missed.

The figure dove out onto the balcony, disappearing into the night.

Dante stormed forward, his fury barely contained. He stared down at the shattered glass, at the empty space where his enemy had escaped.

His gaze shifted to his desk, files were scattered everywhere.

They were searching for something.

Something important.

And that meant only one thing.

Someone inside this house had let them in.

The Next Morning

Dante barely slept.

His entire security team had searched for hours, yet the intruder was gone.

Which meant whoever had let them in was still inside these walls.

He was pouring himself a drink in the dim light of his study when he heard the slow, deliberate footsteps.

He didn't even have to turn.

His mother.

Valeria Russo stepped into the room, her silk robe flowing around her as she closed the door behind her.

"You look troubled, figlio mio."

Dante took a slow sip of whiskey. "Someone broke in last night."

His mother's perfectly shaped brows lifted slightly, but there was no real surprise in her expression. "And yet, they escaped. How disappointing."

Dante said nothing.

Valeria moved closer, her sharp eyes scanning his tense posture. "You've been distracted, haven't you?" She tilted her head, her voice taking on a knowing edge. "And I think I know why."

Dante's grip on the glass tightened.

Valeria sighed, as if she pitied him. "It's her, isn't it?" She exhaled slowly, her expression growing darker. "That girl."

"Elena has nothing to do with this," Dante replied coolly.

His mother laughed softly, shaking her head. "You don't actually believe that, do you?" She stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. "Think, Dante. She arrives, and suddenly, we have an intruder inside our walls?"

His jaw tightened, but he didn't respond.

Valeria's expression hardened. "I'm warning you," she murmured. "She is dangerous."

Dante scoffed, but his mother wasn't finished.

"You think she's innocent? That she's just another girl in need of saving?" She let out a bitter laugh. "You don't know who she really is."

Dante's patience snapped. "And you do?"

Valeria's face twisted with resentment. "She's a heartless whore."

Silence filled the room.

Dante's stomach dropped.

His mother's voice lowered into something sharp and venomous. "Can't you see she stole my husband from me. I moved mountains to be with him yet he discarded me at the tiniest chance he got," she whispered, her voice cracking. "And now, she wants to take you too."

Dante's breath hitched at the raw pain in her voice.

For the first time in years, he saw something break in his mother's expression.

This wasn't just hatred.

This was betrayal.

Her husband betrayed her.

That bastard did it on purpose.

Valeria exhaled shakily, looking away. "I did everything for your father,I built this empire with him from scratch," she murmured. "And he still threw you and I aside. Married another woman, who is young enough to be our daughter."

Dante stared at her.

His cold resolve wavered.

She was the only person in his life who had never abandoned him. Never betrayed him.

And now she was breaking in front of him.

"You're all I have left, Dante," she whispered. "Don't let her take you from me, too."

Dante exhaled slowly. He set his glass down and wrapped his arms around her.

For just a second, Valeria let herself collapse into him.

Then, just as quickly, she straightened, wiping away the evidence of her weakness.

"Stay away from her," she whispered. "Or you'll regret it."

And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving him drowning in doubt.

Elena had heard every word.

She had been walking past the study when she froze.

She's mad because Lorenzo forcefully made her his wife or mistress in this case.

Valeria hated her because of something she didn't even voluntarily do.

Did she think she wanted to be here?

Or to be involved in all this family drama?

All that she ever yearned for was to be seen,to be heard, to be loved by her own family but if her own family couldn't give her that, who then could do it for her.

No one.

No one was coming to save her.

She was doomed to suffer for the rest of her life, with a man worse than her father.

Elena pressed a hand against her chest, trying to stop the ache.

All she had ever wanted was to be wanted. To be loved.

But she was always the one being hated.

By her parents. By Victoria.

And now, by Dante's mother.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned away, determined to lock away the pain.

But the truth was-

It hurt.

She didn't do anything wrong to deserve any of this.

~ ~ ~

Dante was deep in thought, staring out the window when one of his men knocked.

"Sir, you have a visitor."

Dante frowned. "I'm not expecting anyone."

The guard hesitated. "It's... someone from Elena's family."

A cold feeling settled in Dante's gut.

As he walked into the main hall, he saw her.

Victoria Devareux.

Elena's sister.

She stood with effortless poise, her lips curling into a slow, satisfied smirk as her gaze landed on Elena's stunned face. She had opened the door for her when she heard a knock. If only she knew.

"Well, well," Victoria murmured. "Look at you, baby sister."

Elena's breath caught.

Victoria's smirk widened.

"I never thought you'd be so eager to see me." She mused, sarcasm laced in every word.

Elena felt her stomach drop.

This couldn't be happening.