Chapter 4 The Cost of trust.

Chapter 4 – The Cost of Trust

Smoke billowed through the marble hallway as Lorenzo yanked Elena behind him. Shouts echoed from the eastern wing of the estate-gunfire, splintering wood, and screams of wounded men.

It wasn't a robbery.

It was war.

"Elena, stay low!" Lorenzo barked as he shoved open a hidden door behind the grand staircase. "This way."

Bianca darted ahead, a pistol drawn. "They blew through the security gate. We think it's De Luca's men."

Lorenzo's jaw clenched. "He's supposed to be dead."

"Apparently not," Bianca snapped.

They burst into a narrow corridor lit with red emergency lights. Lorenzo shoved a keypad panel aside and typed in a code. A steel wall slid open, revealing a private elevator.

"Get in," he said.

Elena didn't argue. Her legs shook as she stepped inside, eyes burning from smoke. Lorenzo and Bianca followed, and the door slammed shut.

Only then did she let herself breathe.

"Who is De Luca?" she asked, chest heaving.

Lorenzo looked at her. "The man your uncle sold your family to. He wants the ring-and you."

Elena's pulse quickened. "Why me?"

"Because you're the last legitimate Salvatore. If he marries you, he can claim the vault-and the entire Salvatore legacy."

Her voice cracked. "So I'm just... currency."

"To men like De Luca, yes." His eyes softened, barely. "To me, you're leverage-but also protection. If I claim you first, he can't touch you."

Elena bristled. "Claim me? You talk about me like I'm property."

"You want to live?" he said coldly. "Then stop whining and listen."

The elevator dinged and opened into an underground bunker. It was sleek, modern, and armed to the teeth. Screens lined the walls. Armed guards scrambled around, receiving orders from Enzo and Matteo.

As soon as Lorenzo stepped out, a soldier handed him a satellite phone.

"They want to negotiate," he said.

Lorenzo put it on speaker. "This is Salvatore."

A calm, oily voice spoke. "Lorenzo. Such a shame our reunion had to begin with fireworks."

"Cut the crap, De Luca. What do you want?"

A soft chuckle. "Her."

Elena froze.

"I want Elena Salvatore. Alive. Untouched. If you give her to me, I'll spare the rest of your men."

Lorenzo's voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "Try again."

De Luca laughed. "She's not yours, Lorenzo. She was never yours. I have claim through her uncle."

"She's mine now."

"Not if she doesn't want to be."

Elena's breath caught. The call ended.

Matteo cursed. "They've planted bombs at the north gate. We've got maybe thirty minutes before they breach the bunker."

Lorenzo turned to Elena. "The choice is yours."

She stared at him, stunned.

"What?"

"I can't protect you without your consent," he said. "We need to get married-now. If we do it by blood vow, the Salvatore code will recognize you as my wife. He can't touch you."

"You want me to marry you while people are dying outside?"

"I want you to survive."

Bianca tossed her a black dress. "It's now or never."

Elena's mind raced. Her heart pounded. The world had gone mad.

"I don't even know who I am anymore," she whispered.

Lorenzo stepped forward. "Then let me remind you."

He took her hand, pressed it to his chest.

"You are Elena Salvatore. Your mother died to protect you. Your father ran to save you. But only you can finish what they started. If you walk out there as my wife, the blood war ends tonight."

"And if I don't?"

He didn't blink. "Then De Luca takes you-and you'll wish you were dead."

---

Twenty Minutes Later

The chapel inside the bunker was small, almost like an afterthought. Candles flickered against stone walls. An old priest stood at the front, sweat trickling down his face as Lorenzo handed him the blood vow contract-an ancient document signed by Salvatore generations.

Elena wore the simple black dress Bianca gave her. Her hair was loose, and her heart felt like a wild drum.

Lorenzo looked at her, his voice low. "Last chance. Say the word, and I'll put a bullet in De Luca's skull-even if it costs me everything."

She lifted her chin.

"I'm not doing this because I trust you," she said. "I'm doing it because I won't be hunted like an animal."

A faint smile ghosted his lips. "That's the Elena I need."

The ceremony was fast.

Latin vows. A blade. A drop of blood on the contract.

Lorenzo's thumb smeared crimson across her wrist as he whispered the binding words.

"Elena Salvatore... now Elena Romano."

When it was over, the priest said quietly, "It is done. The blood recognizes the vow."

---

An Hour Later – In the Control Room

Explosions rocked the bunker as security footage showed De Luca's men fleeing. Lorenzo had unleashed his full arsenal-drones, snipers, underground grenades. Elena watched in numb silence as the men who'd tried to steal her were burned down without mercy.

She didn't know whether to feel relief... or horror.

"Status?" Lorenzo asked Enzo.

"De Luca escaped. He's in the wind."

Lorenzo turned to her. "This isn't over."

Elena stared out at the screen showing fire engulfing the forest above the estate.

"No," she whispered. "It's just starting."

---

Later That Night

She stood alone on the balcony of her new bedroom-no longer a prisoner's room, but a wife's quarters. The stars glittered above the smoke-filled sky. The sapphire ring-her mother's ring-sat on her finger now.

And for the first time, she felt its weight.

A soft knock sounded.

She turned. Lorenzo stepped in, loosened his shirt collar.

He didn't touch her. Just stood there, watching her like a hawk.

"You didn't ask me what comes next," he said.

She turned back to the night sky. "I figured you'd tell me."

"We're going to Milan tomorrow. To finish what your parents started. The vault is hidden beneath an old cathedral. Only your fingerprint and blood can open it."

Elena nodded. "Fine."

He moved closer. "Elena..."

She turned to him.

He stared at her, gaze dark and unreadable.

Then, softly, he said, "You'll hate me before this is over."

"Then I'll be honest," she whispered. "I already do."

---

Elsewhere...

In a smoky warehouse outside Naples, De Luca nursed a bullet graze on his arm.

His assistant approached, trembling. "Sir... we've found her cousin."

De Luca smiled.

"Then it's time we played our next card."

---

Back at the Estate – Hours Before Dawn

Elena woke to the faint creak of her door.

She sat up-heart pounding.

Lorenzo was asleep on the couch. It wasn't him.

A shadow moved near the closet.

She reached for the blade under her pillow-Bianca had given it to her earlier "just in case."

Slowly, she crept forward.

The figure turned.

It wasn't a guard.

It wasn't staff.

It was a young woman.

"Elena?" she whispered.

She froze. "Who-who are you?"

The girl stepped into the moonlight.

"Elena... I'm your sister."

END OF CHAPTER 4