I enjoyed Sylvia’s agony, treating it like an offering to the love I once held. Before I could strike her a second time, the door burst open with a loud crash. A rush of cold air swept in, carrying fury with it.
The barrel of a black pistol was aimed at me.
Matteo’s voice was ice-cold as he ordered me, “Victoria, release her! Don’t make me turn this into something far worse.”
He held the gun firmly in one hand while pulling Sylvia into his embrace with the other. His eyes were tender with his tone full of reassurance as he told her, “Don’t be scared. I’m here now.”
Those words felt painfully familiar. A decade ago, he had said the exact same thing as he stumbled toward me through pools of blood and chaos. I couldn’t help but laughed until tears fell.
“What if I refuse?” I asked, my voice trembling with rage.
He chuckled coldly in response.
“You’ve already messed with the boy. That should be enough. Let her go, walk away and we can pretend this never happened. That’s the best outcome for both of us.”
I knew Matteo too well to miss the hidden threat behind his calm smile. His voice was soft, but there was true killing intent beneath it. Through all our years together, I had relied on him completely, drowning in his gentleness.
I had almost forgotten how many bodies he had stepped over to reach the throne he now sat upon. Instead of anger, I felt a wave of bitter humiliation. Grabbing his hand, I forced the muzzle of the gun to my forehead.
“Go on, shoot me!” I shouted.
“Matteo, you know my nature. If I walk out of here alive today, you’ll be burying your precious mistress here!”
The sharp sound of a bullet being chambered cut through the room like a blade. Matteo’s eyes turned bloodshot as he clamped his hand around my throat.
“Do you think I’m afraid of you?” he growled.
“I’ll spare the boy, but you will not lay a finger on her!”
“Victoria, don’t push me too far!”
I stared back at him without blinking. To him, my face was like an unreadable mask. The tense standoff was abruptly interrupted by the sharp ring of his phone.
Matteo released me and answered, listening silently. When he hung up, his expression shifted. After that, his features softened once more.
He reached out and gently patted Sylvia’s head, his gaze filled with tenderness.
“The boy is safe. You’ve heard enough today. Let’s leave. Don’t come back here again.”
Sylvia’s eyes were red as she limped toward the exit. She thought she could end everything with just a few simple words. It was far too easy. So, I lifted my chin slightly and my bodyguard immediately blocked her path.
Matteo shot me a cold, cutting glance. After so many years, we could read each other with just a look. Then, he curved his lips into a soft smile and called out to Sylvia, “Come here and apologize to Victoria before you leave.”
Sylvia froze, resentment and grievance swirling in her eyes. But she still obeyed, walking stiffly toward me and dropping to her knees.
She said, her voice trembling, “Miss Morelli, I acted on impulse. I came here without knowing the full truth.”
“It was wrong of me to hurt you … but you’ve also lost a child yourself. You should understand how I feel, shouldn’t you?”
“A mother who can’t even protect her own child is nothing but trash.”
Though it sounded like an apology, her words were cruel. I raised my hand and slapped her across the face with a loud crack.
“The last person who dared speak to me like that is nothing but dust now,” I hissed.
“How many lives do you think you have? How dare you defy me?”
Sylvia covered her face, sobbing like a cornered animal. I sneered and struck her again, the slap echoing through the room. She managed to stay upright, but I staggered and fell to the floor.
Before I could move, Matteo’s foot came down on my hand, pinning me to the ground. His cold indifference was like a stranger’s face.
“I warned you not to touch her!” he shouted.
“Victoria, why must you target someone innocent?”
My cheek throbbed, while the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. My lips curved into a bloodstained smile. Over the years, I had sent at least a hundred souls to their graves without hesitation because of Matteo.
And yet here I was, struck down by the man who had ordered to kill those men for me.
