I Thought the Broken Vase Was the Problem—Then One Yellowed Envelope Made My Daughter and Her Husband Terrified.

Enzo slowly lowered his weapon, dropping it onto the stone floor. It clattered against the broken glass. He raised his hands, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Camilla," Enzo said smoothly, not turning around. "I didn't think you had the stomach to get your hands dirty." "I have the stomach to survive," she replied coldly. She kicked Enzo's gun away and stepped around him, keeping her weapon leveled at his chest. She glanced down at Marco, who was writhing on the floor, pressing a bloody hand to his shattered shoulder. "Get up, you fool," she snapped at Marco. "We don't have time." Marco gritted his teeth, struggling to his feet. "He... he jammed the signal. The men at the gate don't know the plan." "Then we change the plan," Camilla said, her eyes locked on Enzo. "We take the girl. Domenico won't make a move against the Morettis if we have Sofia." Enzo's smile faded. "You lay a finger on that baby, Camilla, and there isn't a hole deep enough to hide you." "Sofia isn't his niece," Camilla sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "Did you really think Alessandro was capable of fathering a child? The great Romano heir was sterile. We faked the pregnancy with a surrogate to secure the bloodline and keep Domenico from inheriting the empire." Enzo's eyes widened in genuine shock. "Then who...?" "It doesn't matter," Camilla interrupted. "She's leverage. And tonight, she's our ticket out of here." She raised the gun, aiming directly at Enzo's head. "Tell Domenico I said goodbye." As her finger tightened on the trigger, the heavy iron door of the cellar slammed open. The lights flickered and died, plunging the room into absolute darkness. A terrifying, familiar voice echoed from the pitch black. "Nobody is saying goodbye tonight." It was Domenico. Three silenced shots fired rapidly in the dark. A scream ripped through the cellar. When the emergency backup lights flickered on a second later, Enzo was diving for cover, Marco was unconscious on the floor, and Camilla was staring in horror at her right hand. Her gun was gone, blown entirely out of her grip by a precision shot. Domenico stepped out of the shadows, a demon in a bespoke suit, his weapon smoking in his hand.