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.”