Chapter 4 - The Snake in the Sanctuary
Clara gasped against Marco’s hand, the scent of his cologne and the sterile adhesive choking her.
"I didn't want to have to do this," Marco muttered, his voice devoid of the warmth he usually showed Dominic. "But you just wouldn't let the kid die. Do you know how much money is riding on that baby never leaving this hospital? The Castiglione empire belongs to the strongest. Dominic has gone soft since Alessia died. If the kid dies, he breaks. If he breaks, I take the crown."
Clara bit down hard on his hand.
Marco grunted, cursing, and shoved her against the metal shelves. Vials of saline and boxes of syringes clattered to the floor. Clara scrambled backward, her eyes wild as Marco raised the gun.
"A tragic accident," Marco said, raising the weapon. "An overworked nurse, a desperate father... it's a shame."
The door to the closet didn't just open; it exploded off its hinges.
Dominic Castiglione stood in the doorway, a towering silhouette of absolute vengeance. Before Marco could turn his weapon, Dominic was across the room. He grabbed Marco’s wrist, twisting it until a sickening crack echoed through the small space.
The gun clattered to the floor.
Dominic slammed Marco against the wall, his hand wrapping around his former friend's throat, lifting him off his feet.
"You," Dominic hissed, his voice sounding like it rose from the depths of hell itself. "I treated you like a brother, Marco. I trusted you with my family. With my wife."
Marco choked, his face turning purple. "Alessia... was just... the beginning," he gasped out. "The syndicate... deserves a real leader..."
Dominic's eyes flared with a lethal, dark fire. He drew his own weapon, pressing it directly under Marco's chin.
"Dominic, no!" Clara screamed, grabbing his arm. "Not here! If you kill him here, the police will lock this place down, they'll seize the medical records, and Leo's care will be compromised. Don't do this in front of your son's ward!"
Dominic's chest heaved. He stared at Clara, his eyes wild with the primal urge to tear his betrayer apart. But as he looked into Clara’s desperate, pleading brown eyes, the monster in him slowly receded, replaced by the father.
He threw Marco to the ground. Two of Dominic’s loyal guards immediately rushed in, pinning Marco to the floor and stripping him of his remaining weapons.
"Take him to the warehouse," Dominic ordered, his voice cold and flat. "He will tell us everyone else who was involved in my wife's death and my son's poisoning. And then, he will disappear."
Dominic turned to Clara, his breathing shallow. He looked at her bruised arm where Marco had grabbed her. Slowly, his hand came up, his thumb gently brushing over her skin.
May you like
"I am sorry," he whispered. "I brought this danger to you."
"You didn't bring it," Clara said, her voice shaking but resolute. "You ended it. Now, let's go save your son."
