Chapter 6 - The Reckoning in the DarkMarcus realized the game was over. There was no way out. The guards at the doors held their weapons ready, and Viktor stood at the end of the hall with a cold, unforgiving stare.
Slowly, a twisted, bitter smile crept across Marcus’s face. He didn't cower. Instead, he leaned back against his desk, crossing his arms.
"You arrogant fool, Adrien," Marcus laughed softly, his voice dripping with venom. "You really think you built this empire? I laid the foundation while you were playing CEO! Without me, you would have been overthrown a decade ago by your own captains!"
Before Marcus could reach for the concealed holster beneath his suit jacket, Viktor moved with terrifying speed. A heavy tactical baton cracked against Marcus’s wrist with a sickening crunch, sending his weapon clattering across the floor. Viktor grabbed Marcus by the collar, slamming him hard against the oak bookshelf, shattering a row of decorative plates.
"Don't move, rat," Viktor hissed in his ear.
Adrien didn't raise his voice. He walked slowly toward Marcus, looking down at the man who had pretended to be his brother-in-arms for half his life.
"You thought you were so clever," Adrien said quietly. "You thought by cutting out my heart, you could control the beast. But you forgot one simple rule, Marcus."
"What rule is that?" Marcus spat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
May you like
"A monster locked in the dark eventually learns how to find the light," Adrien said. He looked over his shoulder at Grace, who was kneeling on the floor, holding Zoe tightly against her chest while tears streamed down her face. Then Adrien looked back at Marcus. "And sometimes, the light arrives in a pair of ruined Oxford shoes."
With a single nod from Adrien, Viktor and the guards dragged Marcus out of the office, kicking and screaming into the underground holding cells where the final reckoning of the Romano empire awaited him.
Related Stories
