Chapter 10
"Ada, take Theo and run to the safe room," Matthias commanded, his eyes fixed on the smoke-filled corridor. "Do not stop until the heavy doors lock behind you."
"I am not leaving you here!" Ada cried out, her voice cracking with terror. "They have an army, Matthias!"
"Will you survive running through a crossfire if I attempt to move you now?" Matthias asked bluntly, his imposing frame blocking the exit to the hallway.
"I can't just leave you alone in the dark!" Ada pleaded, her hands trembling as she clutched Theo to her side.
Matthias stared at the beautiful woman before him. She possessed a profound, quiet courage that completely eclipsed the shallow, venomous nature of the elites he normally dealt with. She had survived fire and cruelty, and now she was willing to stand in a gunfight rather than abandon him.
"Are you willing to follow my exact orders to keep yourself alive?" Matthias asked, his cold eyes burning with a fierce, protective fire.
"Yes," Ada promised without hesitation.
"Then go," Matthias commanded, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "I will hold the line here. If I fall, Vincent has instructions to get you and Theo out of the city. Now, go!"
Ada didn't argue further. The absolute authority in his voice left no room for hesitation. She scooped Theo into her arms, her black maid dress swirling around her legs, and sprinted down the corridor toward the heavily fortified safe room, her disheveled hair flying wildly behind her.
Matthias watched them go, a profound sense of relief washing over him as the heavy steel doors of the safe room slammed shut and locked securely.
He turned back to face the ruined doorway, his tailored suit dusted with plaster and ash. He raised his weapon, his artistic tattoos flexing against the grip, and stepped fully into the line of fire.
The secondary strike team poured into the hallway, their assault rifles blazing. Matthias moved with lethal, calculated precision, using the overturned marble pillars for cover. He fired methodically, each shot finding its mark in the chaos. The bright, cinematic lighting of the mansion flickered and died, plunging the warzone into flashing strobes of muzzle fire.
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"Flank him!" a mercenary shouted over the din.
Matthias didn't give them the chance. He moved aggressively forward, closing the distance before they could coordinate. The syndicate war had officially begun, and Matthias Vale was ready to burn his own empire to the ground to protect the woman and child hidden behind him. The night was young, and the blood on the marble floor was only the beginning.
