Chapter 7
"Yes, sir," Ada whispered, her expressive eyes wide with a mixture of fear and profound relief. She gently guided Luca away from the table, her black flats making almost no sound on the marble floor. She paused at the doorway, glancing back at Dominic. The unspoken gratitude and deep, mutual respect passing between them was stronger than any spoken vow. She nodded once, disappearing into the corridor with the young boy.
Once the heavy doors clicked shut, isolating them completely, Dominic turned his full, terrifying attention back to Estelle.
"Who provided you with the access codes to the secure pharmacy deliveries?" Dominic asked, his deep voice slicing through her frantic, hyperventilating breaths.
"I won't tell you!" Estelle shrieked, backing away until her spine hit a gilded wall panel. "If I give you a name, you will kill me! My silence is the only thing keeping me alive!"
"Do you believe leverage exists for a woman who has just admitted to attempting to assassinate my mother in front of my son?" Dominic asked, stepping closer, his tailored suit jacket pulling tight across his broad shoulders.
"It wasn't an assassination! It was a mercy!" Estelle cried, desperately trying to reframe the narrative. "She is suffering, Dominic! She is holding onto a life that is over! I was trying to spare you the agony of watching her decline!"
"You burned her medication and replaced it with candy to spare me agony?" Dominic asked, the sheer absurdity of her lies fueling the dark, violent rage coiling in his chest.
"I am trying to build an empire with you!" Estelle screamed, tears ruining her flawless makeup. "You spend half your day sitting in the solarium with a dying woman and a maid! You are losing your edge! The other families are laughing at you! I took control because you were too weak to do it yourself!"
Dominic stopped just inches away from her. The bright, cinematic lighting caught the artistic tattoos on his neck, highlighting the pulse pounding dangerously fast beneath his skin.
"You mistake my patience for weakness, Estelle," Dominic said softly, his voice dropping into a lethal whisper. "A mistake that will cost you everything."
He didn't wait for her to formulate another hysterical defense. He turned his head and signaled to his lead enforcer, a towering, scarred man named Silas.
"Take her to the basement holding cells," Dominic commanded, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "Ensure the temperature is dropped, and that she is stripped of all jewelry and communication devices."
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"No! Get your hands off me!" Estelle shrieked as Silas and another guard seized her arms, dragging her roughly away from the wall. The luxurious fabric of her burgundy gown tore slightly under their brutal grip.
"You will pay for this, Dominic! My family will burn this mansion to the ground!" Estelle screamed, her diamond earrings swinging wildly as they hauled her toward the service doors.
