Chapter 14
The private Ravelli shipping terminal at the harbor was isolated, surrounded by high chain-link fences and heavily armed guards. The cold, salty wind whipped off the dark water, a sharp contrast to the bright, warm hospital room Lorenzo had occupied just hours before.
Inside a cavernous, empty warehouse, the cleanup crew had deposited their cargo.
Victor, Julian, and Bianca Mercer were on their knees in the center of the concrete floor. The thick cloth gags had been removed, but their hands were still brutally zip-tied behind their backs. The expensive tailored suits and the elegant sapphire dress were now ruined, smeared with dirt and sweat.
When the heavy steel doors of the warehouse rolled open, Lorenzo stepped inside. The cinematic, dramatic lighting from the overhead halogens caught the gold of his cufflinks and the lethal, sociopathic detachment in his dark eyes.
"Lorenzo, please!" Victor screamed, his sixty-five-year-old voice cracking with sheer, pathetic desperation. "We can fix this! I can transfer all my corporate assets to you! You can have the Mercer company! Just let us go!"
Lorenzo walked slowly across the concrete floor, his hands resting casually in his pockets. He didn't look at Victor. He looked at Bianca, who was sobbing uncontrollably, her diamond jewelry sparkling mockingly against her dirty skin.
"You wanted to be a mother, Bianca," Lorenzo murmured, his voice so low it barely registered above the sound of the wind outside. "You were willing to let a child be raised by monsters to satisfy your own vanity."
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"I was desperate!" Bianca wailed, her rosy skin pale and drawn. "Julian promised me it would be easy! He said Sofia wouldn't notice!"
"Sofia wouldn't notice," Lorenzo repeated softly, savoring the profound stupidity of the statement. He finally turned his gaze to Julian, who was shivering violently on the floor, his face severely bruised and bleeding from the punch Lorenzo had delivered.
