Chapter 5
The sudden flash of steel in Ethan’s hand shattered the suffocating tension of the dining room. The drawing of a weapon at a formal engagement dinner was an act of absolute, unadulterated madness. Several guests screamed, ducking beneath the heavy mahogany table. Capos and bodyguards instantly surged forward, their own weapons clearing leather in a fraction of a second.
"Drop it!" Marcus, the head of security, roared from the doorway, aiming his sidearm directly at Ethan's chest.
"Nobody move!" Ethan yelled frantically, his hand shaking as he pointed his gun toward Dominic. His fair, rosy face was slick with terrified sweat. He realized too late that he had trapped himself in a room full of heavily armed loyalists. "Let her go! We walk out of here right now, and nobody gets hurt!"
"Are you negotiating with me in my own house, Ethan?" Dominic asked softly.
He didn't flinch at the sight of the gun. He stood perfectly still, his powerful frame shielding Nora completely from the line of fire. He didn't reach for his own weapon. The sheer, terrifying aura of the Mafia boss was rooted in his absolute confidence.
"Vivienne, get up!" Ethan ordered his sister, ignoring the boss's question. "We're leaving!"
Vivienne scrambled out of her chair, her satin gown tangling around her legs. She was sobbing hysterically, realizing the catastrophic magnitude of her brother's actions. She had gone from facing exile to facing execution in a matter of seconds.
"Put the gun down, Ethan," Dominic suggested quietly. It wasn't a request.
"I'm not dying here tonight!" Ethan shouted, stepping backward toward the grand hallway, keeping his weapon trained on the head of the table. "Vivienne, move!"
As Vivienne rushed toward her brother, passing behind Dominic, her panicked eyes landed on the housemaid standing frozen near the wall. The source of her complete and total ruin. The woman who had exposed her secret.
Driven by blind, vindictive fury, Vivienne suddenly lunged sideways.
"You bitch!" Vivienne shrieked, reaching out with her manicured hands, intending to claw at Nora's face or drag her down to the floor as collateral damage.
Nora gasped, stumbling backward and raising her injured arm defensively.
Before Vivienne’s hands could even graze the maid, Dominic moved with terrifying, explosive speed.
He spun around, grabbing Vivienne by the upper arm with a grip like a steel vice. He didn't strike her; he simply redirected her momentum violently, shoving her backward toward the center of the room. She stumbled over the edge of the thick patterned rug and collapsed hard onto the marble floor, her expensive gown tearing against the polished surface.
"Hey!" Ethan roared, seeing his sister fall. He shifted his aim from Dominic’s chest to Dominic's head.
"Do it, Marcus," Dominic commanded smoothly.
A single, suppressed gunshot echoed through the massive dining room. The sound was surprisingly quiet, a sharp thwip that barely disrupted the ringing silence.
Ethan’s eyes widened in sudden, profound shock. The gun slipped from his fingers, clattering uselessly against the hardwood floor. He slumped forward, a small, dark hole appearing in his shoulder, and collapsed onto the rug, groaning in agony.
The rebellion had been crushed in less than ten seconds.
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Dominic didn't look at the bleeding man. He slowly turned his attention back to the woman crying on the floor.
"Is this the family you wanted to build?" Dominic asked, looking down at Vivienne. "A family that chains old women and points guns at dinner parties?"
