At 8:17 PM, the massive brass doors of the Aster House grand ballroom swung open. The hum of high-society chatter, discreet corporate deal-making, and heavy silver clinking against porcelain died instantly.

Dust and concrete debris filled the basement air.

Dominic Vale strode through the smoke, holding a silenced pistol in each hand, his black overcoat billowed behind him like the wings of a vengeful angel.

Before Moretti’s guards could raise their weapons, Dominic fired four precise shots.

The guards dropped instantly.

Moretti gasped, scrambling back, grabbing Evelyn and pulling her up as a human shield, pressing a snub-nosed revolver against her temple.

"Stay back, Vale!" Moretti screamed, his hands shaking violently. "Stay back or I put a bullet through her pretty head!"

Dominic stopped ten feet away. His eyes met Evelyn's. He saw no terror in her face—only trust.

"Put the gun down, Julian," Dominic said, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"You ruined my business!" Moretti yelled hysterically. "She ruined my reputation!"

"No," a voice echoed from the shadowed entrance of the basement.

Grant Mercer walked into the room, holding a briefcase.

Dominic didn't look back. "Grant. I told you to stay at the office."

"I couldn't do that, cousin," Grant said with a strange, mocking laugh. "Because Julian isn't working alone. He's working for me."

Dominic’s eyes narrowed into slits. "You?"

"You made me second-in-command, Dominic, but you treated me like a child!" Grant shouted, stepping beside Moretti. "You turned our family business into a boring accounting firm! You brought in her—this librarian—to double-check my expense reports!"

"You were stealing from the family, Grant," Evelyn said calmly from behind Moretti’s gun. "You took two million from the pension fund."

"Shut up!" Grant screamed at her. "I set up the raid at Pier 14. I framed you. And once Moretti kills you both tonight, I inherit Vale Strategic Holdings!"

Dominic lowered his pistols slightly, a small, dark smile touching his mouth. "Grant... you always were bad at math."

"What?" Grant blinked.

"You forgot one detail," Dominic said softly.

Evelyn suddenly stomped her high heel down onto Moretti’s foot with all her weight. Moretti shrieked in agony, dropping his grip. Evelyn ducked low and rolled across the concrete floor.

THWIP! THWIP!

Dominic fired two shots. One hit Moretti in the shoulder, dropping him to the ground. The second disarmed Grant, sending his gun spinning across the floor.

Marcus and four Vale guards rushed in, instantly securing Moretti and pinning Grant to the wet floor.

Grant sobbed, his nose pressed into the dirt. "Dominic! Please! We're blood!"

Dominic walked past his cousin without a word. He dropped to his knees beside Evelyn, pulling her into his arms, checking her face, her hands, her shoulders with frantic care.

"Are you hurt? Did he touch you?" Dominic asked, his voice raw with emotion.