Chapter 4 - Venom in the Bloodline
The revelation hung in the air like poison.
Dominic Vale—Roman’s younger half-brother—had always been a volatile, envious shadow within the Vale syndicate. Elena remembered him vaguely from three years ago: a handsome, cruel young man who resented Roman’s absolute power and hated Elena for her humble origins as a hired housekeeper.
"Dominic is alive?" Elena breathed, holding sleeping Amelia close against her chest as the child finally drifted off to sleep under the warm blanket.
"He survived the shootout in South America two years ago," Roman said, stepping toward the window and looking out at the rain-lashed estate grounds. "He’s been hiding in the shadows, backed by Julian Moretti’s money. Dominic wants the syndicate. But more than that, he wants to destroy everything I built while he was in exile."
"He tried to kill my child before she was even born!" Elena’s voice shook with suppressed fury.
"He tried to kill my legacy," Roman corrected, turning back to face her. "Dominic knows that under the Vale constitution, if I die without a recognized heir, the family council automatically transfers control of the syndicate assets to him. But when Lia was born and legally registered as my daughter, she became the sole heir to the entire Vale empire. That makes her a target for every ambitious lieutenant in the city."
"Then strip her of the inheritance!" Elena pleaded, leaning forward in bed. "Give Dominic the money! Give him the syndicate! We don't want your blood-stained empire, Roman! Take us out of this city!"
Roman walked slowly back to the bed, leaning over the wooden footboard, his eyes burning with a dark, tragic intensity.
"Do you really think men like Dominic and Moretti would let her live just because I renounced a throne?" Roman asked harshly. "In our world, an heir—even a stripped one—is a threat until she is six feet under the dirt. The only way Lia survives is if I destroy every single enemy who dares to look at her."
Before Elena could reply, a sharp knock rattled the heavy bedroom door. Viktor stepped inside, his expression darker than before.
"Boss, we have a breach in the digital comms," Viktor reported urgently. "A live video feed was just routed directly to our private network from an untraceable server."
Roman pulled out a tablet from the nightstand and tapped the screen. Elena leaned over to look.
The screen flickered to life, showing a dimly lit basement room somewhere in the city. Standing in front of the camera was Dominic Vale. He looked thinner, a jagged scar running from his ear to his collarbone, his eyes wide with a frantic, unhinged insanity.
"Hello, big brother," Dominic’s voice rasped through the tablet speaker. "I see the little maid finally woke up from her long nap. How touching. The happy little family is back together in your coastal cage."
Roman’s face remained entirely expressionless. "You made a mistake coming back to Grayhaven, Dominic. I won't leave enough of you behind to bury this time."
Dominic laughed—a high, manic sound. "Oh, I didn't come back alone, Roman! Julian Moretti and I have assembled a little coalition. Fifty men, anti-tank munitions, and tactical gear. In forty-eight hours, the city council is voting on the harbor development contract. If you aren't there to sign it, your entire legal empire defaults to the state."
Dominic stepped closer to the camera, his twisted face filling the screen.
"And while you're at the city hall trying to save your legal fortunes, Roman... my men will breach your little cliffside fortress. I’m going to take that little bastard girl, and I’m going to make sure Elena watches her fall down the same stairs her mother did."
The screen cut to static.
Elena let out a sharp gasp, pulling Amelia so tightly against her chest that the little girl stirred in her sleep.
May you like
Roman didn't raise his voice. He handed the tablet back to Viktor, his eyes descending into a pitch-black stillness that was infinitely more terrifying than any scream.
"Gather the commanders," Roman ordered softly. "We aren't waiting forty-eight hours. We attack tonight."
