Chapter 56

Chapter 56
The night had deepened, and the sky unleashed a torrential downpour. Rain pummeled the villa's garden, turning soil to mud with a squelching persistence.
In the garden, Avery trudged forward in a raincoat, dragging a woven bag containing the assassin's body.
"At least this garden is decent-sized," she muttered.
Dumping the body elsewhere would be too risky. For now, the safest disposal method was to bury it right here in the garden—human fertilizer.
The rain intensified, bringing bone-deep chill with each drop. Avery finally dragged the corpse to the edge of the hole she'd dug.
She wiped rain from her face, preparing to push the bag into the pit. An inexplicable uneasiness crept over her. Maybe she was just rusty at body disposal.
Taking a deep breath, Avery prepared to act when a blinding flash of lightning split the sky. Her honed instincts detected a presence behind her.
Avery whirled around. "Who's there?!"
As silver lightning illuminated the darkness, she saw Matteo's expressionless face. His crimson irises seemed more vivid than blood itself. In the night, he resembled an ancient, terrifying vampire.
"So this is your period and the blood smell you mentioned?" Matteo locked eyes with her.
He stood holding a black umbrella, his silver hair slightly damp. The lightning cast dangerous shadows across his tall frame.
"You've got nerve, Avery," he said, his voice as cold as the rain.
The lightning revealed the open bag containing a dead man with a clean, fatal slash across his throat. Matteo had suspected Avery's capabilities long ago, but hadn't expected such clinical efficiency.
"So you found out." Avery narrowed her eyes, murderous intent flickering through her mind.
She sounded calm, but was already calculating whether to eliminate this unexpected witness. Matteo had discovered her secret.
But the man seemed to read her thoughts.
"Kill me, and you'll have problems," Matteo stated flatly.
He tilted his head toward the bag she was burying. Murder wasn't particularly shocking to him—it was almost mundane. After being sent to Italy as a child, he'd grown accustomed to bloodshed.
"You don't need to be so defensive," Matteo assessed her coolly. "I'll pretend I saw nothing."
He didn't question her about the body. Dead people didn't interest him.
What intrigued him was Avery herself—clearly not the ordinary woman she pretended to be. That made her worth exploring.
"Just clean up properly. Don't leave loose ends," Matteo advised.
"Easy for you to say, Mr. Ferrari," Avery laughed coldly.
She sensed he truly meant no harm. Besides, he was right—killing him would put her on his family's global hit list.
Avery turned and kicked the bag forcefully into the pit.
"You might as well help me, Mr. Ferrari."
"Help you? You really are audacious." Matteo gazed down at her, his red eyes glowing in the darkness.
He understood Avery was inviting him to become an accomplice. That way, if the body were discovered, his fingerprints would be there too—he couldn't stay uninvolved.
"Ms. Vaughn, if I'm not mistaken, you're hoping to make me your partner in crime."
"Of course, though you seem like the germaphobic type," Avery shrugged.
She pulled out a black handgun and aimed it directly at Matteo's heart.
"Actually, I dislike the term 'accomplice,'" she said casually, as if discussing dinner plans on a rainy evening.
But the dark barrel of the gun silently communicated the danger unfolding between them.
"I hate when someone holds my secrets. Killing you would be inconvenient, but necessary."
Avery's knuckles whitened around the grip, yet the gun remained perfectly steady, aimed at Matteo's chest.
"Smart thinking," Matteo said.
His deep red eyes reflected Avery's coldly detached face. The gun didn't frighten him at all. Instead, a dormant excitement stirred within him—this dance with death awakened something primal. The dangerous sensation confirmed what he'd suspected: they were the same kind of person.
"I do dislike handling corpses. The stench of blood is overwhelming."
Matteo stepped closer to Avery. The cold wind rustled his silver hair, raindrops trailing through the air around him, enhancing his commanding presence.
The space between them shrank. Tension saturated the air like an overstretched wire about to snap.
Their eyes locked—Avery's gaze icy and resolute.
"Mr. Ferrari, if you take another step, don't blame me for what happens next."
She couldn't believe this madman showed zero concern, as if ready to embrace death at any moment. Even staring down the barrel of her gun, he showed no fear.
"Ms. Vaughn, I simply noticed the heavy rain and thought you might want this umbrella."
Matteo acted oblivious to her murderous intent. His rare smile resembled that of a midnight demon, ready to drag souls to hell.
"I assume you won't refuse."
The rain and wind seemed to pause. Only their silent standoff remained, dangerous currents running beneath the surface.
Matteo stood before Avery, slowly extending the umbrella to shield her from the rain.
"Ms. Vaughn, let me guess—you're thinking the gunshot would be too loud," Matteo's deep, magnetic voice suggested.
"Perhaps you'd prefer slicing my throat with a knife instead?"
His words carried an increasingly unhinged energy.
"Mr. Ferrari, I truly hate encountering someone like you—my own kind. It's like looking in a mirror."
Avery's mind contained no mercy or sentiment. As she finished speaking, she struck with lightning speed.
In mere seconds, she knocked away Matteo's umbrella while her right hand adjusted the gun, aiming for his throat.
"You guessed wrong about one thing. Yes, gunshots are loud, but on a stormy night like this, thunder is louder."
Perfect cover for gunfire.
As she spoke, silver lightning tore across the sky. Thunder would follow any second—the perfect moment to strike.
But Matteo had anticipated her move.
"Sometimes you're so cold-blooded, you make even me look merciful."
His expressionless comment came as he predicted her next action. This woman was formidable—not just physically, but psychologically. He could hardly imagine what had shaped her.
With a swift click, Matteo grabbed Avery's wrist, pressing down hard.
"I suggest you don't move."