75

75
Alex

The hospital room felt too quiet after my parents left. Their voices still rang in my ears—Mother’s promises, Father’s anger.

For the first time in my life, I thought we were finally working together toward one goal: destroying Adriano.

I closed my eyes and drifted in and out of restless sleep, holding onto that small feeling of victory. Tomorrow, I told myself.

Tomorrow I would wake up to hear that Adriano was dead, and everything he owned would finally be mine.

But morning came with something very different.

The TV on the hospital wall was showing breaking news. At first, the words were blurry. The pain medicine made it hard to think clearly. But then I saw something that made my blood turn cold.

“Business leader and wife killed in terrible car crash. No one survived.”

My heart stopped beating.

The screen showed flashing police lights, broken glass, and twisted metal. My father’s car—black and expensive—was now just a pile of destroyed steel.

The news reporter’s voice cut through me like a knife: “The couple was driving home late last night when their car crashed. Police are investigating what happened.”

“No...” The word came out like a painful cry. My whole body went stiff. I couldn’t breathe properly.

I grabbed the bed sheets so hard my knuckles turned white. I kept seeing Mother’s face, her gentle whisper promising me Adriano would die... but now she was gone. Father’s promise to end Adriano... he was gone too.

Both of them—murdered.

And right then, I knew exactly who had done it.

Adriano.

No one else would dare to kill them. No one else could have arranged this. He had promised to send them to join me in death, and he had kept his word.

Pain and anger mixed together inside me like poison, burning hotter than the bullet wound in my side. Tears filled my eyes, but behind them, my hatred grew stronger than steel.

“He killed them,” I whispered hoarsely. “He murdered them both.”

Mother’s last words came back to me, now cruel and ironic: “By the time you wake up tomorrow, you’ll hear about Adriano’s death.”

Instead, I woke up to hear about theirs.

That was when I finally understood. I wasn’t just next on Adriano’s kill list—I was already a walking dead man. Unless I killed him first.

I wiped my face with my shaking hand, and made a dark promise to myself.

“I’m going to make you pay, Adriano,” I swore through clenched teeth. “For her tears. For his blood. For everything you stole from me. I’ll take away everyone you love. And when you have nothing left, then I’ll take your life too.”

The pain in my body didn’t matter anymore. My wounds would heal. But the wound Adriano had given my heart would never close.

I would become his worst nightmare. His curse. His death. Adriano Giordani had started a war. And I would be the one to finish it.

A nurse walked into my room while I was still gripping the bed sheets. Her eyes were full of sympathy. She must have heard the news about my parents.

“Sir, good morning,” she greeted softly. “How are you?”

“Do I look fine to you?” I snapped, tears still falling down my face. I couldn’t control my emotions anymore.

Why did Father have to die before writing his will and leaving everything to me? Why did Mother die before she could kill Adriano like she promised?

“What do you want?” I yelled at her. My hands turned into fists as I stared at the woman in front of me. She was attractive, but I was too angry and hurt to care about that right now.

If it wasn’t what had happened to me, I could have bend her ass down, thrusting into her pussy before tossing her away.

“I’m here to give you your medicine,” she responded, which only made me angrier. I hated the pity I saw in her eyes.

“Get out,” I screamed. “Now!”

She quickly turned around and ran out of the room.

I needed to get out of this hospital immediately. Adriano might already know I was still alive, and he could come for me next. I had to disappear before he found me.

I started pacing around the room, thinking about how I could escape without being seen. Then someone knocked on my door. I froze, shaking with fear.

Was Adriano here already? Was this how I would die—before I could get my revenge?

I moved to the corner of the room and tried to hide.

The knocking came again, but I didn’t answer. Then the door opened and a man walked in carrying cleaning supplies.

“Sir, are you here?” he called out.

I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until that moment. I fell to the floor with relief. It wasn’t Adriano or one of his killers.

I stood up and walked quickly behind the cleaner. He was focused on his work and didn’t see me coming. I grabbed a heavy vase from the table and hit him hard on the head.

He collapsed to the floor, blood flowing from his head. I immediately started taking his clothes. I put on his uniform and grabbed his cleaning cart.

I didn’t care if he was dead or alive—all that mattered was saving myself. This was what my mother had taught me: to survive, you do whatever it takes, no matter who gets hurt.

I pushed the cleaning cart toward the elevator. Just as I was about to get in, someone called out.

“Hey, where are you taking that to?” Someone questioned me.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to give myself away. I quickly got into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. When the doors opened, I looked around carefully before leaving the hospital.

Once I was safely outside, I called my assistant.

“Hello sir,” my assistant picked the call at the first ring. “Thank God you are safe.”

“Where are you right now?”

“At the company office, sir,” she replied. Elena was my personal assistant.

She was married with two children, but she was also my secret lover. Even though she was a mother, she still had an amazing body.

“I’m going to send you an address. I need you to pick me up in your personal car. And Elena—make sure no one follows you.”

“I understand, sir.”

I hid behind some bushes near the hospital, waiting for Elena. My mind raced with thoughts of revenge. When my phone rang, it pulled me back to reality.

“Sir, I am here. Where are you?”

I looked around carefully before I saw her car. Even after spotting it, I waited a few more minutes to make sure she wasn’t followed. Then I ran to her car and jumped in.

“Drive. Fast,” I ordered.

“Sir, I’m so sorry about your family,” she said as we drove away.

“Don’t talk about that right now. Is your husband in town?”

“No, he’s on a business trip. He won’t be back for weeks.”

“Good. What about your children?”

“They’re at boarding school,” Elena answered. “I’m alone at home.”

“Perfect. Take me to your house.”

“Yes sir.”

Elena drove quickly as I had asked. I was still shaking, even though I knew I was safe for now. We finally arrived at her house, and I was relieved to see it was in a quiet neighborhood. This was my first time visiting her home.

After she parked, I got out and followed her inside.

“Please come in,” she gestured.

The house felt warm and comfortable. I looked at the family photos on the walls before sitting down.

“Can I get you anything, sir?” she asked.

“No,” I replied. “I need to take a shower.”

“Of course. Please follow me.”

I followed her as she led me to one of the rooms in her home.

“You can stay in this room. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you, Elena. And remember—keep your mouth shut,” I warned her. “Don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

I started taking off the cleaner’s clothes as I walked into the bathroom. I turned on the cold water and let it run over my skin. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about my parents’ death.

My mother’s face kept appearing in my mind—her warmth, her smile, and the gentle way she had treated me in what turned out to be our last moments together.

After showering, I dried myself and went back to the bedroom. Elena was waiting with some clothes in her hands.

“These belong to my husband,” she said. “You can wear them while you’re staying here.”

I took the clothes from her and got dressed.

“I’ll be in my room if you need anything, sir,” she said.

“Thank you.”

After she left, I sat on the bed. My mind went back to something my mother had mentioned—Adriano had a woman living in his mansion, someone he claimed was his wife.

If I wanted revenge, I could start with her. I would destroy everything Adriano loved before I killed him.