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Adriano

“Sick?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral. “I hadn’t heard anything about that. How do you know?”

“It was on the news,” she replied softly. “They said she was acting crazy, like she’d lost her mind completely.”

“I see.”

Azalea rested her head against my chest, and I could feel her sadness. “I feel sorry for her.”

Her words made my blood run cold. “Why? Why would you feel sorry for someone who treated you so badly?”

“Because she used to be my friend,” she said simply. “What happened between us must have been some kind of misunderstanding.”

I stared down at her in complete shock. A misunderstanding? Chiara had hired men to rape her and stream it live for the world to see. There was no misunderstanding about that level of evil.

This innocence of hers - this ability to see good in everyone, even those who wanted to destroy her - was both what I loved most about Azalea and what scared me the most. In my dark world, such purity was dangerous.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

She laughed, a light sound that somehow made everything feel brighter. “Give me time. You’ll understand who I really am.”

Before I could respond, we were almost at my company building when Azalea suddenly leaned forward.

“Stop the car here, please.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t want anyone to see us arriving together.”

Her words hit me like a physical blow. “Then how am I supposed to introduce you as my personal assistant if you won’t even walk into the building with me?”

She went quiet, clearly not having thought this through.

The hurt was building in my chest, making it hard to breathe. “Matteo can bring you up separately if being seen with me is such a problem,” I said, trying to keep the pain out of my voice.

“Matteo,” I called, “I’ll get out here. Wait a few minutes, then bring Mrs... bring the new assistant up to my office. Introduce her as my personal assistant to anyone who asks.”

“Yes, sir.”

Azalea opened her mouth to say something, but I was already opening the car door. I stepped out onto the sidewalk, straightening my suit jacket and forcing myself to walk calmly toward the building.

The familiar weight of my gun against my chest was oddly comforting. In this building, I was king. Here, I could protect what was mine.

“Good morning, Mr. Adriano,” the security guards greeted me. I could see the curious looks on their faces, probably wondering why I’d arrived without my usual entourage.

I walked past them without responding, to upset to manage pleasantries. The private elevator carried me up to my office in silence. Once inside, I slumped into my leather chair and tried to focus on work.

I had never felt so unhappy before. I sat down in my chair and immediately got to work.

Twenty minutes later, my phone buzzed with an incoming call. The caller ID made my heart race: Zero.

Finally. The call I’d been waiting for.

“Please tell me you have good news,” I answered immediately.

“Yes sir. We found him.”

Finally. After weeks of searching, we’d located Alex.

“Where is he?”

“He’s holed up in an apartment with some woman, not far from his company building. I’m sending you the address now.”

“Good. Keep watching him. I’m on my way.”

This was it. Today, I would end the threat to my family once and for all.

I stood up and grabbed my suit jacket, checking that my weapon was secure. I was almost at the door when it suddenly opened.

Azalea walked in, looking beautiful and professional in her business dress. For a split second, I almost told her everything - about Alex, about the danger, about why I’d been so desperate to keep her safe.

But I couldn’t drag her into my darkness.

“Give me the keys, Matteo.”

“Here, sir.” He handed them over without question.

“Stay with her until I get back. Don’t leave her alone.”

“Are you going somewhere?” Azalea asked, concern filling her voice.

“Yes. I’ll be back soon.”

She looked like she wanted to say more, but I couldn’t wait. Every second Alex remained alive was another second my family was in danger.

I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Today would end this war, for good.

The drive to the address Zero had sent took fifteen minutes through city traffic. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as violent thoughts filled my mind.

Alex had been a thorn in my side since we were children, always trying to take what was mine, always listening to his mother’s poison about how I’d stolen his birthright.

The look of satisfaction on his face whenever he thought he’d gotten one over on me. Today, all of that ended.

Soon I was there.

“Are you sure he is in there?” I asked, looking around the quiet neighborhood.

“Yes. My information is correct.”

“Good.” I took out my gun as we walked inside the building. It seemed too easy. I thought Alex might have already left, but then we heard sounds from inside - moaning, the rhythmic creaking of a bed.

The sounds coming from inside made my lip curl in disgust. Even now, facing death without knowing it, he was thinking with his dick.

I tried the door handle. Unlocked. Typical.

We slipped inside quietly, and I had to bite back a laugh at what I saw. There was my half-brother, completely naked and lost in passion with some woman, both of them so caught up in their pleasure that they had no idea death had just walked into the room.

I settled myself comfortably on the sofa across from the bed and crossed my legs, watching them like I was at a private show. This was perfect - I wanted to see the fear in Alex’s eyes when he realized his time was up.

My gaze wandered to the family photos on the bedroom wall. Pictures of the woman with a man and two young children. A wedding photo. Birthday parties.

“Fucking hell,” I said loudly, unable to contain my disgust.

They both froze mid-motion, then scrambled apart. The woman grabbed a sheet to cover herself while Alex’s face went white as paper.

“You’re married?” I asked, gesturing to the family photos. “With children?”

“W-when...” Alex’s eyes went wide when he saw me. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

In a way, he had. I was death come calling, and we both knew it.

“When did I get here?” I stood up slowly, enjoying the fear radiating from him. “I’ve been sitting here for several minutes, watching you perform. Quite entertaining, actually.”

I walked closer to the bed, and Alex pressed himself against the headboard like he was trying to disappear through the wall.

“I thought you’d be mourning your parents,” I continued conversationally. “Or maybe planning some elaborate revenge against me. But instead, I find you here, fucking another man’s wife in his own bed.”

I pulled out my gun, and both of them started shaking.

“Please,” Alex whispered, sweat beading on his forehead. “I’m sorry. I’m not planning any revenge. I just want to live quietly.”

“Really?” I tilted my head, pressing the gun barrel against my lip in thought. “You’re not planning to come after me or my family?”

“No, brother. Please don’t kill me.” Tears started falling from his eyes. Instead of feeling sorry for him, I only felt hate.

Brother. He had the nerve to call me brother now, after years of treating me like his worst enemy.

“You should never have gone against me, Alex,” I said, my voice turning cold with rage. “You spent our entire childhood acting like I was your enemy. I left home so you and your mother could have everything, but it still wasn’t enough for you. You kept trying to destroy my business, steal my money, hurt the people I cared about. Did you really think I would let that continue?”

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, sliding off the bed to kneel on the floor. “Please, I’ll never bother you again.”

“You should go tell your mother that,” I whispered. “I’m sure she’d be so proud to see you begging me for mercy.”

His mother, who’d filled his head with poison about me from day one. Who had convinced him that everything I worked for should have been his.

“I don’t want to die,” he screamed. “I want to live.”

“You should be grateful I’m not burning you alive like I did your parents,” I said calmly. “At least you got to enjoy one last fuck before meeting them.”

I pulled the trigger.

The gunshot was deafeningly loud in the small room. Alex’s body jerked once and then crumpled to the floor, his eyes still wide with shock and disbelief.

It was over. Finally, it was over.

If I knew Alex was nothing, I wouldn’t have gone as far as to send Amira away. I thought he could threaten me with them, but who could have thought… Alas. I wondered if Father was the one who birthed that weak ass.

The woman on the bed was sobbing hysterically, the sheet clutched to her chest.

“Please,” she whispered. “Please don’t kill me. I won’t tell anyone what happened here, I swear.”

I’d almost forgotten about her. The witness. The loose end.

“Won’t you join your lover?” I asked.

“No, please,” she begged. “I have children. They need me. I promise I’ll never say anything to anyone.”

Promises. In my experience, only dead people kept their promises.

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I almost meant it. “But I can’t take that risk.”

The second gunshot echoed through the apartment.

I looked down at the two bodies on the floor - Alex and his lover, their blood slowly spreading across the cheap carpet. Such a waste.

But it was necessary. Alex had been a threat to everything I held dear, and she had been a witness.

I turned and walked toward the door, stepping carefully around the blood. Zero followed silently behind me.

Finally, I got rid of them. I could finally live happily with Azalea.

As I walked away from the carnage, I felt lighter. Alex was dead. The threat was gone.

Now I could focus on what really mattered - building a life with Azalea, protecting our future, making sure no one could ever threaten us again.