Chapter 250

Lily's POV

Jake shifted uncomfortably beside me, his eyes fixed on the gun his father had placed on the table. I watched his hands tremble slightly as he leaned toward Zane.

"Dad, didn't we agree no weapons?" Jake's voice was strained, barely above a whisper.

Zane's laugh was hollow, echoing through the dining room. "That was a promise to them, not a restriction on myself."

I glanced at Nathan, searching his face for any sign of what he was thinking. His expression remained unreadable, green eyes cold and calculating as they swept the room. My heart hammered against my ribs, the baby within me seeming to sense my fear.

Jake shifted again, leaning closer to Nathan. "For this 'peace dinner,' he sent away all the guards and maids."

I felt a chill run down my spine. That couldn't be good.

Zane's fingers drummed against the polished wood of the table. "Nate, have you considered my proposal? I told him I'd trade his life for yours."

My breath caught. What proposal? When had they spoken? I looked between them, trying to piece together what had happened in my absence.

Nathan's response hit me like a physical blow.

"You can have her." His voice was eerily calm. "She's of no use to me. Keep her."

The words hung in the air like poison. I stared at him, shock washing over me in waves. Had he just... given me away? Like I was nothing?

But something in his eyes—a fleeting softness when they met mine—told me this wasn't the whole story. Nathan Sullivan never surrendered anything he considered his. Never.

He has a plan, I realized. He must have a plan.

Zane leaned forward, eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I don't believe you. What about all that talk about her being the love of your life?"

Nathan's laugh was cruel, nothing like the warm sound I'd grown to love. "I'd rather let the love of my life die than hand the family business to you."

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look hurt rather than calculating. If Nathan was playing a game, I needed to play along.

"What about Michael?" Zane asked, his voice sharp with hatred. "Does he know you're here, making deals with the devil?"

Nathan's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Michael isn't relevant to this conversation."

"So," Nathan said, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper, "what happens to Lily?"

Zane's smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp in the dim light. "That's no longer your concern, is it? She'll work for me." His gaze slid over me like oil. "Maybe after I get rid of that baby, she can dance on a pole in my bedroom."

My hands instinctively went to my stomach, a wave of nausea and terror washing over me. Not my baby. Not Eleanor's sibling. I'd come here to protect my family, not to lose another piece of it.

"You really think you can do—" Nathan began, his voice dangerously low.

"Yes." Zane cut him off. "If your mental state is what brings down the Sullivan family, so be it."

Nathan's eyes flashed. "You've already made a mess of things. I might as well clean it up while I still have some control."

Zane raised the gun, pointing it directly at Nathan's chest. "Dinner's over."

I held my breath, every muscle in my body tensing. This was it—the moment everything would fall apart or come together. Nathan slowly stood, and I expected him to surrender, to back away.

Instead, he picked up his fork.

"I think you're right, Uncle. It's time to leave." His eyes found mine, and for a split second, I saw everything he couldn't say. "But you're wrong about one thing—I'm not leaving without Lily."

The air between them crackled with tension.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way," Nathan said, his voice eerily calm.

Zane's scarred face twisted into a sneer. "Nate, there is no easy way."

"Then I guess we're doing it the hard way."

Everything happened so fast. Nathan lunged forward, driving the fork directly into Zane's right eye. A horrific scream tore through the room as Zane reeled back, blood spraying across the white tablecloth.

The lights went out.

Darkness and chaos exploded around us. Gunshots cracked through the air, screams and shouts creating a disorienting cacophony. I dropped to the floor, terror freezing me in place until I felt strong hands pulling me under the table.

"Stay down!" Tyler hissed, his body positioned protectively in front of me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jake making a break for the door, with Joseph in hot pursuit. More gunshots. The smell of gunpowder mixed with the metallic scent of blood turned my stomach.

"Nathan," I whispered, clutching Tyler's arm so hard my knuckles turned white. "Where's Nathan? Is he okay?"

"Just stay down," was all Tyler said, his eyes scanning the darkness.

The gunfire gradually subsided. Cautiously, I peered out from under the table's shelter. As my eyes adjusted to the dim emergency lights that had flickered on, I could make out shadowy figures moving around the room.

"It's clear," someone called out.

Slowly, I crawled from under the table, my legs shaking as I stood. What I saw made my blood run cold.

Nathan stood over Zane, holding the man's own gun to his head. The fork still protruded from Zane's right eye, blood streaming down his scarred face like macabre tears. His other eye stared wildly, filled with pain and hatred. The sight was so horrific, so stomach-turning that I felt bile rise in my throat.

Zane's face had always been a nightmare of scars and damaged tissue, but now, with the fork handle jutting from his socket and blood painting his features, he looked truly monstrous. The crimson liquid pooled beneath him, soaking into the expensive carpet.

My stomach lurched, and I covered my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit. The room seemed to spin around me as I struggled to stay upright.

Joseph dragged Jake back into the room, his grip firm on the younger man's collar. "Look who tried to run."

"N-N-Nathan, you can't do this!" Jake's voice cracked with fear. "I saved Lily. I saved all of you!"

Zane laughed, a wet, gurgling sound that made my skin crawl. "Then you're more stupid than your brothers."

Nathan nodded toward the door. "Get him out of here."

As Jake was pulled away, Zane's voice rose again, defiant even in defeat. "If I die, you all die. You really think I don't have men waiting to take care of you?"

Alex stepped forward, his face cold with hatred. "Then bring them on. I don't care if we have to fight the entire mob—but you will die. Not now, though." His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "I'm not killing you yet. I will, but it's going to be a long, painful death."

"Go," Alex told Nathan, his eyes never leaving Zane. "Take Lily and get out of here. My father and I have unfinished business."

Nathan hesitated, and Zane seized the moment.

"Nate—you really think this ends here?" Blood bubbled from his lips as he spoke. "My sons and this thing between them... it never ends—just like their father. They'll always chase power... Alex has his mother's genes—it's in his DNA!"

Nathan studied Zane for a long moment, then shook his head. "That's enough, Uncle." He reached for my hand, his fingers warm against my cold skin. "Come on, Lily. Let's go home."

The relief that flooded through me was so intense it made me dizzy. As we walked toward the door, I threw myself into Nathan's arms, sobbing against his chest.

"I'm so sorry!" I cried, my tears soaking into his shirt. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"Hey, I'm okay. You're okay, Eleanor's okay." His hands cupped my face. "Please don't cry, alright?"

I shook my head, guilt overwhelming me. "You should want to kill me for what I did to you."

He tried to make me smile, his thumb wiping away my tears. "Tyler's outside. He's been worried sick about you."

Before I could respond, I heard Tyler's voice behind me.

"You're... you're bleeding." His finger pointed toward my head. "Lily, are you sure you're alright?"

I reached up, feeling something warm and sticky in my hair. A burning sensation spread across my scalp, and suddenly the room began to tilt.

"I..." My voice sounded distant to my own ears. "I'm... fine!"

But I wasn't fine. The floor rushed up to meet me as darkness closed in from all sides. The last thing I heard was Nathan shouting my name as consciousness slipped away.