Chapter 21 Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Chapter 21
Elara’s POV. 

The next morning, the guards came for me. They hauled me up the stairs and into the grand library.

Dante was there, Marcus was there, Isabella was there, looking regal in a black dress. Serena sat in the corner, looking bored.

"The doctor is ready," Dante said. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week "We take the sample now."

"Wait," I said.

Everyone turned to look at me. "Before you take the blood, Dante, you should listen to something," I said.

"We don't have time for games, Elara," Dante growled.

"It’s not a game," I said. I pulled the burner phone from my waistband and laid it on the table. I pressed play.

Isabella’s voice filled the room.

“I didn't just kill the baby. I killed his future. And now, I’m going to take his chair.”

I watched Marcus sit up straight, his eyes widening. "Is there more?" Marcus asked, his voice sharp.

"There's the Caldera deal," I said, pulling the documents from my jacket, the ones Lorenzo had brought me. I threw them onto the table. "The manifests, signatures. The proof that Isabella Rossi has been working with the Petrovs to dismantle the Moretti Syndicate from the inside for the last three years."

Dante slowly stood up. He walked to the table, picked up the papers and read them.

"Dante, it's a forgery!" Isabella shrieked. "She’s lying! Lorenzo gave her those! It’s a plot to take the company!"

Dante didn't look at her. He looked at me. "Where did you get these?"

"From the truth," I said. "You wanted to know if I was loyal, Dante. I’ve been the only one in this house who wasn't trying to kill you. She took your son. She used Serena to frame me. And she’s moving the money to the Caymans as we speak."

Dante turned his head toward Isabella. "Isabella," he said.

"Dante, please, I can explain—"

"You killed my son," he whispered.

"I did it for us!" she cried. "I did it to protect the alliance!"

Dante reached across the table and grabbed a heavy crystal decanter and he smashed it against the edge of the desk and lunged.

"Dante, no!" Marcus shouted, jumping up.

The guards moved, but they were too slow. Dante had Isabella pinned against the wall, the jagged neck of the bottle pressed against her throat.

"I should have killed you years ago," Dante hissed.

"If you kill me, the Rossis will burn this house to the ground!" Isabella gasped.

"Let them," Dante said.

"Dante, stop!" I shouted.

He looked at me over his shoulder. "Why? You want her alive?"

"No," I said, walking toward them. "I want her to watch. I want her to watch while you strip the Rossi name from every contract. I want her to watch while I take the chair she worked so hard for."

Dante looked back at Isabella. 

"Vince!" Dante barked.

The head of security stepped forward. "Sir?"

"Take her to the holding cells. Call the board. Tell them we have a reorganization to discuss."

"And the girl?" Vince asked, pointing at Serena.

"Throw her out," Dante said. "If I see her on this property again, kill her."

The room cleared out. The guards dragged a screaming Isabella and a sobbing Serena away. Marcus looked at the papers on the table, then at me.

"You're quite the player, Elara," Marcus said, a hint of admiration in his voice. "The board is going to be very interested in your... contributions."

"The board can wait," I said.

Marcus nodded and left, closing the doors behind him.

I was alone with Dante. He sat down at the desk and buried his face in his hands.

"I almost killed you," he whispered. "I put you in that basement because I believed her."

"You did," I said. "You chose the monster over the mother of your child."

"Elara, I'm sorry."

"Sorry, don't fix the warehouse, Dante. It doesn't fix the basement." I walked to the window and looked out at the estate. "You told me once that the Syndicate is a machine. You said I was just a gear."

"I was wrong," he said.

"You were," I agreed. I turned to face him. "I'm not a gear, Dante. And I'm not a vessel. You created this war, you brought me into this world. Now, you’re going to watch me rule it."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the contract is dead," I said. "I’m not your wife by law anymore. I’m your partner by necessity. You need me to keep the board from eating you alive. You need me to fix the mess the Rossis left behind."

"And the baby?" he asked, looking at my stomach.

"The baby is mine," I said. "He will have the Moretti name, but he is mine. And if you ever touch me again without my permission, or if you ever lock a door on me again, I will burn this entire empire to the ground with you inside it."

Dante looked at me. 

"You really think you can have power over me?” he said.

“You'd be surprised to see what I can do.” 

I walked out of the library and up to the master suite, Dante’s room. 

I sat at the desk and opened my journal.

The Moretti\-Rossi Journal. Day 2.

I picked up the pen and wrote the oath I had made to myself.

‘I will not leave quietly. I will leave with their empire in my hands.’

I looked out at the lights of New York. 

I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my abdomen. I gasped, clutching the edge of the desk.

"No," I whispered. "Not now."

I looked down. A dark, red stain was spreading across the fabric of my white skirt.

"Dante!" I screamed. "Dante, help me!"

i heard his boots down the hallway.

The door burst open.

"Elara? What's wrong?"

I looked at him, tears streaming down my face. I pointed to the blood.

Dante froze. He looked at the floor, then at me. 

"The doctor," he shouted. "Get the doctor back here now!"

I felt the world start to tilt. The pain was intensifying, like a hot iron was twisting in my gut. I fell to my knees.

"Isabella," I wheezed. "The vitamins... she was... she was in the room..."

Dante scooped me up in his arms. "Don't talk, just breathe. I've got you."

"Dante," I whispered, grabbing his shirt. "If I lose this baby...."

"You won't, " Dante said, his voice cracking. "I promise you, Elara. You won't."

As he ran toward the clinic wing, I felt my consciousness slipping. 

The last thing I heard before everywhere went black,

"We're losing her!" a voice screamed. "Clear the room! We’re losing them both!"

Then, there was only silence.