Chapter 14 - THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL
The grand ballroom of the Blackwell-Santoro estate was bathed in candlelight, preparing for the most anticipated gala of the year.
Leaders of industry, foreign dignitaries, and high-ranking judges mingled near the crystal fountains, speaking in hushed, respectful tones.
Marin stood on the balcony overlooking the ballroom, wearing a breathtaking, floor-length midnight-blue evening gown that shimmered under the chandeliers.
Her phone buzzed in her clutch.
She pulled it out and frowned.
An unknown number.
She swiped to answer.
"Hello?"
"Miss Hollis," a distorted, mechanical voice hissed through the speaker.
"Look down at the fountain in the East Garden."
Marin’s heart skipped a beat.
She rushed to the edge of the stone balcony and looked down into the courtyard below.
Standing near the marble fountain, holding a small silver briefcase, was a man she recognized instantly from her past—one of Vincent Marcone's surviving enforcers, holding a remote detonator in his hand.
"If Mr. Santoro wants his precious empire to remain standing," the voice whispered on the line, "he'll walk out into that garden alone in the next two minutes. Otherwise, this entire estate goes up in smoke."
Marin didn't panic.
She didn't scream.
She turned sharply, ran down the grand staircase, and bypassed the security guards, heading straight for Rafe's private study.
She threw the door open.
Rafe was standing by his desk, adjusting his cuffs in front of the mirror.
"Rafe—" she gasped.
"I know," Rafe interrupted calmly, turning around.
He didn't look surprised.
In fact, he looked entirely prepared.
"You knew?" Marin asked, breathless.
"Abel tracked the signal ten minutes ago," Rafe said, picking up his suit jacket and sliding it over his broad shoulders.
"They thought they could draw me out into the open with a bomb threat. A classic amateur mistake."
"There's an enforcer down there with a detonator—"
"I know," Rafe repeated, walking over to her and taking her hands in his.
He looked down into her eyes with absolute, unwavering confidence.
"Stay inside, Marin. Watch the cameras from here."
"Rafe, it's a trap—"
"For them," Rafe murmured, leaning down to press a swift, fierce kiss against her lips.
"Not for me."
He turned and walked out of the study, closing the heavy mahogany doors behind him.
Marin rushed to the security terminal, pulling up the East Garden camera feed.
On the screen, she watched as Rafe walked slowly out through the glass french doors into the moonlit courtyard.
The enforcer smiled, raising the detonator.
"Stop right there, Santoro! One step closer and I push the button!"
Rafe didn't stop.
He kept walking, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.
"You think you're the only one holding a remote, my friend?" Rafe asked smoothly.
He pulled a small black device from his pocket and pressed a single button.
From the rooftops above the garden, four red laser dots suddenly converged directly on the enforcer's chest.
Abel Ferraro's voice crackled through the estate's exterior loudspeakers.
"Drop the detonator or you're dead where you stand."
The enforcer stared up at the roof in sheer terror, his fingers trembling.
He dropped the device onto the stone patio and fell to his knees, throwing his hands over his head.
Marin exhaled a long, shaky breath, leaning her forehead against the glass of the security terminal.
The war was truly over.
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And the man she loved had won every single battle.
THE END OF CHAPTER 14
