2025-03-31 01:45:04Sanchez swirling his drink with an air of satisfaction, leaning back on his chair. "niña,you are not enjoying this moment" he mused, his voice sounding silky like a sharp blade. "This ought to be a joyous and memorable night for you."
Elena curls her fingers in her palms. "Joyous?" she repeated snortingly, the word forcefully past the lump in her throat. Sanchez’s gaze flicks to Alejandro, who watches the conversation with mild amusement while standing close to the fireplace with a glass of whiskey in hand. "You are betrothed to my son at last. A perfect match fatefully designed." Fate. Elena had a sickening feel. "Tell me it isn’t true." She turns to her father hoping he refutes the claim. Capello rubbing a hand over his face exhaled deeply. He looked older and more fragile tonight this can’t be the man she knew growing up with lots of admiration for "Elena—” No reply Capello hesitated; slowly nodded in affirmation “it was decided a long time ago while you were still a child.” The truth sank in like a stone dropped in a river. Her whole life had been a pawn. She was traded before she could even speak. Alejandro with a smirk in his face “come on now Princesa,you must have known” sips from his glass of whiskey with his eyes staring at her. She could barely control her fury. "Known?" she hissed. "You think I dream of spending my life shackled with you?" He had a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes but Sanchez cut in before he could respond. "It is your father's debt cleared off,and it's not up for any debate nina” He chuckled “That is my father's burden to bear, not me,” she quickly snapped. There was quick silence in the room. Sanchez’s expression darkened and Alejandro’s smirk widened as he leaned against the mantel, expectantly watching the scenario as a spectator in a gladiator match. Elena had always feared Sanchez, but her heart pounded and she refused to look away. She understood the weight of his power, but tonight—, her fear burned into something sharper and her courage rose like the morning sun. "Choose with your words carefully ,niña," Sanchez said softly. "I don't know how to be patient." Capello’s, hands trembling against the table, with a husky and shaky voice "She’s still young,Amico. Please she needs time to—" "Quiet," Sanchez rudely interrupted. "She needs to understand what is served on the table." Alejandro steps forward closing the gaps in between them. "You ought to be grateful," he murmured, with a low tone. "You are given to me not just anybody but me- you know you would have been given to nobody with no class ." Elena’s stomach irritably twisted. “ I find you annoying and disgusting,” she spat. Alejandro’s jaw dropped. "You don't speak to your fiance like that" "You will never be my fiancé," she shot back. "You’re just my captor." There was tense silence between them, the heavy doors of the lounge sprung open interrupting Alejandro from retaliating. It was Dino walking in. The attention of the room shifted. The air felt different . Dino’s presence came like a rolling storm that is cold, but dangerous.He is dressed in black with a broad shoulder that is tense,his dark eyes swept over the scene cutting across the faces in the room before landing on Sanchez. With his calm voice “you summoned me”, but Elena knew better. "Sit." Sanchez lazily gestured to the seat beside Alejandro. Dino remained standing still as he wasn't pleased with that gesture. Sanchez said “we were just discussing the engagement of Elena to Alejandro, don’t you think? it's a perfect match.” while carefully watching him. There it was in his eyes- Elena saw. A shadow of anger, buried deep; as his gaze locked with hers, and in a spring of the moment, she knew: he wasn't in support of this and he hated it all as much as she. But he didn't say a word. He turned his gaze to Sanchez. "I believe you didn’t call me here for that." Sanchez smirked. "No I didn’t." Tension steams up in the room Dino’s fists curled beneath his suit, with his expression unreadable and unpredictable. Sanchez leaned forward, with an amusing tone. "Your mother finally spoke up,by telling me the truth." Elena saw the smallest flicker of unease in Dino’s face. "Truth about what” he asked. Taking a slow sip of his drink before answering.Sanchez exhaled deeply from his nose. "Truth that I didn't father you." The words hit the walls of the room like a gunshot. For the first time, Dino lost his balance a bit. A gloss of shock spread on his face before he masked it with a cold of indifference. Alejandro let out a subtle chuckle. "You needed to see his face when he found out,” he said mockingly. " Playing the loyal comrade all these years and you weren’t even blood." Elena caught her breath. Sanchez stepped closer to Dino. "Your mother lied," he said. "She gave herself to a bodyguard. And you?" He sneered. "You are nothing but a low life creature." Dino’s fingers twitching at his side couldn't speak. Sanchez tilted his head towards him. "I dare you Say something." But Dino didn’t. Elena felt tightening in her chest. She had seen Dino beatdown men twice his size, had watched him encounter danger without blinking, but tonight—tonight, she saw something else. Betrayal and lies And it hurts. Sanchez’s eyes widened. "You remain loyal to this family, Dino," he said. "As you have always had,you will continue to protect Alejandro." Dino’s jaw tightened. Alejandro grinned amusingly. "That’s right, hermano. Nothing changes, the status quo remains." Dino’s eyes quickly snapped at him as sharp as a blade. "You’re wrong," he said quietly. Alejandro’s grin faded. Dino turned toward the door. "Where do you think you’re going?" Alejandro called, his voice laced with anger. Dino stopped before stepping out. He glanced back, meeting Alejandro’s gaze with quiet rage and fury. "Yes you have his blood," Dino said, voice calm, "but you can never be the man he hopes for." And then he walked away. Elena's pulse pounds as she watches him go. She always knew Dino was different. But tonight, there is a paradigm shift. Something can't be undone from what is now existing.
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After Alejandro left, there was tension lingering in the balcony.There was no going back to pretending as Elena stood frozen and her pulse hammering in her ears.Dino stared at his hands, fingers curled into a fist, as if he could still feel the weight of that moment. The same hands that gripped Alejandro a while ago.He exhaled finally. “We aren't doing anything reckless tonight.”Elena flinched. “You think I don’t know that?” “I think you’re angry. And anger makes people careless.” As his dark eyes met hers.Elena let out a bitter laugh. “Maybe I want to be careless.”Dino, lowering his voice, stepped closer. “No. I Want to be free. And those aren’t the same thing.”Elena caught her breath.She should have argued.But he was right.Her fury at Alejandro, at Sanchez, at her father—the thoughts burned in her chest like a wildfire. But wildfires aren't planned. They just destroy, with no strategies.Dino wasn’t going to let her self-destruct as he saw it in her.He glanced back towar
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Burn Loot Chapter 8
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Wealth and power radiated in every corner of Sanchez’s grand hall, but to Elena, it felt like a gilded prison.Alejandro hosts another extravagant party, a well calculated display of his control over her fate. Her father,Capello,lingered near the bar, silent reminder of his betrayal looms as he avoids her gaze.Alejandro was already behind Elena who tried to disappear into the crowd. “Enjoying the night?”His voice, smooth yet laced with menace, sent a chill through her. She turned away, but his grip tightened around her wrist. “Don’t walk away from me.”“I don’t belong to you.” She yanked free, her pulse pounding.His eyes darkened. “You will. Accept it, or I’ll make you.”Before she could react, she spotted Dino.Dino’s Silent FuryDino stood at the edge of the room, his presence commanding even in the shadows. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with quiet rage as he locked onto Alejandro.Alejandro hesitated, loosening his grip. Even he feared Dino.Dino’s voice w
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Chapter 20
The dim glow of overhead floodlights cast long shadows as the rows of towering cargo containers stretched endlessly. The arrival of Dino, Elena, and Sergio at the Genoa shipping yard was met with a night air thick with the salty scent of the sea.Dino’s grip on his gun was firm, his mind razor-sharp. His mother was here. Somewhere. And Sanchez knew he was coming.Elena adjusted her earpiece. “Security’s light, but that’s not a good sign.”Sergio scanned the perimeter with binoculars. “Yeah. Too easy.”Dino’s jaw tightened. This was a trap. But it didn’t matter.“We go in,” he said. “Fast and quiet.”Inside the ShadowsThey moved between containers like ghosts, their footsteps silent on the cold pavement.Sergio pointed. “That warehouse. The one with the guards.”Dino nodded. It made sense. If his mother were here, they’d keep her close.Two men stood at the entrance, armed but relaxed.Amateurs.Dino signaled. Elena slipped behind the first guard, wrapping an arm around his neck. He s
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The night air was thick with tension as Dino pressed down on the gas, weaving through the darkened streets of Genoa. They had to reach the docks before Sanchez’s men did.Elena sat beside him, her fingers tapping anxiously against her knee. Sergio, in the backseat, checked his gun. “If Sanchez is already moving, we don’t have much time.”Dino’s jaw clenched. “Then we move faster.”They pulled into the docks, headlights cutting through the fog. The container yard stretched before them, steel towers of crates stacked like a labyrinth. Somewhere in the shadows, Sanchez’s men were waiting.Dino cut the engine. “We get in, grab the locker, and get out.”Elena nodded. “Fast and quiet.”Sergio smirked, checking his pistol. “Fast, maybe. Quiet? We’ll see.”Moving swiftly, they crept between the shipping containers, the scent of salt and rust thick in the air. Somewhere in this yard was the evidence Elena’s mother had hidden—proof of Sanchez’s empire.A distant clang echoed. They weren’t alone
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The tension in the air was thick. The moment Capello’s message came through, Dino knew this wasn’t just a meeting—it was a trap.Elena sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her fingers curled into fists. Her father had betrayed her mother. He had watched as Sanchez silenced her, and now he wanted to see Elena.Dino’s grip tightened around the wheel. “We’re not going.”Elena turned to him, her voice steady but laced with pain. “I have to.”“No, you don’t.” Dino’s jaw clenched. “Capello’s been playing both sides for years. We show up, and we’re dead.”Sergio, seated in the back, exhaled. “Dino’s right. We need to get to that locker first. Your mother risked everything to hide that evidence.”Elena’s eyes burned. “You think I don’t know that? But if I don’t go, he’ll send people after us.” She looked at Dino. “This is my father. I need to look him in the eye and see if there’s any part of him worth saving.”Dino shook his head. Capello had already proven who he was.But Elena had made up he
Chapter 16
The first gunshot shattered the night.Dino lunged, pulling Elena to the ground as the window exploded in a rain of glass. Sergio flipped the table for cover, gun already in hand.More gunfire. Tires screeched outside. Shadows moved beyond the broken window. Sanchez’s men had found them.Dino grabbed a pistol from the floor, eyes flashing to Sergio. “We hold them off. Get Enzo out!”Enzo, still weak from his wound, tried to move, but Elena was already at his side, gripping his arm. “We need to go now.”Another shot ripped through the air, just missing Sergio’s head. He fired back, hitting one of the gunmen.Dino turned toward Elena. “Go! I’ll cover you!”Elena hesitated, eyes locked onto his. But then she nodded, gripping Enzo tighter as she ducked low and moved toward the back exit.Sergio provided cover fire, taking down another attacker. Dino grabbed a second gun from the fallen man, his mind clear, body moving on instinct.One shot. Two. A swift kick to disarm another enemy.But t
Chapter 15
The night air carried the acrid scent of gunpowder as gunmen closed in from the trees.Bullets ripped through the wooden walls of the cabin, shattering glass and sending splinters flying.Dino pressed Elena against the floor, shielding her as Sergio fired back. “We’re sitting ducks here!” Sergio growled.Enzo Moretti, his face pale, clutched his side where a bullet had grazed him. “Sanchez won’t stop! He knows I know too much.”Dino’s jaw clenched. “We move. Now!”A Fight in the DarkSergio lobbed a smoke grenade through the broken window. As thick gray fog consumed the cabin, Dino pulled Elena up and guided her toward the back door.Enzo struggled to keep up, his breath ragged.A gunman appeared in the clearing—Dino took him down with a swift elbow to the throat, twisting his gun away before knocking him unconscious. Another came from behind. Dino spun, delivering a brutal side kick to his ribs, then a finishing blow to the temple.Elena grabbed a discarded pistol, her hands steady a
Chapter 14
Dino sat in the dimly lit safehouse, his fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. The name Enzo Moretti echoed in his mind. A ghost from the past—one he had never heard of, yet somehow tied to his mother’s fate.Elena paced in front of him, arms crossed. “I ran the name through our databases. No public records, no social security number. It’s like he never existed.”Sergio leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Which means he’s either dead… or very good at hiding.”Dino exhaled sharply. “Then we make him come to us.”Elena frowned. “How?”Dino’s eyes darkened. “By rattling Sanchez’s cage.”A Baited TrapHours later, Dino and Sergio sat inside an unmarked black SUV parked across from one of Sanchez’s lesser-known clubs—a hub for his illegal migration business.Sergio adjusted his earpiece. “Are you sure about this?”Dino’s gaze remained fixed on the club entrance. “We go in, make some noise, and force Sanchez to react. If Moretti is connected, he’ll show up.”Sergio grinned. “
Chapter 13
Across the dimly lit room, Capello’s expression remained unreadable; he wasn't hurt because he was putting on a bulletproof earlier, but Elena—her face was a storm of emotions.She clenched her fists. “He’s toying with us.”Dino nodded. “But he slipped up. He wants me to stop digging, which means there’s more to uncover.”Capello exhaled heavily and sat down, rubbing a hand down his face. “You’re walking into dangerous waters, Dino.”Dino stepped forward, his voice firm. “I need the truth. No more half-answers.”Capello locked eyes with him. “The truth is, your mother knew too much. She wasn’t just paying Sanchez to keep you alive—she had something on him. Something big enough that he needed her gone.”Elena sucked in a breath. “And you knew?”Capello hesitated before nodding. “I suspected. But by the time I started asking questions, she was already dead.”Dino’s fists clenched. His mother hadn’t just been murdered. She had been silenced.Sergio walked in just then, holding another fo
Chapter 12
There was an echo of gunshots through the burning warehouse.Dino’s heart slammed against his ribs.Elena gasped, clutching her side. But no blood.Instead, one of Alejandro’s men had a bullet hole bloomed in his chest, staggered, eyes wide in shock. Then he collapsed.Dino’s gaze snapped to the entrance.A dark silhouette stood there. Sergio.Gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.“Elena, run!” Dino shouted.Alejandro snarled, firing twice.Dino lunged, shoving Elena out of the way. He felt the heat of the bullets whip past his ear. Too close.No time to think.The building groaned, about to collapse. As the fire roared louder, licking the ceiling.Alejandro was still blocking the exit; a second was all Dino needed. The timely distraction of Sergio had bought them that.---Dino didn’t hesitate.He launched forward, tackling Alejandro to the ground. Fists flying.Alejandro grunted, twisting beneath him, trying to bring the gun up.Dino slammed his elbow down hard.Alejandro