Antonio stared down at the weapon, his gaze shifting back to her face with a dangerous smirk.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
“Put down the gun.
Or this will stop being funny.” Before she could react, Antonio moved with sudden speed.
He caught her wrist and twisted the weapon effortlessly from her grasp, then pinned her against the stone wall, his face inches from hers.
”That was foolish,” he whispered.
“Do you really want to kill me?
Many have tried.
It’s not that easy.” Livy glared at him, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“I hate you.” A faint smile touched Antonio’s lips.
“I know.” Before Livy could respond, sharp footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Two men approached them, Alex and a younger looking guard.
”Excuse me, Don Antonio,” Alex said respectfully.
“The delivery has arrived, and you need to sign for it.” Antonio released her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment longer before he turned away.
“Take her to her room.” “Yes, Don.” Antonio walked away, Alex following closely behind him.
The younger guard turned toward Livy, gesturing down the corridor.
“Okay.
Let’s go.” Livy glared after Antonio’s retreating figure before reluctantly following the guard.
Meanwhile, Alex followed Antonio to his study.
Once they were inside, he quietly closed the door behind them.
“That little girl is trouble.” Antonio walked over to the chair where he had left his shirt and picked it up.
“Mind your business, Alex,” he said coldly.
“I am,” Alex replied.
“It’s my job to protect you.
Even when you’re making a damn fool of yourself.” Antonio stopped.
Slowly, he turned and reached for the gun tucked into his waistband.
In one swift motion, he raised it and pressed the barrel against Alex’s forehead.
Alex didn’t flinch.
“Go ahead,” he said calmly.
“Shooting me won’t change the truth.” The room fell silent.
Antonio’s finger rested near the trigger, his jaw clenched as he stared at Alex.
Then he lowered the gun and slid it back into his waistband.
“Let’s go.” Alex let out a quiet sigh and followed him.
He was used to Antonio’s temper.
He was used to the threats, even the gun.
What he still couldn’t understand was the girl.
Why the hell had Antonio married her?
Having an informant in the house was not the best idea he could have come up with.
They headed down a secluded corridor before descending into the underground level of the mansion.
Three armed guards stood outside a heavy steel door.
One of them immediately stepped forward and unlocked it.
The door swung open, and the two men walked inside.
A single light hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room.
In the center sat a man tied tightly to a chair.
His shirt was soaked with blood and his face was bruised and swollen.
He slowly lifted his head when he heard them enter.
“Don Antonio, forgive me,” the man pleaded nervously.
Antonio stopped a few feet in front of him.
The man lowered his head.
“I made a mistake.” “A mistake is stealing from me Barnabas.
But trafficking little children…
well that’s a choice.
An unforgivable one.” “Please,” the man wheezed, blood dripping from his split lip.
“I swear I didn’t know…” His voice trailed off.
Antonio stared down at him.
”You didn’t know whose territory you were operating in?
Or you just didn’t care.” The man whimpered, unable to find the words.
”My family built this city on rules,” Antonio continued.
“And trading in innocent lives breaks the one rule that matters.” He reached to his waist again, his hand wrapping firmly around the handle of his gun.
He pulled it out with a quiet click.
The man started to shake, his eyes wide with pure terror as he stared at the dark barrel of the weapon.
“Don Antonio, no, wait, please…!” Antonio raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed across the walls followed by the man’s screams.
Blood pooled quickly around his shoes.
Alex stood quietly by the doorway, his arms crossed, watching the interrogation without a single flicker of emotion.
He had seen people interrogated hundreds of times.
Antonio slowly lowered the gun, stepping closer until he was standing right over the trembling, bleeding man.
”Now, you will tell me who sent you.
I need his name.
And maybe I won’t cut you piece by piece.” The man’s face went pale.
“They call him Manuel,” he cried out, shaking violently.
“He works at the Espino Club.
He paid half upfront!
A man with money like that…
I thought it was just a rival trying to mess with your business.” He straightened up, sliding the gun back into his waistband.
”Clean this up,” Antonio told Alex.
“And tell them to make sure he stays conscious.
We’re going to pay this Manuel a visit.” ”Understood.” Antonio walked out of the room and back up the stairs, his mind already racing.
Manuel was a high-level fixer, a ghost who rarely got his own hands dirty.
If Manuel was involved, that meant this wasn’t just a random rival trying to mess with his territory.
Someone was pulling strings.
Someone with money, connections, and enough power to start a war.
Antonio walked back into his own bedroom, but his thoughts instantly pulled away to Livy.
She was a different kind of problem altogether.
The next morning, Livy woke up groaning.
Still half-asleep, she tried to roll over, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through her wrist.
She froze.
Slowly, she looked down.
Her wrist was handcuffed to the bed.
Livy’s eyes widened as the last remnants of sleep disappeared.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”