Smoke covered the road.
The sound of the explosion echoed through the forest.
For several seconds, there was nothing but silence.
Then—
“ELENA!”
Damien’s voice broke through the darkness.
He tried to move, but pain shot through his shoulder.
The vehicle had been thrown onto its side.
Glass covered the seats.
Blood ran down Damien’s forehead.
“Marco!”
No answer.
“Adrian!”
Still nothing.
Then Damien remembered.
“Elena…”
He turned.
She was lying beside him, unconscious.
“ELENA!”
Damien pulled himself toward her.
His hands trembled as he checked her breathing.
She was alive.
Barely conscious.
“Come on, sweetheart.”
Her eyes slowly opened.
“Damien…”
“I’m here.”
She tried to sit up.
“What happened?”
“We were attacked.”
A second explosion sounded in the distance.
Damien immediately pulled her against his chest.
“Stay down.”
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
Damien reached for his weapon.
But his gun was gone.
The footsteps stopped.
A shadow appeared through the smoke.
Damien prepared himself to fight.
Then the figure stepped into the light.
It was Marco.
His clothes were torn and blood covered his face.
“Damien!”
Damien relaxed slightly.
“Where’s Adrian?”
Marco looked behind him.
“I don’t know.”
Damien frowned.
“He was in the front.”
“I know.”
Marco’s expression changed.
“He’s gone.”
“Find him.”
Marco hesitated.
“Damien…”
“Find him!”
Marco nodded and disappeared into the smoke.
Damien helped Elena out of the vehicle.
She could barely stand.
He held her tightly.
Then she noticed something.
“Damien…”
“What?”
She pointed toward the road.
A black envelope lay on the wet ground.
Damien picked it up.
There was only one sentence written on it.
YOU WERE WARNED.
Damien’s eyes hardened.
Then another piece of paper fell from the envelope.
He unfolded it.
His blood ran cold.
There was a photograph.
Elena’s mother.
Alive.
Standing beside a little girl.
Elena stared at the picture.
“That girl…”
Damien looked at her.
“What?”
Elena’s face became pale.
“That girl is me.”
Damien stared at the photograph.
The picture had been taken after Elena’s mother supposedly disappeared.
On the back was a date.
Three years after the disappearance.
Elena’s breathing became uneven.
“My mother was with me.”
Damien said nothing.
“She was alive all those years.”
“Yes.”
Elena looked at him.
“Then why did nobody tell me?”
Before Damien could answer, a voice came from behind them.
“Because your mother wanted you to forget.”
They turned.
Adrian stood several feet away.
Blood covered his shirt.
Marco raised his weapon.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Adrian ignored him.
He looked directly at Elena.
“Your mother didn’t disappear because she was afraid of Luciano.”
Elena’s eyes filled with tears.
“Then why?”
Adrian took a slow breath. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Because she was protecting you from the truth.”
“What truth?”
Adrian looked at Damien.
Then back at Elena.
“The truth about who your real father is.”
Elena froze.
Damien’s expression changed instantly.
“Adrian.”
But it was too late.
Elena stepped backward.
“My father is Antonio Rossi.”
Adrian shook his head.
“No.”
The rain continued falling.
Elena stared at him.
“No…”
Adrian’s voice was quiet.
“Antonio Rossi raised you.”
He paused.
“But he isn’t your biological father.”
Elena’s world seemed to stop.
She turned slowly toward Damien.
He couldn’t meet her eyes.
“You knew.”
It wasn’t a question.
Damien remained silent.
Elena’s voice broke.
“You knew…”
Damien finally looked at her.
“I found out recently.”
She stepped away from him.
“Who is my father?”
Before Adrian could answer, a gunshot tore through the night.
Adrian staggered.
Damien caught him before he fell.
“ADRIAN!”
Marco immediately aimed toward the trees.
“Sniper!”
Damien dragged Adrian behind the wrecked vehicle.
Elena dropped beside them.
Blood spread across Adrian’s shirt.
He grabbed Damien’s arm.
“You have to listen…”
Damien leaned closer.
“Who is Elena’s father?”
Adrian struggled to breathe.
Then he whispered four words.
“The man you serve.”
Damien’s eyes widened.
A second gunshot rang out.
And somewhere deep inside the forest, a man began to laugh.
To be continued…