Part 9
The silence in the garden was absolute, broken only by the sound of the falling rain.
Her uncle and his two men stood frozen in the center of the pavilion, their hands raised slowly into the air as they stared down the barrels of a dozen rifles.
Enzo opened the heavy glass doors of the conservatory, stepping out onto the wet stone patio.
Elena walked beside him, her hand still gripped firmly in his.
As they approached the pavilion, the guards parted seamlessly to let them through.
When her uncle saw Elena standing beside Enzo, his eyes widened in shock, then instantly filled with a vicious, burning fury.
“You!” he spat, his voice shaking with rage. “You little viper! You set me up!”
Elena didn't flinch.
She stood tall, the rain wetting her hair, her gaze completely steady as she looked at the man who had tormented her for years.
“You sold me, Uncle,” she said, her voice carrying clearly through the damp air. “You told me I was just a payment. You should have checked what happened to the currency after you spent it.”
Enzo stepped slightly ahead of her, his presence instantly drawing all the air out of the space.
“Your family owed a debt to the DeLucas,” Enzo said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “You thought you could settle it with a life. But a life is an ongoing transaction, Marcus.”
Her uncle dropped his hands slightly, his desperation turning into a pathetic plea.
“Enzo, please,” he stammered, looking at the younger man. “It was a mistake. We can negotiate. I have other assets. I can find the money—”
“The time for negotiation ended when you treated my wife like property to be discarded,” Enzo interrupted, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “You didn't just insult her. You insulted the DeLuca name by thinking I would accept your garbage and thank you for it.”
Enzo nodded to Marco, who stood nearby.
The guards stepped forward, instantly disarming her uncle’s two men and forcing them to their knees.
Marcus fell to his knees as well, his expensive coat soaking in the muddy puddle beneath him.
He looked up at Elena, his face twisted in fear.
“Elena, please... I’m your family. I raised you!”
“You didn't raise me,” Elena said, stepping forward until she was looking right down at him. “You broke me. But you forgot that when things break, they sometimes shatter into sharp pieces.”
She turned to Enzo, her expression completely resolute.
“I’m done looking at him,” she said softly.
Enzo nodded once.
“Take them away,” he ordered his men. “The creditors are waiting for their delivery.”
As the guards dragged her uncle away into the dark night, his pathetic screams fading into the distance, Elena felt a massive weight lift from her shoulders.
The air felt cleaner.
The rain felt fresh.
She turned to Enzo, who was watching her with an unreadable expression.
May you like
“Is it over?” she asked.
“For him, yes,” Enzo replied, stepping closer to her, his dark eyes searching hers. “But for us... it’s just beginning.”
