Chapter 7 - Retribution and Aftermath
Sienna watched from the balcony stairs as Dante dragged the thrashing traitor into the center of the foyer. The remaining security team had successfully cleared the civilian guests out through the front gates, leaving only the inner core of the Marchetti syndicate and Romano's disarmed henchmen.
Marco fell to his knees on the polished floor, blood dripping from his nose where Lorenzo had struck him.
"Look at her, Marco," Dante commanded, pointing up toward Sienna on the stairs.
Marco looked up, his eyes filled with rage and terror. "She’s a nobody! A dirty little maid! You’re risking the entire empire for a orphan who scrubs toilets?!"
Dante stepped forward and brought the heavy steel barrel of his gun down across Marco’s jaw with brutal precision. Marco collapsed sideways, groaning in agony.
"She has more integrity in her smallest finger than you have in your entire bloodline," Dante declared, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. "You thought because she was poor, she was weak. You thought because she was alone, no one would stand for her."
Dante turned to Lorenzo. "Take Marco and Don Romano to the docks. Ensure they are given one-way tickets on a ship that never docks anywhere."
"Understood, Boss," Lorenzo said, nodding to two guards who dragged the sobbing traitor out through the rear security doors.
The house fell quiet once more. The chaotic night had ended not in the overthrow of Dante Marchetti, but in the total, absolute purge of his enemies.
Dante turned and walked up the grand staircase toward Sienna. His tux jacket was slightly rumpled, his knuckles bruised, but his eyes were entirely focused on her.
Sienna stood trembling on the landing. The violence of Dante’s world had been laid bare before her eyes, and a sudden wave of reality hit her. She was just a maid. He was a king of the underworld.
"Are you alright?" Dante asked gently, reaching out to touch her arm.
Sienna took a small step back, her lower lip trembling. "I... I think so. But Dante... this is your life. Guns, betrayals, blood. I don't belong here. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done... you saved my life and paid my debts. But maybe it’s best if I leave tomorrow."
May you like
Dante’s expression froze, a look of profound pain crossing his face before he quickly masked it.
"If that is what you truly want, Sienna," Dante said softly, his voice strained. "I will never force you to stay. But do not leave because you think you don't belong. You belong wherever you want to be."
