Chapter 17 - The Ultimatum
Dozens of weapons aggressively clicked and aimed at my head, but I kept my pistol leveled flawlessly at Arthur’s arrogant face.
He did not even blink, clearly amused by my sudden display of lethal defiance in the face of overwhelming odds.
"You will not pull that trigger, Clara," Arthur mocked gently, stepping so close that the barrel of my gun pressed directly against his chest.
"You have too much light inside you, too much pathetic compassion. That is exactly why I left you behind ten years ago."
Before I could respond, a massive explosion entirely blew the cathedral's heavy front doors off their ancient stone hinges.
A heavily armored black SUV drove aggressively into the sanctuary, violently crushing pews and sending Volkov mercenaries diving for cover.
The vehicle slammed into a stone pillar and stopped, the doors flying open to reveal Dominic Vale, completely awake and armed with an assault rifle.
He looked absolutely furious, his dark eyes locking onto me with a terrifying mixture of immense relief and murderous rage.
"Drop the weapon, Arthur!" Dominic roared, aiming his rifle directly at my father’s head as he stepped out of the vehicle.
"Dominic, my prodigal son," Arthur laughed, entirely unbothered by the heavily armed mafia boss crashing his family reunion.
"Did you honestly think a few sleeping pills could keep me from finding the woman I love?" Dominic yelled, looking directly at me.
My heart skipped a violent beat; it was the very first time he had openly admitted his feelings, shouting it in a room full of killers.
Arthur sneered in pure disgust, stepping slowly away from my gun and turning to face his former protégé.
"Tell her the truth, Dominic," Arthur commanded with a venomous smile. "Tell her why her father really had to fake his death in that factory."
Dominic froze entirely, his broad shoulders tensing as a look of profound, agonizing guilt washed over his handsome face.
"Do not listen to him, Clara," Dominic pleaded, his voice cracking with an emotion I had never heard before.
"Dominic was the one who set the factory on fire," Arthur revealed, dropping a completely devastating bombshell into the silent cathedral.
"He was trying to eliminate a rival gang, but he entirely botched the job, burning the building to the ground with me inside."
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I looked at Dominic, desperately hoping he would deny the horrific accusation, but his silence was a deafening, heartbreaking confession.
The man who had saved my brother, the man I had fallen completely in love with, was the architect of my family's greatest tragedy.
