Chapter 3 - The Locked Study
Enzo wrapped a clean silk handkerchief tightly around his bleeding hand to stop the flow of blood.
"Stay exactly in this room and lock the door behind me," he ordered Adeline with deadly seriousness.
He pulled a fully loaded Glock from the hidden compartment of his mahogany desk and checked the chamber.
"Do not open this door for anyone but me, no matter what you hear out there in the hallway," Enzo instructed.
Adeline nodded silently, watching his broad back disappear into the dark, echoing corridor.
She turned the heavy brass deadbolt, hearing it click solidly into place, and backed away into the shadows.
The luxurious private study was completely silent, filled only with the rhythmic ticking of an antique grandfather clock.
The minutes dragged on like agonizing hours as she waited nervously in the dim light.
Suddenly, a massive crash echoed from the marble foyer on the floor directly below her.
Rapid gunfire erupted through the mansion, the deafening sound muffled only slightly by the thick walls.
Adeline clutched Enzo’s tailored coat tighter around her shoulders, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
She heard heavy, hurried footsteps approaching the study door from the corridor outside.
"Tell me if that is you, Enzo," she called out cautiously, pressing her ear against the cool wood.
There was absolutely no verbal answer to her question.
Instead, the brass doorknob rattled violently as someone aggressively tried to force their way inside.
A sleek metal lockpick slid into the keyhole from the outside, turning with a terrifying mechanical click.
The deadbolt slid open, and the heavy door swung wide to reveal Camilla holding a suppressed pistol.
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"You actually thought a pathetic little maid could ruin my empire and live to tell the tale," Camilla smiled wickedly.
Behind the armed socialite, Marcus stepped into the light, casually wiping someone else's fresh blood from his cheek.
