Chapter 8 - The Showdown
Seeing my sister trembling in fear completely destroyed my calculated calmness.
I threw the assault rifle strap over my shoulder and sprinted out of the control room.
Valeria and Mateo followed closely behind me as we ran toward the central courtyard.
The rain was pouring heavily, turning the stone courtyard into a slippery, treacherous battleground.
Dante was standing near a massive fountain, surrounded by twenty heavily armed enforcers.
"Let her go, Dante," I roared, stepping out into the blinding floodlights.
Sofia cried out my name, tears mixing with the heavy rain on her pale face.
Dante smiled cruelly and pressed the barrel of his gun against her temple.
"Drop the weapons, or I paint this beautiful fountain with her brains," Dante demanded.
I slowly lowered my assault rifle, unwilling to risk my sister's life for an empire I never wanted.
Before Dante could claim his twisted victory, a gunshot echoed from the balcony above.
Dante gasped loudly as a bullet pierced directly through his right shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon.
Sofia instantly dropped to the ground and scrambled away toward the safety of the stone pillars.
I looked up at the balcony and saw Alejandro Cortés holding a smoking sniper rifle.
Alejandro had intentionally shot his own prospective son-in-law to maintain absolute control of the situation.
"I built this empire, and I will be the one to burn it to the ground," Alejandro screamed furiously.
Alejandro shifted his aim away from Dante and pointed the lethal rifle directly at my chest.
He pulled the trigger, but Valeria violently shoved me out of the way just in time.
The bullet grazed my arm, sending a searing wave of intense pain through my body.
Mateo returned fire immediately, forcing Alejandro to retreat back into the shadows of the mansion.
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"We have to stop him before he reaches the basement," Valeria yelled in absolute panic.
"He wired the entire foundation of the estate with high-grade explosives years ago."
