Chapter 7 - The Hostage
"Don't move a single muscle, Giovanni," Vanessa hissed, her hands shaking violently around the heavy silver revolver.
I completely froze on the floor, the blood entirely draining from my terrified face.
Vanessa's expensive maternity dress was completely stained with mud, and her hair was a chaotic, wet mess.
She looked entirely unhinged and completely desperate.
"Vanessa, put the gun down right now," I begged, my voice cracking entirely with fear.
"Shut up, Jessica!" she screamed wildly, the gun wavering dangerously toward the massive bed where Lily was sleeping.
Giovanni did not panic; he smoothly stood up, placing his large body entirely between Vanessa and the bed.
"How exactly did you get past my massive security detail, Vanessa?" Giovanni asked, his voice incredibly calm and terrifyingly lethal.
"Your father's incredibly arrogant guards didn't even bother to check the catering trucks," she laughed harshly.
Vanessa aggressively cocked the hammer of the silver gun.
"Tyler is currently dying in the hospital because of you, Giovanni!"
"Tyler is currently dying because he is an incredibly stupid man who owes dangerous people millions," Giovanni corrected her smoothly.
"He told me everything before he completely lost consciousness," Vanessa cried, fresh tears streaming down her pale face.
"He told me that little brat on the bed is officially your biological heir."
My heart hammered painfully against my ribs.
"Vanessa, please, Lily has absolutely nothing to do with this," I pleaded desperately from the floor.
"She has everything to do with this!" Vanessa shrieked loudly.
"Tyler promised me we would successfully extort millions from the Fierro family, and we would be incredibly rich forever."
She pointed the heavy weapon directly at Giovanni’s broad chest.
"I want ten million dollars transferred into my offshore account right now, or I swear to God I will kill all three of you."
Giovanni did not even flinch at the deadly threat.
He took one very slow, deliberate step entirely toward her.
"You are incredibly out of your depth, Vanessa," he warned softly.
"I am not playing games, Giovanni!" she screamed, taking a quick step backward into the hallway.
"If you truly want the money, Vanessa, you have to successfully negotiate directly with the head of the family," Giovanni stated calmly.
He slightly tilted his head toward the dark hallway directly behind her.
Vanessa frowned in pure confusion, momentarily distracted by his strange words.
Suddenly, a massive, incredibly strong hand reached aggressively out from the dark shadows of the hallway.
Dominic Fierro violently grabbed Vanessa by her thick hair and brutally slammed her head against the heavy wooden doorframe.
The silver revolver fired completely wildly into the ceiling, raining plaster down onto the carpet.
Vanessa instantly collapsed onto the floor, completely unconscious before she even hit the ground.
Dominic casually stepped over her limp body, casually adjusting the expensive cuffs of his suit.
"You really need to drastically improve your personal security, my son," Dominic noted entirely casually.
I scrambled quickly up from the floor and aggressively rushed to the bed to check on Lily.
Miraculously, she was still sleeping incredibly soundly, completely exhausted from the night's terrifying events.
Giovanni stared coldly at his father.
"Thank you, Father."
Dominic looked directly at me, his cold grey eyes completely calculating.
"Is it actually true, Giovanni?" Dominic demanded sharply.
"Is that sleeping child actually carrying our sacred Fierro blood?"
Giovanni walked slowly over to the bed and stood firmly right next to me.
"Yes, Father. Lily is officially my biological daughter."
Dominic stared intensely at the sleeping little girl for a very long, silent moment.
A strange, terrifyingly proud smile slowly crept across the brutal mafia boss's face.
"A true Fierro heir," Dominic whispered incredibly softly.
He immediately turned his dangerous attention back to me.
"This completely changes everything, Jessica."
"You are no longer a pathetic, disposable pawn in this massive game."
Dominic pointed a heavy, aggressive finger entirely at Giovanni.
"You will marry her immediately at sunrise, and you will publicly claim the child as your own before the entire syndicate."
"Ivan Volkov will absolutely never dare to start a massive war if he truly knows we already have a direct, living heir."
Dominic turned and walked slowly back out into the hallway, casually dragging Vanessa's unconscious body by her arm.
"I will personally dispose of this completely annoying trash," Dominic called back.
Giovanni quickly closed the heavy bedroom door and firmly locked the deadbolt.
He turned entirely toward me, his intense expression completely exhausted.
"Are you okay, Jessica?" he asked softly.
I looked down at the beautiful, flawless diamond ring he had dropped on the floor during the chaos.
I slowly bent down and picked it up, feeling the heavy, incredible weight of the expensive stone.
I had been severely poor and completely struggling my entire adult life.
I had been aggressively abandoned, entirely humiliated, and relentlessly hunted in a single night.
I looked directly back at the powerful, dangerous billionaire who was officially the father of my only child.
"If I actually marry you tomorrow, Giovanni..."
"I want your absolute promise that you will completely destroy Tyler and Vanessa forever."
Giovanni smiled, and it was the most terrifyingly beautiful thing I had ever seen.
"I promise you, Jessica, they will absolutely cease to exist by tomorrow night."
He gently took the diamond ring from my trembling hand and smoothly slid it onto my finger.
Just as the ring perfectly settled into place, Giovanni’s encrypted cell phone rang incredibly loudly.
He answered it, listening carefully for exactly three seconds before his face went completely, terrifyingly pale.
"What is wrong?" I asked nervously.
Giovanni slowly hung up the phone and looked directly at me.
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"Ivan Volkov didn't actually wait for the formal dinner tomorrow night," Giovanni whispered.
"His heavily armed men just forcefully breached the front gates of the estate, and they are coming directly up the stairs to kill us all."
