Chapter 5 - Sins of the Father
Elena stared at her father as if he were a ghost.
"You died in a car crash ten years ago," she stammered in shock.
Arthur walked over to his massive desk and sat down casually.
"I had to disappear, Elena," he explained smoothly.
"Luca's father wanted me dead, so I gave him a corpse to bury," he added.
Elena felt her entire reality crumbling around her.
"You let me and Vanessa mourn you for a decade," she cried out angrily.
"It was the only way to build my empire in secret," Arthur replied without remorse.
He stood up and walked closer to her chair.
"Luca is a monster, Elena, and he will eventually kill you too," Arthur warned.
"He told you to find your own way home tonight because you are disposable to him," he added cruelly.
The words hit Elena right in her deepest insecurity.
She remembered the coldness in Luca's eyes outside the gala.
"What do you want from me?" Elena asked quietly.
"I want you to call your husband and tell him you are safe," Arthur instructed.
"Then, you will lure him to a location of my choosing," he finished.
Elena shook her head vehemently.
"I will not help you murder him," she stated firmly.
Arthur sighed and pulled a small tablet from his pocket.
He tapped the screen and held it up for her to see.
The video feed showed Vanessa sitting in a small cell with a bomb strapped to her chest.
"Vanessa was useful, but she is also expendable," Arthur said coldly.
"If you do not help me kill Luca, your sister dies today," he threatened.
Across the city, Luca was patched up by an underground doctor.
His ribs were wrapped tightly, but his fury remained untamed.
He was sitting in his safe house when his phone suddenly rang.
It was Elena's number.
He answered it instantly, his heart hammering against his bruised ribs.
"Elena, where are you?" Luca demanded frantically.
"Luca, I am safe, but I need you to come get me," her shaky voice replied.
"Tell me where," he urged without hesitation.
"The old psychiatric hospital in Ravenswood," she answered softly.
The line went completely dead.
May you like
Luca grabbed his gun, ignoring the warnings of his men.
He stepped out of the safe house and directly into a massive ambush.
