Chapter 3 - The Blood Money
The heavy thud of the penthouse door clicking shut echoed loudly through the luxurious space. Then, complete, suffocating silence fell over the room.
Luca stood perfectly still for a long, heavy moment. He let out a slow, controlled breath, his natural breathing returning to normal as he processed what had just happened. His dark eyes slowly swept over the chaotic scene. The shattered green glass. The foaming puddle of champagne soaking into the expensive rugs. The delicate silver high heels abandoned near the entryway.
He ran a hand through his short dark hair, his jaw clenching with cold annoyance. He had assumed Clara was just another beautiful distraction, someone hired by his associates to keep him occupied after a long, brutal week of hostile takeovers. He thought her sudden panic attack was just the result of a girl getting cold feet when she realized exactly who she was standing in a room with.
He took a slow step forward, the expensive leather of his shoes crunching softly against a stray piece of glass.
As he moved toward the bar to pour himself a glass of whiskey instead, something completely out of place caught his sharp, predatory eye.
Resting on the sleek, black glass of the modern coffee table, pushed partially under a decorative marble tray, was a thick, unmarked manila envelope. It hadn't been there when he arrived an hour ago. Clara must have placed it there when he stepped into the bedroom to take off his tie.
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Luca’s slow eye movement locked onto the package. In his world, unmarked envelopes left behind by fleeing women never meant anything good. He approached the table with slow, deliberate, and cautious steps, his muscles tensing instinctively.
👉 Luca thought he had absolute control of the night, but opening that envelope was about to shatter his entire reality.
