Chapter 8: When the light goes out

The doorbell rang again.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Lucian didn’t move immediately.

The apartment was completely dark. No hallway lights. No emergency glow. Even the city outside the windows had gone black.

This wasn’t a random outage.

It was targeted.

“Stay behind me,” he murmured.

Elena’s hand instinctively moved to her stomach.

Lucian stepped toward the door silently, phone flashlight off. He checked the security panel.

Dead.

They cut power at the main feed.

Professional.

The doorbell rang a third time.

Then stopped.

A voice spoke from outside.

Calm. Male.

“Mr. Moretti, you may want to answer.”

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

They knew he was here.

He unlocked the door slowly but kept the chain on.

The hallway emergency lights flickered dimly.

Two men stood outside.

Dark suits. No visible weapons. Too composed to be amateurs.

“What do you want?” Lucian asked coldly.

The taller one spoke.

“Mr. Moretti Senior requests your presence.”

Lucian didn’t blink. “He can request over the phone.”

“This is not a request.”

Elena felt the temperature drop in the room.

Lucian’s voice lowered dangerously.

“Are you threatening me in my own city?”

The second man shifted slightly. “We’re advising you.”

“On what?”

“That continuing this direction will destabilize the board.”

Lucian almost smiled.

So that was it.

Not hired assassins.

Political pressure.

Public image management.

But the blackout?

That was intimidation.

“You cut the power,” Lucian said flatly.

“Temporary inconvenience.”

Elena stepped forward before Lucian could stop her.

“If you’re trying to scare me, at least be creative,” she said calmly.

Both men looked at her.

The taller one’s gaze dropped briefly to her stomach.

There it was.

The unspoken threat.

Lucian saw it too.

His entire posture changed.

“Leave,” he said quietly.

The man held his gaze for a few seconds.

Then nodded.

“The board meeting is in forty-eight hours.”

They stepped back.

Lucian closed the door.

Locked it.

The power came back on instantly.

Every light flicked on at once.

A message.

We can turn it off whenever we want.

Elena exhaled slowly.

“They’re escalating.”

“Yes.”

He walked to the window and looked down.

The black sedan was already driving away.

“This wasn’t my father’s style,” Elena said thoughtfully.

Lucian glanced at her.

“He prefers subtlety.”

“Exactly.”

This felt… urgent.

Impatient.

Which meant—

Another player.

Lucian’s phone buzzed.

Marco.

“Say it.”

Marco’s voice was tight. “The board is splitting. Three members are pushing emergency review of your authority.”

Lucian didn’t react outwardly.

“On what grounds?”

“Emotional instability.”

Elena’s eyes widened slightly.

Lucian’s expression didn’t change.

“They’re saying your judgment is compromised because of personal involvement with your ex-wife.”

So that was the strategy.

Discredit him.

Remove him.

Control the vote before the financial evidence surfaces.

Elena stepped closer.

“Your father wouldn’t rush it like this.”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re right.”

There was someone else pushing.

Someone who had more to lose than Vittorio.

His phone buzzed again.

Another encrypted message.

He opened it.

A single image.

Elena’s clinic visit from two weeks ago.

Timestamped.

Watched.

Tracked.

Her stomach dropped.

“They’ve been following me longer than we thought,” she whispered.

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

“That’s not from my father’s security.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he would’ve shown it to me during the divorce.”

Silence.

Which meant—

Someone inside the board.

Someone who knew about the pregnancy early.

Someone who panicked at the idea of an heir.

Lucian walked to his desk and pulled up the shareholder distribution file.

“Elena,” he said slowly, eyes scanning numbers, “if I have a legal heir…”

She understood instantly.

“Voting power shifts.”

He nodded once.

“Inheritance shares consolidate.”

“And control tightens around your bloodline.”

Which weakens minority stakeholders.

Her breath caught.

“This isn’t just about corruption,” she realized. “It’s about succession.”

Lucian looked up at her.

And now they both saw it clearly.

If Lucian had a confirmed heir, certain dormant clauses in the company charter would activate.

Power would centralize.

Board influence would shrink.

Who benefits from preventing that?

Not just Vittorio.

Any board member protecting their own control.

Lucian leaned back slowly.

“This isn’t a father protecting an empire.”

His eyes darkened.

“It’s an empire protecting itself from me.”

The air in the room shifted.

Elena moved closer to him, lowering her voice.

“What are you going to do?”

Lucian’s gaze sharpened.

“We stop reacting.”

“And start?”

He looked at her fully now.

“Hunting.”

Her pulse quickened.

“Forty-eight hours,” he continued. “They want an emergency vote.”

“And you’ll give them one?”

He almost smiled.

“No.”

He stood.

“We’re calling a press conference.”

Elena blinked.

“What?”

He stepped closer, voice low and controlled.

“If they want to frame this as emotional instability, I’ll make it strategic transparency.”

“You’re going public?”

“I’m announcing the heir.”

Her heart skipped.

“You’re sure?”

Lucian didn’t hesitate.

“If they think this child is a weakness…”

His hand rested lightly over hers.

“They’re about to learn it’s leverage.”

Suddenly—

A loud crash shattered the window in the living room.

Glass exploded inward.

Elena gasped.

Lucian pulled her down instantly.

A metal canister rolled across the floor.

Hissing.

Smoke began to spill out.

Not lethal.

But disorienting.

Lucian’s voice went sharp.

“Bathroom. Now.”

He pulled her through the apartment quickly as smoke filled the space.

Professional.

Calculated.

Not random.

Someone had just crossed from intimidation…

To attack.

The fire alarm began blaring.

And through the smoke, Lucian saw it—

A small device stuck to the broken window frame.

A camera.

Broadcasting.

Someone wanted to see their reaction.

Lucian’s expression went completely cold.

“They’re not trying to scare us anymore,” Elena coughed.

“No.”

His voice was ice.

“They’re testing how far I’ll go.”

Outside, sirens began approaching.

Inside, war had officially begun.

Cliffhanger:

• Someone attacked the apartment. • A camera was planted — this was surveillance, not just threat. • The board meeting is in 48 hours. • Lucian is about to announce the heir publicly.