LOGINDominic did not wait for permission.
He got out of his car and stormed towards the mansion, his striders angry and with purpose the following day. The staff barely had time to greet him or sent a notice towards the elders inside the chamber. Enzo and two of his men followed closely.
The Valtieri council chamber had been built to intimidate. The stone walls were thick enough to swallow any sound coming from inside. A part of the ceiling was carved with ancestral crests meant to r
The convoy left Blackstone before dawn quietly, the headlights off during the first stretch of the road. Communications were also silent as what they had discussed for the first few hours.Only the low hum of engines cutting through the darkness while the estate disappeared slowly behind them.Inside the lead vehicle, tension sat heavily between everyone.Dominic decided to drive the car himself, a sign to everyone about his mood.Althea sat beside him reviewing the copied maps again under the dim overhead light while Sebastian and Michael occupied the back seats.No one spoke for almost twenty minutes.Enzo’s voice finally crackled through the radio from the second vehicle.“So, are we all collectively ignoring the fact that Seraphina once dated a shadow intelligence general?” He asked calmly.Dominic closed his eyes briefly.“Enzo.”“What?” Enzo returned. “I’m still processing up to now.”Sebastian sighed heavily from the back seat.“Must you process out loud?” He questioned sarcast
The war room remained heavy with silence after Vincent’s final words.He controls the war before it even starts.No one said a word after that.Even Enzo remained silent, not coming up with anything to lighten the atmosphere. Because for the first time since Luca had started his move, the scale of what they were dealing with had finally become visible.It’s not a family war or revenge.Not even power alone.Luca wanted control, movement and fear.Entire systems hidden beneath the surface of society.Dominic stood motionless near the center of the table, eyes fixed on the layered maps while his mind moved rapidly ahead.Planning.Calculating.Adapting.He finally looked toward Helena.“I need a meeting with the generals.” He said in a firm tone.The room shifted immediately as it was not made a request.Helena narrowed her eyes slightly.“You’re serious.” She stated.“Yes, I am.” He replied solemnly as he straightened up. “If the Axis Gate is real, I want every remaining structure mapp
Morning arrived with tension already waiting for them when Dominic and Althea went out of their room the following day.It was not explosive or frantic but heavy and purposeful.Blackstone felt like a headquarters and no longer feels like an estate preparing for conflict.Guards moved through the halls with sharper discipline with communication lines remained active.Maps and handwritten reports had already begun piling again inside the war room before sunrise.Dominic stood beside the long table waiting for everyone to arrive, one hand resting against the edge while the other held a cup of untouched coffee that had already gone cold.He barely slept.Not after the Axis Gate.Not after realizing Althea willingly walked into the center of, it.Not after finally understanding what his father had truly been protecting all these years.The door opened behind him and Dominic looked up immediately.Althea, who went to check on Nico after breakfast, entered first.August behind her.Then Hel
Althea interrupted him this time. But not with words. She reached for the buttons of her blouse calmly and started undoing them.Dominic blinked, mid-lecture.“What the hell are you doing?!”Althea didn’t answer as she simply slipped the fabric from her shoulders slowly, her eyes never leaving his.Dominic visibly lost his train of thought.“Thea.” He warned.Still no answer as her fingers moved toward the waistband of her pants next.Dominic stared at her.Actually stared.His irritation visibly colliding with immediate distraction.“You think this is going to stop me from being angry?” He scoffed.Althea finally spoke softly.“It looks to be working.” She answered with a small smile.Dominic opened his mouth immediately then stopped because unfortunately, it is working.“Thea.” He tried warning her again, though his voice had already dropped lower.Rougher.She stepped closer.Barefoot against the floor.Calm.Dangerous in an entirely different way now.“You yelled enough already, D
Dominic did not let go of her hand the entire way upstairs.They passed through the halls and corridors and the guards and staff immediately looked away the moment they saw Dominic’s absolutely furious expression.Althea had to double time on her feet as Dominic took long strides without even glancing at her to make sure, she’s okay. She tried pulling her hand but he only tightened his grip on her without saying anything.She stopped struggling after that and kept up with him.The door to their room slammed shut behind them with enough force to shake the frame.Althea barely had time to turn before Dominic faced her fully.His face is livid.“What,” he began sharply, “f8cking possessed you to disappear into the mountains chasing hidden war infrastructure without telling me?”Althea opened her mouth.Dominic didn’t let her answer and just wen on.“No! Actually—wait.” He continued as he dragged a hand through his hair violently. “Let’s make this worse. You took August with you. He’s no
Which was somehow worse.August noticed the shift in her expression immediately.“You’re nervous.”Althea frowned slightly.“I’m not nervous.” She argued.“You’re absolutely nervous.” He pointed out.She looked away again.“He’ll understand eventually.” She muttered.August barked out an actual laugh.“No, he won’t, Althea.” He countered and that made her glare harder at him. “He’ll understand why. But that doesn’t mean he’s not going to lose his mind first.”Althea exhaled slowly.True. She thought dreadfully.The gates of Blackstone finally appeared just after noon.Immediately, Althea noticed the difference. She saw additional guards that she knew Helena have brought from the island it with unknow tactical positioning. She noted the reinforced outer security.August muttered quietly, “She really turned the estate into a fortress.”Althea barely heard him because her stomach dropped when she saw Dominic standing near the front entrance, waiting.His arms are crossed and his expressi
The announcement of Althea Valtieri resuming her place within the family arrived ceremoniously and with authority. It did not come quietly as the news are being delivered through channels that had not spoken her name.It appeared unforgivingly on society bulletins, but, discreet on financial column
The iron gates opened without delay as Enzo drove the black SUV down the driveway towards the Valtieri estate, looking formidable at a far distance. The Valtieri family welcomed Dominic and Althea like returning property.Inside, the Valtieri elders waited, lining like sentinels of old power, eyes
Nicholas knew something was wrong because everyone was quiet.It wasn’t the good quiet that is like when his Mama will read him stories and the house smelled like clean sheets and warm milk. This one is quiet and fells tight. It’s like when he held his breath underwater for too long and his chest w
Althea acutely felt the bunker humming in restrained violence.It wasn’t in the weapons or the screens or the men standing guard. It was in the space between Dominic and Michael, where every glance carried the weight of unfinished wars.She stood near the central table, arms folded tightly against







