5. THE TRAITOR AMONG US

POV Alexander

"Move! Now!"

I grabbed Isabella’s hand tightly, pulling her along as we ran down the emergency stairs. Gunshots echoed everywhere, the sound of bullets hitting walls and glass shattering filled the air.

This was my home. My fortress. And they dared to bring war right to my doorstep.

"Boss! The west wing is compromised! They have heavy weapons!" Dimitri shouted through the comms, his voice strained.

"Fall back to the panic room!" I ordered, pushing Isabella into a run. "I will cover you!"

"No! I won't leave you!" Isabella cried, holding onto my arm.

I stopped for a second, cupping her face roughly but lovingly.

"Listen to me! You go there, you lock the door, and you don't open it for anyone except me! Do you understand? Your life is the only thing that matters!"

I kissed her hard, one last time, before pushing her towards Dimitri.

"Dimitri! Get her out of here safely! If anything happens to her, I will kill you myself!"

"Yes, Boss!" Dimitri grabbed her and pulled her away.

Isabella looked back at me with teary eyes, but I turned my back on her. I had to be the monster now. I had to kill.

I grabbed my assault rifle from the wall cabinet. My eyes turned cold and dead.

"Come out, you rats!" I roared, stepping out into the main hall.

Immediately, three men in black masks appeared from the corridor, firing at me.

I rolled behind a marble pillar, returning fire with precision.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

One by one, they fell. Heads shot, bodies dropping. I showed no mercy. I moved like a ghost, silent and deadly.

Blood splattered on the white walls, staining the expensive paintings. I didn't care. Let them see what happens when you anger the Devil.

I fought my way through the house, killing anyone who stood in my path. But something felt wrong.

They knew the layout too well.

They knew exactly where the cameras were blind spots.

They knew where the guards were stationed.

This wasn't just an attack.

This was an inside job.

After what felt like hours, the gunfire finally stopped. The house was quiet again, but it was a mess. Dead bodies everywhere, smoke filling the air.

I walked towards the main entrance, my clothes splattered with blood, my face expressionless.

Dimitri came running towards me, supporting a wounded man.

"Boss! We caught one alive! He is one of Victor's men!"

I walked up to the prisoner, who was kneeling on the floor, coughing up blood.

I knelt down in front of him, grabbing his hair and yanking his head up.

"Who told you how to get in?" I asked calmly, my voice terrifyingly soft. "Who opened the back gate for you?"

The man laughed weakly, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You will never know, Boss... you are surrounded by snakes... and you don't even realize it."

I stood up and nodded to Dimitri. "Torture him. Find out everything."

But as I turned around, my eyes caught something on the floor near the main door. A small, golden cufflink.

It was lying in a pool of blood.

I picked it up. My heart stopped.

This cufflink... it was custom made. Only given to the High Council members of my family.

And I only gave one set to one person...

Uncle Vladimir.

The man who was supposed to be in the hospital! The man I trusted! The man who was supposed to be my family!

"He..." I whispered, my hands trembling. "Vladimir... he is the traitor?"

But wait... the plot was deeper than that.

Why would Victor and Vladimir work together? They hated each other.

Unless...

Suddenly, memories hit me. The conversation Victor had years ago. The way my father died. The way they looked at me.

A terrible realization dawned on me.

"Dimitri..." I called out, my voice shaking. "Check the records. Check the DNA test we did years ago for inheritance."

"Right now, Boss!"

Minutes later, Dimitri ran back with a tablet in his hands, his face pale as a sheet.

"Boss... this... this is impossible..."

"Read it!" I roared.

"According to the old files... Victor is not your uncle. And Vladimir..." Dimitri swallowed hard, looking at me with eyes full of shock.

"...Vladimir is your real father."

DUG!!

The world spun around me.

WHAT?!!

"Victor is your father's brother... but Vladimir... he had a secret relationship with your mother. You... you are Vladimir's biological son. That is why you look so much alike!"

Everything made sense now!

Why Vladimir protected me sometimes, but betrayed me other times.

Why he wanted to control me.

He didn't do it out of love.

He did it because he wanted his own son to be his puppet!

He used me!

And he tried to kill me just to keep his secret!

"I AM THE DEVIL'S HEIR... BUT THE DEVIL WAS MY OWN FATHER?!"

I laughed hysterically, a sound full of pain and anger.

I spent my whole life hating the people who killed my family, searching for justice... and the biggest traitor was the one who shared my blood!

"ALEX!"

I heard Isabella's voice. She ran to me, ignoring the blood and bodies everywhere. She hugged me tightly, feeling my body shaking with rage.

"Alex, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I looked down at her, my eyes red and wet.

"He... he is my father, Belle. Vladimir... he is my real father. And he tried to kill me today. He tried to kill us."

Isabella gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh my God..."

"He used me. He used my mother. He killed my father just to have power. And now he wants to get rid of me."

I pushed her away slightly, holding her shoulders. My face hardened again, the pain turning into pure ice.

"Family means nothing to them. Blood means nothing."

I wiped the blood from my cheek.

"If my own father can betray me like this... then I have no family left. Except you."

I held her face, looking deep into her eyes.

"You are my family now, Belle. You and no one else."

"And they will pay," I whispered darkly. "Every single one of them. Victor, Vladimir... I will kill them both. I will wipe out my own bloodline if I have to."

 

(To be continued...)