Sending her away

Dave’s POV

The moment Celine disappeared through the doors, I released my hands that had been tightened into fists. Blood trickled between my fingers, but I barely felt the sting.

If she had stayed a second longer, I might have lost my restraint and pulled her into my arms. Watching her cry so hard, heartbroken, I really could not bear it.

I never imagined hurting her would be this fucking difficult.

The entire room fell into an uncomfortable silence after the doors closed. I kept my eyes on the entrance for several seconds, my expression still cold.

The only way to bring all of the Marino family into one space was an elaborate wedding. I turned around, calculating.

“Bring him in,” I ordered.

Two of my men immediately moved toward the side entrance.

A few moments later, they returned with a man between them. His clothes were disheveled, his face bruised and covered in blood, and his hands were restrained behind his back.

He was forced to his knees.

Sabrina’s expression changed the moment she saw him. She moved closer, gripping my arm.

“What is this?” she asked, her voice suddenly uncertain.

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I looked at her.

“Do you know him?”

Her eyes darted toward the man before she quickly shook her head.

“No.”

I studied her face.

She looked genuinely startled, but that didn’t mean much to me. I stepped toward the prisoner and stopped directly in front of him.

Slowly, I pulled out my gun and held it beside his head. The entire room went silent. Sabrina stiffened beside me.

“Who do you work for?”

The man swallowed before answering. “Sabrina Marino,” he confessed.

Sabrina’s face immediately drained of color. “Liar!” she shouted as she rushed forward, but one of my men blocked her path.

“He’s lying!” she shouted.

I finally turned to her. “About what?” I questioned.

She swallowed nervously, her gaze trembling.

“About you hiring assassins to eliminate Celine?” I asked.

Her breathing became uneven. She clenched her fists and quickly moved away from me.

“You love her too much,” she blurted. “She was going to ruin the alliance. I just didn’t want anything to stop our two families from merging.”

Sabrina argued.

I stared at her for a moment before lowering my gun. Then I gave one of my men a small nod, and the doors opened again.

Another group of men walked in.

And between them was an older man with his hands restrained, his blindfold removed.

Sabrina froze as she recognized him. “Uncle?”

The man’s eyes widened as he looked around the room. “What is the meaning of this, Dave?” he demanded.

Paul Marino, Sabrina’s father, stood up instantly in anger. “Dave, you can’t just…”

I shut him up.

“Your family broke the alliance,” I fired at him.

The room erupted into whispers. The air immediately became tense as everyone went on alert. I could see the men holding onto their guns now.

Paul Marino stepped forward. “What are you talking about?”

I looked directly at the man on the floor. My gun pointed at him. “Why don’t you tell us who you’ve been working with?”

All the Marinos seemed to fall silent at that moment. They looked too stunned to speak.

I smiled coldly. “Joseph Castillo.”

The name alone was enough to change the atmosphere. Several members of the Marino family exchanged uneasy glances.

Sabrina shook her head rapidly. “No. That’s impossible.”

I looked at her, fuming now.

“Your uncle has been feeding Joseph information about my operations.”

Paul immediately stepped forward. “That’s not true!”

I raised my hand, silencing him.

“Not only him, but the whole Marino family, while pretending to be loyal to me.”

Sabrina looked horrified. I guess she wasn’t aware of her family’s dealings. Thanks to her attack on Celine, I was able to find out before it was too late.

“I could forgive you,” I let out. They all stared at me, focused.

Every one of them went silent. I stared at the whole lot of them.

“Lure him out,” I demanded.

Paul’s face hardened slowly. “And if I refuse?”

My expression didn’t change. “Then you become my enemies,” I retorted.

For several seconds, nobody moved. Then Paul Marino slowly reached inside his jacket. My men immediately raised their guns.

The entire room exploded into chaos. Guns were drawn on both sides, and the others who weren’t part of either family decided quickly whose side to fight on.

I smiled, the kind that froze a room. Slowly, the smile disappeared, and I raised my gun, a ruthless glare invading my expression.

Without restraint, I fired the first shot.

**

My men helped me through the front door, one of them supporting most of my weight while another stayed close behind.

Every step sent a sharp wave of pain through my body, but I forced myself to keep moving. My mind was somewhere else.

“Where is Celine?” I asked, my breaths uneven.

The question came out rougher than I intended.

“She’s been placed on the plane,” one of them answered immediately. “It should be taking off soon.”

I stopped walking.

For a moment, the pain seemed to disappear beneath the weight of those words. “What time does the plane leave?” I asked to be certain.

“In ten minutes.”

I shut my eyes briefly and exhaled.

It was done. She’s finally away from this place, away from the danger and violence. And most importantly, away from me.

My men all looked at me hesitantly. “Boss… are you really letting her go?”

I opened my eyes and stared ahead.

“After tonight, it’s the only way to keep her safe,” my voice was low, but there was no hesitation in it.

“She needs to disappear.”

They all nodded slowly.

“Tell Jeff never to let her leave his sight. He must keep her safe,” I said.

“Yes, Boss,” they all chorused.

I finally allowed myself to sink into the nearest chair. My body felt exhausted, but my mind refused to rest.

Celine was gone.

That was what I wanted. But why does my heart ache so badly at the thought of never seeing her again? I dragged a hand over my face and looked toward the window.

“Make sure the plane leaves safely,” I ordered. “And don’t let anyone find out where she’s going.”

“Yes, Boss.” They bowed and left, leaving four men with me.

They helped me up to my room, and I fell slowly onto my bed.

After a while, the doctor walked in, and I let my mind drift away, swallowing whatever feelings and pain were in my heart and focusing on my bleeding stomach where I had been shot.