7: Spot the traitor

Dante

Anger swelled in me as I sat on the edge of the bed. My jaw tightened, and I pressed a palm against my thigh to numb the sting of pain that came crawling through my body from the wounds. The robe clung to me like a reminder of weakness, and I hated that word. Weak. That was not supposed to be me. Ethan had insisted I rest, and for a moment earlier, I had considered listening. But Laura’s presence had shattered that fragile thought. Her arrival was a force strong enough to pull me away from reason. If she were here, I could not afford to stay caged in the mansion.

I leaned forward, staring at the floor but not seeing it. My thoughts churned like a storm. How did she know? How did the information reach her so quickly? The East Coast was far, and my men were not careless. Information like this did not travel without a hand pushing it. My teeth ground together as the suspicion pointed at only one person.

"Luca!" He had always been a fan of Laura, speaking highly of her, praising her doggedness as if she were some rare jewel. He liked having her around, but what he did not understand was that I had grown tired of her. She had served her purpose once, and I had moved her far enough so I could breathe without her clinging to me. If it was Luca who had whispered my state to her, then he had crossed a line.

The thought sharpened inside me until a knock came at the door. The sound jolted me back. I straightened and answered without hesitation.

“Come in.” The door opened, and Luca stepped inside. The moment his eyes landed on Laura, his body froze. If I had not known him all my life, I would have sworn he was acting. But no, that reaction was real, and it only confirmed the suspicion that was curling in my chest.

“If I weren’t experienced, I would have said he was faking it,” I thought.

"Look who it is!" She moved quickly to where he was standing, hugging him tightly while I was left there, trying to figure out who had informed her about my accident.

"Laura! How did you get here?..... I mean, how did you know about what happened?" I didn't pay attention to their faces at all, and no matter how hard I tried to stop hearing their voices as they spoke, they kept filtering into my ears.

"Oh come off it, Luca. Why are you both acting surprised to see me?" She asked. Her voice awakened memories that I had buried at the back of my mind for a very long time. I only imagined how she looked as she made that comment but the scoff that followed from Luca made me turn at once to see the expression on his face.

"That's not what I am saying. I just.... Wasn't expecting you to be here. Given that Dante didn't put out the order to inform you of what happened. Or... Did you..." He stuttered but before he could finish what he wanted to say, she cut him short.

"Well, you didn't tell me what happened. I heard about it anyway. I still don't understand why you both were trying to keep me in the dark." She said in a low tone. Her accent filled my mind with memories that I didn't want to remember.

"Well, it's good to have you here..." Luca knew that would not go down well with me as he cautiously looked at me while he made that comment. The room went quiet and that was when I remembered that Ethan was still in the room. Rage cursed through me as I tilted my head to look at him. He let out a quiet sigh, almost in relief, but in my room, nothing escaped me. I turned sharply to him, stepping closer, and his eyes widened as though he had been caught.

“What was that?” I demanded. He did not answer my question directly. Instead, his voice softened into concern, and his hands gestured toward me.

“Your wounds must have reopened. Perhaps they are bleeding. You have strained your muscles and caused the surface to tear.” I frowned but opened the robe anyway, peeling it back to see for myself. He was right. The bandages wrapped around me were already soaked with fresh red patches. The sight irritated me, not because of the pain, but because it was proof that my body was still weak.

Ethan rushed forward, trying to guide me back to the bed. His hand trembled slightly when he touched me, but he covered it well. Luca followed instantly, bandages already in hand. Laura too rushed toward me, her face pulling into a look that was half concern, half irritation.

“This is what you wanted to leave the mansion with?” Her voice rose. “Are you trying to hand yourself to the people calling for your head?” Her words were sharp, but I stayed quiet, keeping my thoughts locked inside. I was not going to answer her. My silence was not agreement. It was just a calculation. My mind was already turning to the leak. Someone had betrayed me, and whether it was Luca or someone else, that person was already dead in my head.

Luca’s voice came next. “Why did you strain yourself like this? Why reopen the wound?”

I shifted my eyes to him, steady and cold. “I wanted treatment. After that, I intended to leave. I have unfinished business.”

Ethan looked up from his work, his face tense. “I didn't refuse to treat him. I only advised him to stay in for today. Rest and regain lost strength. After today, he can go to lots of businesses but for now, he needs rest, not more battles.” Luca’s face twisted, his nose scrunching as if he was swallowing words.

“Not that I finally accept him into the family,” he said carefully, “but he is right. You have to rest. I know we have to finish what they started, but you must be fit to do it. And just like Laura said, if you went out like this, you would only be offering your head on a platter of gold.”

His tone tried not to sound rude, but I heard the softness of caution. I looked at him, wondering if he remembered who he was speaking to. Still, I let it pass. I had no strength for unnecessary quarrels.

Ethan worked quickly, his hands pressing firmly against the wound, wrapping fresh bandages, tightening knots to keep the blood in place. His silence was loud, almost desperate, but he did not stop until the job was done. Then, without a word, he gathered his things and made his way to the door.

The room fell into a different kind of quiet. Luca remained near the bed, his face shadowed by thought. His eyes flicked to me once, then to Laura, then back to me. He cleared his throat.

“There was no way you wanted to leave the mansion in this state,” he said in a low tone. I tilted my head but said nothing. Silence was my answer. My mind was elsewhere, circling back to Laura, circling back to why I had pushed her away to the East Coast. I had grown tired of her persistence, tired of her constant need to attach herself to me. She was useful, yes, but I did not want her close, at least not anymore. That was the truth.

Luca lingered for a moment longer, then straightened. “I will leave now.”

I lifted my hand and gestured faintly. Permission granted. He nodded once and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

The silence that followed was heavy. Only Laura and I remained, and the weight of her presence pressed against me. She did not move at first, only watched me, her eyes searching my face as though she wanted to read my thoughts. I refused to give her that satisfaction. My gaze stayed fixed on the floor until she finally broke the silence.

“I don’t know why I have the feeling that you don’t want me around,” she said. Her voice was steady but softer than before. “Your attitude has been off since I came.”

I turned my head slowly, tilting it slightly to the side, my eyes finding hers. There it was again, the persistence, the need for answers. I let the silence stretch before speaking.

“Maybe because I didn’t call you here,” I said flatly. “Maybe because I wanted peace in my own house.”

Her lips parted, but no words came. For once, she looked caught between anger and hurt, and that sight gave me a small satisfaction.

I leaned back on the bed, pressing a hand against my bandaged side. The pain flared, but I welcomed it. Pain reminded me that I was still alive. Pain meant I still had enemies to silence, traitors to punish, and a table to rule.

And Laura… she would learn again why I had sent her away.