chapter 8: Evidence in blood

MARA’S POV

The mansion had finally gone quiet, but I knew better than to trust the silence.

Two armed guards stood outside the girls’ bedroom. Another pair watched the eastern corridor, while Dante’s men searched every room for anyone who might have helped the attackers enter the estate.

I stood in the study, my sleeves rolled to my elbows, examining the documents I had collected before the attack.

Vivienne had been careless.

Or perhaps she had simply believed nobody in this house was brave enough to question her.

I turned another page.

Bank transfers. Household accounts. The girls’ monthly allowances.

And there it was again.

Money meant for Sofia and Lia had been transferred into accounts that had nothing to do with their welfare. Expensive jewellery, gambling debts, hotel bills, and payments to businesses I suspected were fronts.

I gathered the papers into a neat pile.

“Found something interesting?”

Dante’s voice came from the doorway.

I glanced up. He had removed his jacket, revealing a black shirt with the sleeves pushed to his forearms. There was a small cut near his temple, and his expression was as cold as the gun resting at his waist.

“Your sister has been stealing from your daughters,” I said.

His face hardened.

“How much?”

“Enough to make me wonder whether she ever intended those girls to have a comfortable life while you were away.”

He walked towards the desk and picked up the documents. His eyes moved quickly across the pages.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he placed the papers down with deliberate care.

“Vivienne manages several family accounts. She has access to the household finances.”

“Access isn't permission to rob children.”

His gaze lifted to mine.

Most people probably avoided speaking to Dante Blackwood that way. I wasn't most people, and I had no intention of starting now.

“Did you confront her?” he asked.

“Of course.”

“And?”

“She threatened me.”

A humourless smile touched his mouth. “That sounds like my sister.”

“Then you know what she's capable of.”

“I know what she believes she's capable of.”

He stepped closer to the desk.

“What do you want to do?”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You found the evidence. You've already protected my daughters. You clearly have a plan. Tell me what it is.”

I studied him carefully. He wasn't mocking me. He genuinely wanted to hear my answer.

“First, freeze every account she can access. Second, have your financial men investigate every transfer. Third, don't warn her until we know how far this goes.”

“And if she fights back?”

I met his eyes.

“Then she learns that I don't scare easily.”

Something shifted in his expression. It was subtle, but I caught it.

Respect.

Perhaps even a little admiration.

“Get some sleep, Mara,” he said.

“I will when your daughters are safe.”

“They're safe tonight.”

“Tonight isn't forever, Dante.”

For several seconds, neither of us moved.

Then he nodded once.

“Tomorrow morning, we'll deal with my sister.”

He turned towards the door.

“Dante?”

He stopped.

“Your daughters need their father, not just a Mafia Boss.”

His jaw tightened. I wondered whether I had gone too far.

But instead of snapping at me, he looked back over his shoulder.

“I know.”

Then he left.

And for the first time since arriving at Blackwood Estate, I wondered what it would take for a man like Dante Blackwood to let someone see the person beneath the reputation.

VIVIENNE’S POV

I threw the crystal glass against the wall.

It shattered beside the fireplace.

“She thinks she can humiliate me in my own home?” I hissed.

My son, Adrian, stood near the staircase, watching me with the nervous expression he always wore whenever my temper rose. I dismissed him with a sharp gesture.

When he was gone, I retrieved my phone and dialled the number I knew by heart.

Rafael answered after the second ring.

“Tell me you have good news.”

“Your men failed,” I snapped. “Dante is back, and that woman has turned the entire estate against me.”

“Then perhaps you should have been more careful.”

I gripped the phone harder.

“Don't speak to me as if this is my fault. Mara has been digging through the accounts.”

Silence.

Then Rafael's voice lowered.

“What did she find?”

“Enough to cause trouble.”

“Does Dante know?”

“Yes.”

He swore under his breath.

I paced the room, my heels striking the polished floor.

“I will not be pushed aside by some common soldier who married my brother for convenience. This is my family. My home. I have sacrificed too much to let her take control.”

“Listen to me, Vivienne. Do not underestimate her.”

“I'm not afraid of her.”

“You should be.”

His words irritated me more than they frightened me.

I stopped beside the window and looked out over the dark gardens.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Keep Dante occupied. Keep the woman distracted. And whatever you do, make sure she doesn't get her hands on anything else.”

The call ended.

I stared at the screen, fury burning through me.

Mara believed she had won because she had rescued two children and embarrassed me in front of the household.

She had no idea how deeply she had interfered.

I would make her regret ever stepping into Blackwood Estate.

DANTE’S POV

At six the next morning, I found Mara in the training room.

She wore black trousers, a fitted athletic shirt, and combat boots. Her hair was tied back, and sweat glistened along her forehead as she struck a punching bag with controlled, powerful movements.

I stopped at the doorway.

She pivoted, drove another punch into the bag, then finished with a kick that sent it swinging violently.

One of my men, standing nearby, stared at her.

I understood why.

The woman my family had expected me to ignore was a trained fighter with the discipline of a soldier and the temper of someone who had survived worse things than an unfriendly household.

Mara noticed me.

“You're staring.”

“I'm observing.”

“Observe from somewhere else.”

I almost smiled.

“You always this welcoming in the morning?”

“Only when people interrupt my training.”

I walked inside and picked up a pair of gloves from the bench.

“Show me what you can do.”

She looked at the gloves, then at me.

“You're serious?”

“Very.”

She put on her own gloves and raised her hands.

“Don't complain when you lose.”

Five minutes later, I was breathing harder than I cared to admit.

Mara was fast. Precise. She anticipated movement before I completed it, and twice she caught me off guard with manoeuvres I hadn't expected from someone her size.

When she finally stepped back, her breathing was steady.

Mine wasn't.

She pulled off her gloves.

“Still observing?”

I laughed softly, genuinely amused.

“You've been hiding your abilities.”

“No. People simply keep making the mistake of judging me before they know me.”

The words struck closer than she probably intended.

I watched her walk towards the water bottle, and for a moment, I forgot the financial records, the attack, and the war waiting outside my gates.

Then my phone rang.

My security chief.

“Boss, we've checked the eastern perimeter. One of the guards disappeared during the attack.”

My amusement vanished.

“Name?”

“Marcus. He's been with the estate for three years.”

“Find him.”

“There's something else, sir. His quarters are empty, and his personal vehicle is gone.”

I looked towards Mara.

She had already sensed the change in my expression.

“What happened?” she asked.

I ended the call.

“Someone inside this house helped those men get in.”

Mara set down the bottle.

“Then we find out who.”

I reached for my gun.

This time, she reached for hers, too.

And together, we left the training room to hunt the traitor hiding beneath my roof.