บททั้งหมดของ BURNING EMPIRE: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Two days passed.Quiet ones. At least on the surface.Matteo stayed busy—following Dominic from meeting to meeting, room to room. Carrying messages, watching faces, learning the language of shadows. Every word spoken around Dominic felt like it meant something else. Every silence, louder than any shout.And through it all, Matteo kept his guard up.Because Dominic was watching him too.Not just like a boss watching a worker.But like a hunter watching a thing that might bite back.---The first sign came during a dinner meeting.A luxury restaurant—private booth, two guards outside, three men at the table with Dominic and Matteo.They were from the docks. Shippers. Powerful men with fake laughs and greedy eyes.Matteo stood behind Dominic’s seat like a ghost. Silent. Listening.Until one of the men turned toward him.“New boy?” he asked, nodding at Matteo.Dominic didn’t even look. “He’s not for sale.”The table laughed.“We didn’t say he was,” one of them said, smiling. “He just look

Morning came with a knock.Not the usual kind.This one was sharp. Quick. Rhythmic.Matteo jumped up from the floor where he’d been sleeping, his hoodie tangled around him. Leo stirred on the mattress, groaning softly.Another knock.He crossed the small room and opened the door a crack.Two men stood outside. Black suits. Earpieces. No smiles.“Mr. Pendragon is waiting,” the taller one said.Matteo blinked. “Now?”“He doesn’t wait.”---By the time Matteo threw on his cleanest shirt and slid into his sneakers, the guards were already escorting him down the street. No one dared come close. The black SUV parked by the corner gleamed under the weak morning sun, tinted windows hiding what lay inside.The door opened automatically.Dominic sat in the back, dressed in a charcoal coat, black gloves, and sunglasses despite the cloudy sky. One of his personal guards stood outside, scanning the street with cold precision. Another sat in front, beside the driver, watching Matteo through the rea

The next morning, Matteo woke up to silence. The apartment Dominic had stashed him in was spotless, sterile, and empty. It didn’t feel like a place for the living. Just a room to hold a secret.He showered quickly, dressed in one of the clean shirts someone had dropped off during the night, and stepped out into the hallway. Two guards stood at the entrance. One nodded. The other didn’t even blink.“You’re to wait here until Mr. Pendragon calls,” the silent one said.Matteo forced a small nod. “Right.”They didn’t offer conversation. They weren’t like Jax. Or Leo. Or even Dominic.They were shadows with guns.---He spent most of the morning pacing. Drinking water. Sitting. Standing again. He stared out the window at the quiet street, watching expensive cars roll past like everything outside was moving on without him.By noon, Dominic arrived.Black coat. Black gloves. Same unreadable stare.Two more guards trailed behind him. One tall and lean, the other shorter, bald, with a gold too

The room was dark except for the faint glow of the security lights outside. Matteo lay on top of the covers, his eyes open, body still. He could hear Dominic’s steady breathing from across the room. It should’ve calmed him.It didn’t.His phone buzzed softly on the side table.Carefully, Matteo sat up, checking to make sure Dominic hadn’t stirred. He hadn’t. The man slept like stone.Matteo picked up the phone.Leo: Still coughing. And the lights went out again. I’m cold.Matteo’s heart twisted. He typed quickly.Matteo: Wrap up. I’ll get you medicine and call you soon. Don’t worry.He didn’t wait.He rose, slid his hoodie over his shirt, and tiptoed to the door.He needed to breathe. Think. And maybe, just for a few minutes, stop being Dominic’s shadow.---The estate was quiet.Guards stood in corners, but none stopped him. Matteo had earned just enough trust—or curiosity—to move freely.He slipped out the back gate, hoodie up, hands stuffed in his pockets. The night was sharp with

The estate was quieter than usual.Too quiet.Matteo paced the corridor outside the medical wing, hands in his pockets, eyes flicking toward the heavy double doors every few seconds. The walls here didn’t echo like the rest of the house. Everything was padded, silenced, clinical — like time moved slower where people fought for their lives.Behind those doors, Leo slept.Monitored. Cared for. Safe.At least for now.Two guards stood at each end of the hallway. Silent. Still. Always watching.Matteo was getting used to it — the feeling of being observed like an animal in a cage. But lately, he wasn’t sure who was caging who. Or whether he was the one slipping into the bars willingly.Footsteps approached.Calm. Unhurried.He didn’t have to look to know it was Dominic."How is he?" Dominic asked."Stable," Matteo replied quietly. "Fever’s down. He’s still weak, but they said he should recover fully if he rests."Dominic nodded, hands in the pockets of his slacks."I can have one of the d