All Chapters of The Glass Rose : Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

Matteo's POV The van tires were kicking up a spray of rain and oil as we tore away from the palace gates, and I kept my eyes glued to the three monitors on the small folding table because the real work of destroying the Rossi empire was happening in the digital space while we drove through the dark streets of the capital. The offshore account balances were still flickering on my screen as the automated scripts continued to move the final tranches of cash into our hidden Moretti holding funds, and I could hear the background chatter from the palace security frequency getting increasingly desperate as the guests inside the ballroom started checking their own investment apps and finding their personal portfolios completely wiped clean."The panic is starting to spread through the ballroom because the investors are seeing their withdrawal requests denied by the main server, and the palace staff is currently trying to lock the terrace doors to keep the billionaires from storming the Count

Lucien's POV The silence in the penthouse was heavy enough to choke on as the Butcher’s voice faded from the speakers, and I looked over at Alessia to see her gripping the edge of the kitchen island so hard that her knuckles had turned completely white while Matteo stood frozen with his hand still hovering over the communications panel. We had spent the entire night tearing down the Rossi empire and thinking that we had finally secured our safety, but the sound of that girl’s panicked breathing on the recording proved that the old man still had one last, ugly card to play before he crawled into the grave we had dug for him."That is Paolo’s sister, the one he sent up to the northern academy just to keep her away from the docks, so how the hell did Salvatore find her location in the middle of the capital after we wiped his entire information network?" I asked, my voice coming out as a low, sharp growl as I grabbed my shotgun from the rack by the door and started checking the chamber f

Alessia's POV The air down at the shipping terminal was heavy with the smell of wet salt and thick, oily diesel fuel, and the massive steel cargo containers towered over us like dark walls that blocked out the moonlight while we crept toward the edge of the third pier where the luxury yacht was bobbing against the rotting wooden pilings. Lucien stayed a few paces behind me with his weapon held low against his thigh, and I kept my hand on the handle of my own sidearm while I scanned the rows of crates for the mercenaries who were supposedly guarding the Butcher’s last exit."The thermal scan Matteo ran earlier showed three guards patrolling the eastern corridor near the crane base, but I only see one man smoking a cigarette by the gangplank right now, so either they are hiding in the shadows or they are all clustered near the hostage," I whispered over my shoulder, my voice barely carrying over the sound of the choppy water slapping against the concrete."If they are clustered near th

Matteo's POV The crate of raw timber I had climbed was shivering under the impact of heavy gunfire, and I wiped the stinging grit from my eyes while I pressed my cheek against the cold steel stock of the rifle because the Butcher’s men were trying to rip my cover apart with long, sustained bursts of automatic lead. I had already put three rounds through the main control bridge of the yacht, and the dark water of the harbor was reflecting the sparks as the electronics inside the wheelhouse fried and started pouring black, acrid smoke over the deck, but that had only made the mercenaries on the ground more determined to knock me off my perch so they could get their boss out to the open sea. "Matteo, if you don't keep that suppressed fire on the stern, the remaining deck hand is going to get to the anchor release, so just keep your head down and focus on the wheelhouse because I am closing the distance on the gangplank right now!" Lucien shouted over the radio, and I heard the unmista

Lucien's POV The air in the narrow hallway was thick with the smell of burning oil and damp carpet, and the entire yacht was pitching heavily as we fought our way toward the engine room stairs, the yacht’s hull groaning every time a wave slammed into the side. I moved with my back against the wall while Alessia stayed close behind me, her weapon raised and her eyes scanning every corner because we knew the Butcher’s last two bodyguards were waiting somewhere in the dark for a chance to put us in the ground."They are definitely guarding the stairs because I can hear the click of a safety being disengaged right behind that bulk head door," I whispered, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I realized they were waiting for us to commit to the descent."I’ll throw the flashbang into the stairwell and you take the right side the second the light hits, because we can't afford to get pinned in this corridor where we have zero cover," Alessia said, her voice steady as she r