Chapter 6 - The Night the Mansion Went Black
Dante had spent five years waiting.
Roman had inherited the family.
The businesses.
The loyalty.
Everything Dante believed should have belonged to him.
So he decided to destroy Roman using the one thing Roman could not control.
Darkness.
At 12:07 a.m., every light in the DeLuca mansion died simultaneously.
Roman froze.
Complete darkness.
His breathing stopped.
Sienna immediately understood.
“Roman.”
No response.
She found his hand.
His fingers closed around hers.
“Sienna.”
“I'm here.”
Somewhere downstairs, doors slammed.
The backup generators should have activated.
They didn't.
Dante had disabled them.
But Sienna had spent months repairing this house.
She knew every circuit.
Every conduit.
Every hidden junction box.
And she had installed something Roman didn't know about.
A manual emergency circuit.
“Come with me.”
“I can't see.”
“You don't need to.”
She guided him through the darkness.
Roman followed her voice.
Not because he was weak.
Because he trusted her.
They reached the basement electrical room.
Sienna found the mechanical bypass.
“Three…”
She pulled the lever.
“Two…”
Nothing.
“Come on.”
She slammed it again.
“One.”
The mansion exploded into light.
Roman stood beneath the fluorescent lamps.
His fear vanished.
Footsteps approached.
Dante appeared in the doorway.
He stopped when he saw the lights.
Roman looked at his cousin.
Neither man moved.
“You always needed darkness,” Roman said quietly. “Because you were never strong enough to face me where I could see you.”
Dante's confidence cracked.
Roman's loyal men appeared behind him.
It was over.
No war.
No dramatic battle.
Dante had gambled everything on Roman being helpless in the dark.
He hadn't expected Sienna Cole.
As Dante was taken away, Roman remained motionless.
Then he turned toward Sienna.
“You installed a backup system without telling me?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“October.”
“Why?”
“Because your electrician was an idiot.”
Roman stared at her.
Then he laughed.
May you like
For the first time since Nico died, Roman DeLuca stood inside the room that represented his worst memories and laughed.
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