Chapter 6 - The Last Betrayal
Dominic escaped forty-eight hours later.
Someone inside my security organization helped him.
At 2:13 Thursday morning, Nora called me.
“Don't go downstairs.”
I was already pulling on my jacket.
“Where are you?”
“Security office.”
“Stay there.”
“No.”
“Nora.”
“The cameras just went dark.”
Every light in my penthouse died.
Emergency lighting turned the hallway red.
I heard movement outside.
My phone vibrated.
Nora.
“He's inside.”
“How?”
“Service elevator.”
I reached the corridor.
One of my guards appeared.
“Boss—”
A crash came from the kitchen.
Then Dominic's voice.
“Adrian!”
I stopped.
He stepped from the darkness.
No smile now.
No expensive suit.
No loyal-friend performance.
“You should've listened to me.”
“You tried to kill me.”
“I built half your empire.”
“My father built it.”
“And I kept you alive long enough to inherit it.”
I moved slowly toward him.
“Then you sold me.”
“You were wasting everything.”
“Interesting. Victor said the same thing.”
Dominic's expression changed.
“You talked to Victor?”
“He talked plenty.”
That was a lie.
Victor hadn't.
But Dominic didn't know.
“What did he tell you?”
“Enough.”
Dominic's eyes shifted.
I saw fear.
Then the emergency lights suddenly returned to full power.
Elevator doors opened behind him.
Nora stepped out.
She wasn't alone.
The six private-security officers from Monday surrounded her.
Dominic turned.
“You.”
Nora held his burner phone.
“You left something behind.”
His face changed.
“Give me that.”
“No.”
“You have no idea what you're holding.”
“I do.”
She tapped the screen.
A recording began.
Dominic's voice filled the hallway.
“If Moretti survives the bridge, finish it at the hospital.”
Another voice answered.
“And afterward?”
“Victor gets blamed.”
Dominic stared at the phone.
Nora stopped the recording.
“You recorded me?”
“No.”
She looked at him.
“You recorded yourself.”
His burner had automatically backed up voice memos to a hidden cloud account.
Nora had found the login written among his financial notes.
Dominic looked at me.
“Adrian.”
I shook my head.
“Don't.”
“We were brothers.”
“No. I thought we were.”
His shoulders dropped.
For the first time, he looked tired.
“You think she cares about you?”
I glanced at Nora.
Dominic continued.
“She cares about survival. Give her enough money and she'll leave too.”
Nora stepped forward.
“That's the difference between us.”
Dominic laughed bitterly.
“What?”
“You think everyone has a price.”
“Everyone does.”
“No.”
She held up the black card.
Still unused.
“Some people have a choice.”
Dominic stared at it.
Then at me.
I finally understood why that card mattered.
Camille had seen money.
Evelyn had seen leverage.
Sloane had seen influence.
Dominic had spent years seeing my wealth as something to steal.
Nora had been the only person who had looked at unlimited money and decided it wasn't the valuable thing in the room.
I nodded toward security.
“Take him.”
Dominic didn't resist this time.
As he passed Nora, he stopped.
“You think he'll ever treat you as an equal?”
Nora didn't answer.
I did.
“He already should have.”
Dominic looked at me.
Then he was taken away.
The elevator closed.
Silence returned.
Nora leaned against the wall.
Her hands were shaking.
I noticed.
“You were scared.”
“Terrified.”
“You didn't look terrified.”
“I've had three years of practice pretending I'm invisible.”
I stepped closer.
“You aren't invisible anymore.”
Her eyes lifted.
“That could be dangerous.”
“For me, apparently.”
She smiled.
Then looked at the black card.
“What should I do with this?”
“Keep it.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't want your money.”
“I know.”
“Then why keep it?”
I took the card from her fingers.
For a moment, I thought about the absurd competition that had started everything.
Then I snapped the card in half.
Nora stared.
“There.”
I dropped both pieces onto the table.
“No more competition.”
She smiled.
“No more competition.”
“And no more Mr. Moretti.”
Her eyebrow lifted.
“That seems ambitious.”
“Nora.”
“Fine.”
She extended her hand.
“Adrian.”
I looked at it.
Then shook it.
May you like
Neither of us let go immediately.
---
