CHAPTER 4: THE PRICE OF SURVIVAL
The firefight in the garage had left two of Maria’s men neutralized and the others in retreat, but it had also forced Leo into the open. He knew now that Maria had nothing left to lose.
He found her at the estate an hour later. She hadn't fled. She was sitting in the study, a glass of expensive scotch in her hand, the painting pushed aside to reveal the empty safe.
"You're late, Leo," she said, her voice eerily calm. She didn't even look at him as he stepped into the room, his clothes stained with grime and gunpowder.
"Where are the documents, Maria?" Leo asked, his hand still tight on his weapon, held at his side.
She turned then, a sad, twisted smile on her face. "Do you really think your father is the saint you believe he is? Do you know how he built this company? The bodies he stepped on? The lives he ruined?"
"That doesn't give you the right to murder him."
"Murder?" She laughed, a brittle, sharp sound. "I gave him a retirement he wouldn't take. I saved the company from his outdated, failing vision. I am the future of this family, Leo. You’re just a pawn who refuses to play the game."
"The game is over," Leo said. "The police have everything. Your offshore accounts, the medical forgery, the hit team you sent tonight. It’s done."
Maria stood up, her grace and elegance undiminished by the encroaching ruin. "You think the law can touch me? I’ve spent years building walls that not even the federal government can tear down. But..." She paused, her expression darkening. "I admit, I underestimated you. I thought you were weak."
"I'm not weak," Leo said, walking closer. "I'm just like my father. You taught me that, remember? You said I was 'his son' whenever I did something you didn't like."
"Yes," she whispered, stepping toward him. "And you have his pride. Which will be your undoing."
She pressed a button on her desk. A hidden panel slid open, and two more men appeared—this time, they were high-level private contractors, professionals who didn't miss.
"Kill him," she commanded.
But as the men moved, the room flooded with red and blue lights. The SWAT team, led by Sarah, had already breached the perimeter.
"Drop your weapons!" the voice boomed over the megaphone.
Maria’s face didn't crumble. It froze. The absolute realization of defeat washed over her, and for a split second, the mask slipped. She looked like a woman who had spent her whole life running from a shadow, only to realize the shadow was herself.
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As the officers swarmed the room, pinning the contractors and placing cuffs on Maria, she didn't struggle. She simply looked at Leo one last time. "You’ve destroyed everything, Leo. Not just me. You’ve destroyed the legacy."
"No," Leo replied, watching her being dragged away. "I just saved the family."
