Chapter 8 - The Traitor in the House
The silence inside the office was suffocating.
Leon stared at Nadia Rostova’s signature on the glowing monitor screen. The air around him transformed instantly, radiating a terrifying, suffocating heat of pure, lethal fury.
"Nadia," Leon whispered, his voice dangerously soft.
"She’s been working with someone inside the syndicate," Elena realized, her mind assembling the pieces with terrifying speed. "She didn't just help murder my father, Leon. She was the one feeding Sylvio information about my biometric encryption keys. She wanted Sylvio to kill me at the yacht club so she could claim the estate keys using Dr. Harrison's forged authority!"
Leon didn't hesitate for a single second. He pulled his satellite radio from his belt.
"Viktor," Leon commanded into the mic, his tone flat, cold, and absolute. "Bring Nadia to the subterranean tactical bay. Right now. Do not let her near a communications device."
Five minutes later, Elena and Leon descended into the lowest level of the estate—a concrete tactical bay beneath the mountain base, lit by stark fluorescent lights.
Nadia Rostova was standing near the center of the room, flanked by four armed guards. She wasn't in handcuffs yet, but her face was tense, her eyes darting nervously toward the heavy blast doors as Leon and Elena walked in.
"Boss?" Nadia asked, forcing a professional smile. "Viktor said there was an emergency security breach at the perimeter?"
Leon didn't answer. He walked slowly toward her, stopping five feet away.
Elena stepped up right beside him, holding the physical blue ledger in her hand.
"Dr. Harrison talked, Nadia," Elena said coldly, laying the trap.
Nadia’s eyes twitched. A fraction of a second of pure panic flashed across her face before she tried to cover it. "I... I don't know what you mean, Mrs. Bruno. Who is Dr. Harrison?"
"The doctor who signed my father's fake death certificate," Elena said, taking a step closer. "The doctor you paid two hundred thousand dollars to cover up the arsenic poisoning that killed Lorenzo Mancini."
Nadia’s posture shifted instantly. The fake smile vanished, replaced by an expression of bitter, desperate hatred.
"He was an old fool!" Nadia spat out, dropping all pretense. She glared directly at Elena with burning eyes. "Lorenzo was weak! He was letting the Mancini empire rot from the inside while he spent millions buying you diamonds, silk, and mountain houses! He was going to leave everything to an adopted, fat little charity case!"
"So you poisoned him," Leon said, his baritone dropping into a terrifyingly low register as he stepped in front of Elena.
"I did what needed to be done for the city!" Nadia yelled, backing away toward the wall as Leon advanced on her. "Sylvio and I had a deal! We were going to restructure the entire region! And then you—" she pointed a shaking finger at Leon "—you destroyed everything because you've been obsessed with this spoiled brat for ten years!"
"She isn't a spoiled brat," Leon said quietly, pulling his gun from his holster. "She is my wife. And you just confessed to murdering her father."
Nadia went pale. "Leon... wait! I have the offshore access codes! You need me—"
BANG.
Leon pulled the trigger without a second of hesitation.
Nadia collapsed to the concrete floor, her eyes wide, silent, and motionless.
Leon lowered his weapon, clicking the safety back on, and handed it to Viktor without looking down at the body.
"Clear the floor," Leon ordered flatly.
He turned back to Elena. She was standing firm, her chin high, her hands steady, holding her father's ledger against her chest.
May you like
Leon walked over to her, taking her into his broad arms, holding her tightly against his heart as the heavy silence of the mountain fortress settled over them.
"It's over, sweetheart," Leon whispered against her hair. "Your father has justice now."
