Chapter 3 - The Alleyway Ambush"It happened two blocks away," Elena finally confessed, her voice trembling as she realized lying to the most dangerous man in the city was a losing game. "The Varga syndicate. They intercepted my cab."
Dante’s expression darkened at the mention of their primary rivals. "The Vargas? What business do they have with you?"
"They know my father's firm is auditing their shipping accounts," Elena said, pulling free from his grip and stepping back to catch her breath. "They tried to pull me out of the vehicle. One of them grabbed me, and... and I used the heavy brass buckle of my portfolio bag to strike him in self-defense before I broke away and ran here."
Silence stretched across the office.
Marcus let out a low whistle. "She took on a Varga enforcer with a briefcase?"
Dante stared at Elena for a long, agonizing moment, reading every micro-expression on her face. He saw the genuine fear, but beneath it, he saw a fierce, burning resilience that caught him completely off guard. Most people would have gone home and hidden under a bed. She had come straight to the lion's den.
"You're remarkably foolish, Ms. Vance," Dante said quietly, a faint, dangerous smirk touching the corner of his lips. "Or remarkably brave."
"I'm surviving," Elena corrected him sharply, her fear momentarily overridden by defiance. "If your men had secured the perimeter like your contract promised, I wouldn't have been ambushed in the first place."
Marcus tensed, stepping forward as if ready to reprimand her insolence, but Dante raised his hand, halting him.
May you like
Dante chuckled—a dark, resonant sound that sent shivers down Elena’s spine.
"Bold words," Dante noted, walking back to his desk and picking up his glass of scotch. "Marcus, take a team down to Fourth and Elm. Clear the alley. If there's a Varga dog bleeding out on the pavement, clean it up. And bring me his wallet."
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