Chapter 2

"Let go of me! You bad men!"

Nero thrashed desperately. He was so tiny and frail that a single bodyguard easily hoisted him off the ground with just one hand.

Seeing this, Marcus lunged forward, only to have the cold steel of two gun barrels shoved viciously against his temples.

Floating in mid-air, I threw myself in front of Nero with everything I had, desperately trying to shove those brutal hands away.

But my soul was nothing more than empty air.

I was forced to watch helplessly as my baby was jerked around like a broken ragdoll.

"Mommy! I want my mommy!" Nero sobbed hysterically.

Watching the scene unfold, an imperceptible smirk curled the corner of Elena's lips.

She gently tugged at Alessandro's sleeve, her voice dripping with soft compliance. "Alessandro, let it go. It's my birthday today. The poor child is just collateral... used by Genevieve as a tool to fight for your attention."

As she spoke, she slowly walked up to Nero, feigning a compassionate crouch to comfort him.

"There, there, sweet boy, don't cry. What did your mommy give you to put on this little act, hmm? If you tell the truth, I'll buy you a delicious piece of cake. How about that?"

Elena's voice was sugar-sweet, but with her back turned to Alessandro, her eyes were as frosty and venomous as a viper's.

She reached out with the hand bearing a massive diamond ring. It looked like she was gently stroking Nero's head, but in reality, her sharp, manicured nails viciously dug straight into the soft, tender flesh behind his ear.

Nero let out a piercing shriek of pain. Driven by pure defensive instinct, he lunged forward, sinking his teeth ferociously into Elena's wrist.

He bit down with the ruthless aggression of a cornered wolf cub—a survival instinct honed from fighting for food scraps in the slums.

"My hand!" Elena instantly let out a bloodcurdling scream, stumbling backward and collapsing to the floor.

The crowd gasped.

The color drained from Alessandro's face, replaced by a storm of livid fury.

He closed the distance in heavy strides, shoved the bodyguard aside, and without a shred of mercy, kicked Nero squarely in his fragile chest.

Nero flew backward like a withered autumn leaf. He slammed hard against a marble pillar before sliding lifelessly to the floor.

He couldn't even muster the breath to cry. His mouth fell open, and a choked mouthful of dark blood spilled over his lips.

Nero! My soul let out a silent, agonizing scream. I threw myself over him frantically, trying to shield him with my ethereal form.

But I was utterly powerless.

I could only watch in despair as he curled into a tight, agonizing ball on the floor, his tiny body twitching violently.

"You have a death wish!" Alessandro snarled, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He drew the pistol from his waist and aimed it point-blank at Nero's head.

"Alessandro, no!" Elena pleaded, playing the part of the weak victim flawlessly. "He's just a child. Genevieve corrupted him. If you kill him now, you'll be giving Genevieve exactly what she wants—she'll spread rumors everywhere about how cold-blooded and ruthless you are."

Alessandro's jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek, the veins bulging furiously on the back of his gun hand.

He glared down at the dying boy on the floor, looking at him not as a child, but as a sworn, irredeemable enemy.

"It really is in the blood. I suppose Genevieve taught you from the cradle to use these dirty, underhanded tactics to garner sympathy, didn't she?"

Here we go again.

It was the exact same five years ago.

Elena had intentionally planted the Family's classified documents in my bedroom, only to run to Alessandro in hysterics, crying that I hadn't just leaked the intel, but had also tried to silence her permanently.

I had knelt in the freezing rain, trying desperately to explain myself.

But Alessandro merely pointed his gun at me, his eyes overflowing with pure revulsion.

"Genevieve, you have disappointed me beyond words. Your jealousy has turned you into a monster."

A single gunshot, and my right kneecap was blown to pieces.

I writhed in agony in the muddy water, while Elena stood safely under Alessandro's umbrella, a victorious smile playing on her lips.

Now, she was using the exact same tactic on my four-year-old son.

And this foolish, blind man still believed her without a shadow of a doubt.

"Throw this filthy bastard into the basement! And until I give the word, no one is to give him a single drop of water!" Alessandro holstered his weapon, handing down his ruthless sentence.

The guards immediately stepped up. Grabbing the unconscious Nero by the collar, they dragged him away toward the basement stairs like a dead dog.

Marcus was forcefully escorted toward the exit by the remaining guards.

Just before he was shoved out the doors, Marcus cranked his head back, his eyes swirling with dark mockery.

"Don, you are going to regret this."

"Shut him up and throw him out," Alessandro waved a hand dismissively, intensely irritated.

The grand hall slowly returned to a state of calm.

Servants moved swiftly, scrubbing the blood spatters and discarded pills off the floor. The elegant music resumed.

It was as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than a trivial, insignificant hiccup.

After having her wounded wrist bandaged by the private family doctor, Elena nestled herself back into Alessandro's embrace.

A flicker of sheer panic dashed across her eyes, though she masked it instantly.

She was scared.

Because she knew perfectly well that if Alessandro actually decided to investigate that boy, the truth of what happened five years ago would likely be dug up right along with him.

Staring at Alessandro's face, I felt no anger, only an endless, suffocating desolation.

Alessandro... you pride yourself on being the Don who controls absolutely everything. Yet you are being played for an utter fool by a single woman.

You killed your own wife with your own hands. And now... you are going to kill your own son.