Chapter 236

• GUSTAVO
• ~•~
• I stood in the center of the grand hall with my pistol raised and my eyes locked on the man who shared my blood. Matteo faced me from ten feet away. The smile on his face carried no warmth. It held only the cold satisfaction of a long-hidden truth finally stepping into the light. The chandeliers above cast sharp shadows across the polished marble. The air smelled of gunpowder and the faint metallic edge of blood from the fighting outside. My soldiers stayed locked beyond the heavy doors. Ricci’s guards lined the walls in silent formation. No one moved yet. The room waited in perfect stillness for the first blow to fall.