Chapter 10
Ten
ADANGEROUS DECISION
DAPHNE
The door to my suite slammed shut with a heavy, echoing thud, and I automatically looked down at the thick manila envelope Thal had just handed me. A wave of questions flickered through my mind: Now what?
Dread settled in my gut like a stone, growing heavier with each passing second, a stark reminder of the heavy decision looming ahead. With every moment that ticked by, that burden seemed to grow larger.
I reached for an open bottle of wine, poured myself a glass, and spread the contents of the envelope across the surface of my coffee table.
For the next half hour, I meticulously sifted through every piece of intelligence he had sent, along with his terse note asking me to review everything and share my thoughts.
By then, I was sure he had already made up his mind.
As I went through the papers, a disturbing detail caught my eye, one of Zeno’s properties had been attacked, and he hadn't even mentioned it. That seemed odd. Zeno was the kind of person to call me, venting over the smallest issue.
Yet here I was, hearing about it from Thal first, and a shiver ran down my spine as I wondered why I had been kept in the dark.
As I delved deeper, it became clear that the attack was probably planned by someone inside Zeno’s network. There were no signs of intruders entering or leaving. The only footprints were from a few workers on site. I had been there just last week, dropping off some paperwork for Zeno.
Yet, nothing appeared unusual.
I looked at the inventory list Thal had highlighted, and the air in my lungs turned to ice. It wasn't business assets. It was my father’s ghost. Boxes of personal journals, the watch he wore the day he died, the deed to the estate Zeno told me had been seized by the state.
Zeno had done more than rescue me. He collected the wreckage of my life and put it in a vault I didn't even know existed.
Now, Rhea was burning my history to the ground to remind me that I was the only piece of the debt still standing. It wasn't an attack on a warehouse. It was a cold, calculated signal that the collectors were coming for the last item on the list: me.
It didn't feel like a random business hit anymore. It felt like Rhea was incinerating my past, clearing the slate for my future as her payment. This wasn't an attack on an operation. It was a message to the girl inside the gilded cage.
Thal’s sources indicated that a member of Rhea’s group had infiltrated the location as an employee. This seemed to be just the first strike in a series of attacks planned by the syndicate.
I found myself pondering what might happen next, filled with a mix of curiosity and unease.
It was obvious they wouldn’t stop their attacks until they reached their hidden objective.
Rhea’s unwavering resolve was well known.
She would go to any lengths to get what she desired, regardless of the cost.
Her pursuit not only endangered Zeno’s empire but also threatened Thal’s and Aidon’s worlds. However, if Thal’s suspicion was correct—that one of her own men had infiltrated us—then we still might have a chance to intervene.
A wave of guilt washed over me as I struggled with this new information. Now that I knew what I was supposed to do? Should I put it back in its envelope and send it straight to Zeno? I couldn’t shake the feeling. Why had I not heard from him anymore?
If he didn’t tell me what was going on, why should I tell him what I’d learned? Besides, there was no way to explain how I gained this knowledge, or why Thal was sharing it with me in the first place.
I picked up my phone and, instead of calling Zeno, I sent Thal a message to express gratitude for sharing the information. I still didn’t know what to do with it, but I was glad to have it.
I stayed seated for another hour, eyes drifting over the same pages, letting fragments of information swirl and settle in my mind. As I poured the remaining wine down my throat, it offered a fleeting distraction from the rising tide of anxiety, but it failed to quell it.
It didn’t work.
Zeno’s warnings and Thal’s encouragement resonated deeply in my mind—voices in a fragile tug-of-war. One warned me to be cautious, aiming to hold me back, while the other encouraged me toward freedom.
I wondered why I felt so conflicted, why this struggle was so painful. Perhaps, if they weren't rivals and could resolve their differences, they might even join forces.
Was it possible for me to have both of them without the heavy burden of loyalty weighing me down?
A desperate longing pushed me to cast everything aside.
Most of all, I struggled with how much I should reveal to Zeno. Maybe he already sensed it, though. If he hadn’t, then there was a glaring flaw in his security. And what did it say about his operation if someone had managed to infiltrate his network in the first place?
I sensed that Zeno was slipping away, his grip on control weakening. And with that, my confidence in him was waning, slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.
All my life, he’d presented himself as the capable and wise man, never questioning himself or his choices. Perhaps that was his first mistake. Arrogant men were always the first to fall.
Was this Zeno’s time? Was his reign over Vegas ending?
And if that was the case, did I truly want to be involved? Did I want to stay to witness it?
My head was spinning with confusion and unanswered questions, and the wine was doing nothing to help. I decided I hadn’t had enough yet, and just as I stood from my couch to grab another bottle from the kitchen, my phone lit up.
“Oh, Zeno,” I murmured to myself. “There you are.”
I hit the button and answered, my head spinning with intoxication, my stomach fluttering with anxiety.
“Hey,” I answered, hoping my tone masked the nervous flutter in my chest.
“Where are you?” Zeno demanded, cutting straight to the point.
Irritation flickered through me. “At home. Where else would I be?”
“I need to know everything you’ve uncovered about Thalassios Adrias so far.”
The moment he mentioned Thal’s name, my heart gave an involuntary jump.
“I’m still working on that,” I replied, forcing my voice to remain steady, even as a tremor threatened to creep in.
“So, you have nothing new?” His voice edged into suspicion.
“There’s not much to report, but I haven’t been idle, Zeno. I keep following him, though he doesn’t stray far. Only to work and back home. I don't think there's anything else I can tell you.”
He asserted, with a tone of certainty, "You're missing something."
“And why do you say that?”
“Because I believe he’s behind one of my buildings getting blown up.”
“Thal?” I questioned, my brow furrowing. “Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s been deliberately trying to undermine me for years, Daphne.” His voice was edged with frustration and impatience. “Haven’t you been paying attention? That’s exactly why I have you following him.”
“That’s a good point, considering I haven’t made much progress. Maybe I’d be better off somewhere else?”
“No,” he cut me off, his tone final and leaving no room for argument.
As usual, he dismissed me. This wasn’t the first time I'd suggested he give me a better position instead of assigning me trivial tasks that went nowhere. And each time, I received the same answer: no.
I sighed, wondering why I kept trying. I never expected a different outcome. Maybe Thal was right. It was time to do something different.
“I don’t believe Thal was responsible for this, Zeno,” I said, my voice sounding tired even to myself.
“I’m the only reason you’re still breathing, Daphne!
” Zeno’s voice cut through the speaker like a jagged blade.
“Rhea doesn’t want the brick-and-mortar.
She wants the blood debt your father signed away twenty years ago.
I’ve spent a decade acting as your shield, but my patience is wearing thin.
Give me something I can use to bury Thalassios, or so help me, I’ll stop standing in Rhea’s way.
I’ll let the collectors take what they’re owed, and we both know you won't survive a single night in their hands.”
I stayed silent, resenting the tone he was using with me.
“Why are you defending him anyway?”
“I’m not!” I insisted.
His voice crackled over the encrypted line, heavy with sarcasm that made my skin crawl. “Sure fucking sounds like it.”
“You’re the one at fault, Zeno,” I said, my voice steady despite my heart hammering against my ribs. It was uncommon for me to hold my ground like that, even over miles, and I waited for the explosion I knew was coming.
“Then prove it,” he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut through the speaker. “If you want me to continue to trust you, you need to give me something I can use.”
I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white, my frustration bleeding into my words. “How am I supposed to do that?”
He replied, "I’ll leave that to you to figure out," then hung up, the line going dead before I could say anything. His frustration was obvious.
I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on me. I threw the phone onto the couch with a clatter and grabbed the bottle of wine. Pouring a generous glass, I settled onto the sofa, my thoughts swirling as the burning liquid in my hand reflected my inner turmoil.
Zeno’s failure to see beyond his ego and delusions frustrated me endlessly. If he just took the time to understand someone else's perspective, maybe things would be different.
But I knew better than to say any of that aloud. He was too engrossed in his world to hear it.
I admired the man, but I started to doubt his ability to defeat Rhea or any other opponent.
Conversely, Thal was rapidly earning my respect and cautious trust. Though I still had many questions about him, I was gradually becoming more comfortable around him each day.