Chapter 19 #2
Scuttling toward the waiting car, Sofia was consumed by a venomous bitterness. She hated Isabella, the beautiful one, the warm hearted one, and she loathed Aiden for choosing her sister. But most of all, she hated how effortlessly Anna had stepped into the life Sofia felt she deserved.
?It was Sofia who had provided the blueprints on Aiden’s wedding day, giving Lorenzo the exact coordinates for the bomb. Her plan had been as simple as it was delusional, eliminate Isabella and the two brats, and she would be the only one left to console a grieving Aiden.
?Lorenzo Valenti had played her hate and greed like a master violinist, promising her a piece of the Thorne empire regardless of whether Aiden survived the fallout.
But as she looked back at the darkening estate, the truth finally set in. She wasn't a partner in Lorenzo’s game, she was a sacrificial pawn, and her time was running out.
?Yet, as the car pulled away, a jagged thought remained, one way or another, she intended to be the last one laughing.
The next morning, at Thorne's estate, the kitchen became a different kind of war zone. Marcus sat propped against the island, arm in a sling, looking pale but smug as Anna fussed over him.
?"Eat, Marcus," Anna chided, sliding a plate toward him. "Any more weight loss and you're useless on the range."
?Aiden paused in the doorway, watching them. He and Marcus had been brothers since childhood, bound by an alleyway blood pact made long before the empire. Seeing his fiercest protector mothered by the woman he loved brought a rare, genuine smile to his face.
?"Hey, Boss," Marcus grinned, gesturing toward Anna. "See this? This is the attention I’ve been missing. You should get shot more often, it’s great for morale."
?Aiden laughed.
"Mom! I can't find my coloring book!" Leo yelled, sliding across the hardwood.
?"Library, behind the couch!" Anna shouted back, eyes glued to a perimeter feed on her tablet. "Tell the north garden guards to rotate, they’re getting stagnant!"
?"Everything under control, Commander?"
Aiden asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
?"Perimeter's tight, juice boxes are packed, and the school run is on schedule," she replied, popping a piece of bacon into her mouth. Aiden leaned in and kissed her, a long, lingering moment that had Marcus groaning and the kids making dramatic "eww" faces.
Anna turned to the twins. "Leo, Mia, come give Uncle Marcus a hug before we go."
?Marcus froze, his fork clattering against the plate. "U-uncle?"
?Aiden’s eyebrow arched in silent question.
?Anna simply shrugged as she adjusted Mia's hair. She knew the history, the shared childhood, the blood pact, and the fact that Marcus had no one else left.
?"He’s family, isn't he?" she said. "Family protects each other. That makes him an uncle."
?Marcus looked ready to faint, his eyes watering as Mia climbed into his lap to pat his uninjured shoulder. Leo followed, looking bewildered but excited to discover they had an uncle.
?"Yeah," Marcus whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Family."
The moment was interrupted by the Thorne’s golden retriever, who decided that now was the perfect time to steal Leo’s left shoe. A frantic, hilarious chase ensued through the kitchen, with Leo shrieking and the dog barking joyfully, slipping on the hardwood floors.
As the chaos settled, Anna turned her attention to Vanessa. She had been quiet, watching the reunion with a strange, detached expression.
?"Vanessa," Anna said, her voice dropping into a terrifyingly soft register as she leaned against the marble island.
"Come here."
?Aiden and Marcus watched in silence as Anna set her phone down. She tapped the speaker, the ringing tone echoing through the kitchen like a countdown.
?"Enzo," Anna said as the line connected. "It’s been a while."
?"Wraith," Enzo Rossi’s voice crackled, instantly guarded. "I told my men to stay clear of the Thorne estate. We aren't looking for a war."
?"You did," Anna replied, her eyes locking onto Vanessa, whose face had drained to a ghostly, translucent grey.
"But you forgot to send the memo to your sister. It was good of you to lend her to us, Enzo. She’s been a very diligent spy for the Rossi family, tucked right away in Aiden’s office where all the secrets live."
?The silence was deafening. Even Aiden looked stunned, the fact that his top tier assistant was actually Enzo’s sister must be a secret guarded by blood and silence. No one, not even him had sniffed it out.
?"She’s still breathing," Anna added, her gaze never leaving the trembling woman. "For now."
?"Wait," Enzo barked, desperate to settle the mounting debt. "Valenti placed a hit on Aiden. Millions. Every freelancer on the coast is checking their rifles."
?"I know," Anna replied. She knew he was throwing her a bone to balance the scales before she came for the rest of his family.
"Enzo, you owe me two. I'll be coming to collect."
?She hung up and turned to Vanessa, who looked like she was about to collapse. "Leave. Now."
?Vanessa didn't need a second invitation. She scrambled for the exit, tripping over a dog toy and fumbling with the heavy door handle in a blind, frantic panic. It was genuinely funny for Anna to watch the composed assistant fall apart into a clumsy mess as she fled for her life.
Vanessa was Aiden’s executive assistant, responsible for the mountain of sensitive paperwork and logistics that kept the Thorne empire running from his home office. Her constant presence at the estate had always been viewed as professional necessity, which made the betrayal cut even deeper.
Anna turned to the men, meeting their gaze as they watched her with a mix of awe and genuine alarm.
?"I'm afraid to ask how you knew that,"
Marcus admitted, unable to keep the shock from his voice.
?"You're learning, Marcus," Anna said with a playful smile. "Slowly, but you're learning."
?Aiden simply shook his head, a private, tender smile settling on his lips.
He knew she was a dangerous creature who would step in front of a bullet for him without a second thought.
It was also the one thing that truly terrified him, that she would sacrifice her life for his, never fully realizing he would do the exact same for her in a heartbeat.
"Lorenzo killed the messenger," Anna briefed them, her voice shifting into a cold, tactical hum.
"He’s lashing out because he’s losing. The hit on you proves he’s desperate, and desperate means predictable. We need to tighten the perimeter immediately."
?Marcus shifted, his hand hovering near his sling. "What about your security detail, Aiden? With a bounty that high and me still a few days from being field ready..."
?"I’ve got him," Anna said, a sharp, confident smile touching her lips. "Until you’re back on your feet, I’m the shadow."
?Aiden stepped forward, placing a firm hand on the small of her back, his eyes burning with pride. "My shield," he murmured, his voice a low vibration. "But never forget, I am yours as well. No one touches my Queen."
?The lethal tension snapped as frantic barking erupted from the hallway. Anna’s mom mask clicked back into place instantly as she saw Leo trying to trade her shoe to the dog for his own.
?"Leo! Give me back my shoe right now!" she yelled, spinning to chase the almost six year old and the retriever toward the door. "We’re going to be late for school!"