No One’s Pov

Dominic fell heavily onto his knees, his hands dropping into the dirt as he stared blankly into the merciless fire. The heat lashed against his face, but he couldn’t feel it.

For a man who controlled everything, the absolute helplessness of this moment was a suffocating chokehold.

"Boss! Be careful!" his assistant yelled, rushing through the thick smoke. He grabbed Dominic by the shoulders, forcefully dragging his numb, resisting body back toward the road.

Behind them, the distant sound of sirens finally approached. Within minutes, the dark forest was illuminated by flashing blue and red lights as police cars and fire trucks drove onto the dirt path. Soon they took control over the fire.

A police officer stepped forward, removing his cap as he approached Dominic with deep hesitation. "The vehicle was rigged with an explosive force, Mr. Valente. The bodies inside and immediately around the perimeter have been burned completely beyond recognition. I am deeply sorry... please give us a few days to run dental records and discover their true identities."

Dominic’s face remained entirely gloomy. The silence made the officer step back and return to the chaotic scene.

Dominic looked down at his hands. His knuckles were raw and slightly bruised, which he had tried to tear through the burning brush searching for her.

Was he too late? Was she truly gone? The thought alone threatened to tear his sanity apart.

"Boss!" another security guard hurried over, leaning in to whisper urgently. "We caught Miss Amelia and her father trying to board a private charter flight. They have been secured and are currently waiting in the basement."

Dominic’s bloodthirsty eyes finally snapped up, a predatory glint returning to his dead gaze.

The sorrow vanished, instantly replaced by a cold cruelty. He stood up without a single word and marched back to his car, his men following closely behind.

Soon they reached the mansion and without wasting any more time Dominic walked straight towards the basement.

The basement door cracked open.

The air down there was damp. Dominic stepped into the dim room. He stopped and looked down at the shivering figure tied to a metal chair in the center of the room.

Amelia’s head snapped up. The moment her eyes fell on Dominic, any lingering obsession or desire she had ever harbored for him vanished into thin air. She didn’t want him anymore- she feared him to absolute death.

Under the flickering bulb, Dominic didn’t look human. His singed clothes, the streak of soot across his sharp jaw, and those hollow murderous eyes made him look exactly like Dante- a demon stepped out of the deepest circle of hell, ready to slaughter her.

"I- I- ..." Amelia tried to utter words, her jaw trembling violently, but her voice completely failed her. Her throat felt dry as she shrank back against her restraints.

"What is the meaning of this behavior, Mr. Valente?! Why are we being held here like criminals?!" her father shouted from his own chair nearby, his face red with fury as he tried to mask his growing terror. "Do you have any idea who I am? You cannot treat the Laurent family this way! Release us immediately or I will ruin your corporate standing!"

Dominic slowly turned his head toward the shouting man. He stepped forward, his heavy boots echoing and leaned down until his face was just inches from the older man’s.

Her father suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand completely on end. The coldness radiating from Dominic made the older man’s voice die instantly in his throat, and he quickly quieted down, swallowing hard.

"I would love to see you try," Dominic whispered, his voice low. "Go ahead. Call your lawyers. Call the press. Try to ruin me. But remember, Laurent... I buy the banks that hold your debts, and I own the politicians who sign your permits. By tomorrow morning, I can ensure your family name is completely erased from every corporate registry in this country. You will be a beggar on the streets before the sun sets."

The older man froze, his chest puffing with terror as he realized Dominic wasn’t exaggerating. He closed his mouth tightly, not daring to utter another syllable.

Dominic slowly stood back up, his frigid eyes landing on Amelia, who was shivering so violently her teeth were chattering against each other. He walked over to her, tilting her chin up roughly with the cold handle of his gun.

"And you..." Dominic murmured, a dark, twisted smirk appearing on his face. "It seems like you completely forgot what happened last time when you tried to play with my patience, hmm? Alina."

The mention of that name sent a violent shiver straight down her spine. The terrifying realization that Dominic knew everything

including her deepest, darkest secret-

completely broke her remaining sanity. Tears burst from her eyes, spilling over her pale cheeks as she began frantically crying and begging for her life.

"I am sorry! Please, please, I didn’t mean to! I won’t ever do it again, I swear! Please just let me go! Please, Dominic!" she sobbed, her voice cracking with pure panic.

Amelia’s father watched his daughter’s total breakdown in absolute confusion, but remembering Dominic’s threat, he stayed completely silent.

Dominic didn’t show a single shred of mercy. He lightly gestured with his hand, and his assistant stepped forward, placing a set of legal documents onto the small table in front of them.

"If you both want to leave this basement alive, then sign it," Dominic commanded coldly.

The older man squinted at the papers through the dim light. His eyes widened as he read the bold text. It was a total asset forfeiture and a permanent exile agreement- transferring all of their family’s corporate shares to Valente Corp and forcing them to leave the country forever.

"What is this?!" her father shouted, his anger momentarily overriding his fear. "This is robbery! I won’t sign it! I will never sign away my life’s work!"

Dominic let out a low chilling chuckle. Slowly, reached into his inner pocket and took out a sl sharp silver knife.

Both of their eyes widened in absolute horror at the sight of the weapon.

"Now, now..." Dominic purred, gently running the flat of the blade along his own palm. "Are we going to sign it, or are we going to do this the hard way?"

"You can’t do this to me! This is illegal! You won’t get away with this!" the father screamed, struggling against the ropes binding his arms to the chair.

"Oh, yes I can..." Dominic whispered.

Before the man could even scream for help, Dominic moved. He grabbed the older man’s left hand, pinning it flat against the armrest, and brought the silver blade down in one swift

motion.

CHOP!

A clean slice sound echoed through the quiet basement. A split second later, a loud shriek of pure pain rang out from the older man as blood splattered onto the white legal papers.

"Daddy!!" Amelia shrieked horrifically, her voice cracking as she watched her father cry out in pain clutching his bleeding hand.

Dominic wasn’t playing around. In fact, looking at the dead, empty voids of his eyes, the man standing in front of her wasn’t Dominic at all. It was Dante- the remorseless monster who wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter them both right here in the dark.

"Signing it, or not?" he asked once again, his voice chillingly calm as he gripped the blood-stained knife, ready to strike a second time.

"I’ll sign! I’ll sign!" her father choked out through tears. With his trembling, bleeding fingers, he snatched the pen, his blood smearing across the white pages as he forced his signature onto the bottom line.

Dominic didn’t say a word. He casually tore the paper away and threw the documents directly at Amelia’s lap, the red drops staining her expensive designer dress.

"Do it before you find out what happens next," he murmured.

Amelia nodded frantically, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Her whole body shook so violently she could barely grip the pen, but she forced herself to scribble her name on every single line, terrified that a second delay would cost her her own fingers- or her life.

The moment she finished, Dominic coldly snatched the papers from her hands, checking the signatures. He folded them and handed them to his assistant.

"Be glad I am letting you off," Dominic whispered, leaning down slightly so his shadow completely engulfed her. "The only reason you are walking out of here alive is because I don’t want to dirty my hands with your filthy, pathetic blood. But hear me well... if I find out that Vivien’s disappearance is truly by your hand... you will pray you were dead."

Amelia’s eyes shook with a paralyzing horror. Her face turned completely pale, a cold sweat breaking out across her forehead. She knew the hitmen she hired had blown up the car- if Dominic ever connected the charred remains to her, there wouldn’t be a cave deep enough on earth for her to hide from him.

Dominic stood up to his full height. He didn’t look at them again as he turned his back and addressed his guards.

"Throw them out in the middle of nowhere," he commanded flatly. Then, he cast one final, icy glance over his shoulder at the shivering, broken father and daughter. "I better see you both out of this country by tomorrow morning. If I find even a trace of you here after sunrise..."

He left the threat hanging in the damp air, but they both shivered violently, knowing exactly what it meant.

Turning on his shoe, Dominic walked out of the basement, leaving them to the mercy of his men.

Dominic looked down at the photograph on his phone, his thumb softly tracing the screen, caressing Vivien’s cheek as if she were right there in front of him.

"Any update yet?" he asked, his voice a low and hollow rasp.

His assistant stepped forward, keeping his head bowed. "Boss... the forensic team still hasn’t fully identified the charred remains from the vehicle explosion. But the lab results came back for the blood spatters found near the tree trunk. The DNA profile... it matches Miss Vivien’s blood."

Hearing this, Dominic’s heart fiercely ached, a sharp pain ripping through his chest. He gripped his hands together tightly, his knuckles turning white as his jaw clenched. The thought of her bleeding, trapped in that dark forest while those monsters closed in on her, made his sanity fray at the edges.

He forced his voice to remain flat. "And what about that kid Enzo? Any update from him?"

"No, Boss," the assistant replied quickly. "It’s been completely silent from his side. Our scouts report no unusual movements, no mobilization, nothing. He hasn’t broken his routine."

"I want to know exactly what happened to Vivien. In full detail. Do not stop digging until you have every second of her timeline accounted for." With a wave of his hand, Dominic dismissed him. "Leave."

The assistant bowed and hurriedly exited, closing the doors with a soft click.

Left entirely alone in the shadows, Dominic ran his trembling hand through his dark hair. His eyes were incredibly gloomy, reflecting the flickering city lights outside his window. He refused to believe she was gone. He refused to accept a reality where she didn’t exist under his watch.

Staring back down at her smiling picture, a dark obsessive look took over his face.

"Even death can’t tear us apart, amore mio" he whispered into the empty room. "If you are hiding, I will tear this world apart to find you. And if you are truly gone... I will make sure everyone who took you from me burns first."

.

.

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED