Chereads / Throne of passion / Chapter 4 - "Hostile Encounter"

Chapter 4 - "Hostile Encounter"

Alessia entered the abandoned house, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. The air was thick with the smell of damp wood and rust. As she moved cautiously, gun in hand, she saw Tony tied to a chair, blood dripping from his face, forming small pools on the cracked concrete floor.

"Who's there?" a voice echoed from the shadows.

Alessia aimed her gun towards the sound, her heart pounding but her face betraying no fear.

"Show yourself!" she demanded, her voice steady.

Marco Rossi stepped out from behind a pillar, his own gun at his side.

Alessia and Marco stood facing each other, weapons drawn, with Tony, tied to a chair, bleeding and broken between them. The dilapidated room around them, with its cracked windows and cobweb-covered corners, seemed to close in, amplifying the intensity of the standoff

He smirked, eyes locking with hers. "So, you're the infamous Alessia."

"Who are you?" she spat, her finger inching closer to the trigger.

"Marco And that's your man over there," he said, nodding towards Tony. "Caught him red-handed, stealing our information."

This news make Alessia's shocked .

Her eyes narrowed. "You're lying He would never betray us". She looked at Tony in disbelief .

"You don't even know what your man is doing behind your back he has been selling information to the highest bidder".Marco said.

"Show me," Alessia challenged, not lowering her gun.Marco nodded towards one of his men, who handed over a thick file. Alessia quickly scanned the documents, her expression darkening with each page she turned. It was all there: evidence of Tony's communications with rival factions, bank transactions, and detailed reports he'd sold.Tony, despite his condition, managed to speak. "I... I needed the money, Alessia. They offered me more than I could ever dream of. I'm sorry.""You put us all at risk for money?" Alessia's voice was a mix of fury and hurt. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" "That's enough," Marco interrupted. "I didn't bring him here to have a heart-to-heart talk.

Tony's actions have consequences."And all this information made Alessia's very angry with that, she shot him in the leg."

As Alessia glared at Tony, who was tied to the chair and covered in bruises, her anger boiled over. "I can't believe you betrayed me, Tony. After everything I've done for you," she spat, her voice laced with fury.

Tony, barely able to lift his head, croaked, "Alessia, I didn't have a choice. They threatened my family."

Alessia's grip on her gun tightened. "You'll face the consequences, Tony. This betrayal won't go unpunished."

Before Tony could respond, Marco's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw his father's name. With a frustrated sigh, he answered, "What is it, Dad?"

"Marco, there's an emergency at the mansion. You need to come back immediately," his father's urgent voice crackled through the phone.

Marco's expression darkened as he processed the information. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he replied curtly, ending the call. Turning to Alessia, he said, "I have to go. But this isn't over. I'll finish this later."

Alessia's eyes narrowed. "Fine. But know this, Marco, if Tony's telling the truth, you'll regret ever laying a finger on him."

Marco paused at the doorway, his gaze intense. "Alessia, I've already given you the proof. If you choose to ignore it, that's on you."As Marco left, Alessia's mind raced. She looked back at Tony, who was barely conscious. "If you're lying, Tony, I swear, you'll wish you'd never crossed me."Tony coughed weakly, trying to form words, but before he could speak, Aleesia's phone buzzed with a message. She glanced at it, her face paling as she read the contents. The message was from her best friend, Nova, with a chilling update that made her heart pound.Alessia's grip on her gun tightened as she processed the new information. The stakes were higher than she had ever imagined. She looked back at Tony, who seemed to sense the shift in her demeanor."What is it?" Tony whispered, fear evident in his eyes.Alessia didn't answer. Instead, she turned towards the exit, her mind set on a new, more urgent course of action. As she stepped out of the abandoned house, a sense of foreboding washed over her. This was far from over.